If there�s one thing I hate about college,
it�s school. The partying and free movie
screenings are great, and living in a matchbox in the dorms with
two roommates isn�t too terrible. But the whole
going-to-class, homework and studying part? I could really do
without.
Unfortunately, however, until the education part of college is
phased out, school means you have to work. It is for this reason
that in early January I began scouting for an internship. Summer
school simply wasn�t an option. After three
straight quarters of midterms and finals, I knew that I would be
too burned out to write another coherent paper. There was no way I
was going back to my hometown, Cow City, USA, for an entire summer,
no matter how much I love my parents. I also
didn�t want to be stuck with a typical
minimum-wage job, because that generally results in permanent
cheek-muscle damage from smiling for an eight-hour stretch of the
day. I needed a job with a little more complexity, a little less
flipping hamburgers. Even if an internship isn�t
paid, it looks so good on your resume that it�s
worth it. At least that�s what you can tell your
parents when you ask them for grocery money and rent.
So I began my internship hunt with confidence, happy that I had
found the middle ground between accomplishing goals and bashing my
skull in with my textbooks. I figured it would only be a matter of
time before The New York Times gave me a ring and invited me to be
a guest columnist. Like a new member of Congress who hopes to use
politics to make the world a better place, I soon realized I was
horribly disillusioned.
The competition for internships is fierce. Not ice-hockey
fierce, or even Bruin Walk Hawker fierce. It�s
more of like hordes-of-angry-piranha fierce. As soon as I saw a
desirable internship posted on MyUCLA, it was quickly devoured by
college students who have psychic powers or bribe the MyUCLA
Webmasters. As soon as I dialed the number to inquire about whom to
address my cover letter to, I was informed that all the positions
have been miraculously filled in the past five nanoseconds.
The few instances I did get the opportunity to mail or fax in my
resume for consideration, I was once again disappointed. Apparently
you need more than a list of the clubs you joined in high school
with �columnist� written in
crayon across the top to get an internship at a prominent
institution. The weeks flew by and I found myself facing the first
days of May. Time was winding down. I had to force myself to choose
a back-up plan. The classes I would take for the summer sessions if
I were internship-less were beginning to fill up. I
wouldn�t say I was nervous, just tearing my hair
out in dread. This dread is what gave me the strength to make the
trek to the career center. I learned I should type in the
�columnist� part and how to make
the format so attractive that you barely notice how pathetic my
life�s accomplishments look on paper.
So with renewed vigor and a less colorful resume, I applied to
every remaining internship, and to my complete shock and joy, I
actually got an interview. Even better, after the interview, I
actually got an internship. My summer had been saved! Sure,
I�ll be working nearly full time, but the work you
do at a job doesn�t follow you home, unlike the
aptly named �homework� you get
from school.
Many of my friends gave up in the internship race and resigned
themselves to a least one of the summer sessions. I am proof,
however, that perseverance can defeat even the most severe
rejection. Use your resources � the career center
wants to help. And don�t procrastinate like I did.
Although most of our summer plans are nearly set in stone,
it�s never too early to start planning your next
summer vacation. Start your search early, around November or
December, maybe even now. The work is worth it. Hands-on job
experience is invaluable. Find out if the field
you�re investing countless tuition dollars in is
what you really want to do while you have the time to get out of it
if you discover that you hate it.
Yes, taking summer school will get college done that much
earlier, and this can be the best option for some people,
especially those with limited funds. But if you can afford to take
the opportunity, go for it. Besides, school is way too much like
work anyway.