I always felt as if I had to be as competitive as if I were applying to be a full time employee for the company.
Well you do have to be competitive, but only among other current students (most applicants will probably be curent Juniors). It’s not like you’re competing against people who already have degrees or entry level experience.
So far I have applied at only one (local: the one I want). I found some others I may apply at as well (far away: but more in depth internships).
Not going to lie, but you are definitely starting pretty late. However, lots of companies are still doing interviews and hiring. A few applications isn’t enough though: it’s not uncommon to get one interview for every ten applications, more or less depending on where you apply. I would suggest setting a goal to apply at 100 places, both local, statewide, and nationwide, by the 31st. This may sound like overkill but it’s not. You probably still have a good shot but you need to go really hard on this starting right now. I would try to do a pretty even balance of local, statewide, and national. ones. I really liked my results and did about 1:3 in-state to out-of-state applications. You’ll get more replies from in-state but there are just so many more out-of-state ones that it doesn’t hurt to power through them. Plus you’ll eventually run out of in-state applications to do through LinkedIn/Indeed.
LinkedIn and Indeed are good places to find applications. Don’t get picky about the wobb companies (my.wobbjobs.com) or locations, just apply to any and all that have internships for your major. It’s better to get in as many applications as you can and worry about the specifics of each company later. Worst case, you turn something down. It’s really a numbers game.
FYI, some companies will pay you enough to easily cover relocation and living expenses. They’ll probably be very helpful with information if you have to relocate. Many will pay you more than what you’ll end up spending on both of those. Though interning at a good company is always worth it in the long-run for your career, regardless of if you make or lose money doing it (it would suck being paid little but it will set you up for more meaningful full-time offers).
I graduate next May.
Yeah, I would definitely go hard and try to get one. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t, though. Fall and Spring internships exist and you can also potentially do some research assistant work at your university.
I haven’t had it reviewed by anyone other than my bf who has had two or three different internships when he was was in college.
Take it to your university career center tomorrow or on Monday. They should be able to review it and make any needed changes. This may sound excessive because your bf already reviewed it, but it deserves obsession. The resume will be the first thing everyone looks at and one oversight could damage all the applications you worked hard to submit. Getting it skimmed by a second person who does it for a living is a smart idea.
I haven’t heard back yet or interviewed. But I just submitted my application two days ago
That’s normal. When I did applications, I typically got responses 1-2 weeks later. Some randomly responded much later, like two months, but those were outliars.
Stay confident. You have a good chance of finding something you’ll enjoy if you work hard right now. Also, even if you don’t, you are getting some stellar company research and interview practice for when you apply for your first job!