What Are You Doing Next Summer? Summer Internships Prepare Students for Careers

Last year, 1.8 million students packed their bags and headed off to college for their freshman years. The U.S. Census calculates that there are currently 11 million students enrolled in some sort of secondary institution. That's roughly the combined population of Arkansas, Alabama and Arizona! Talk about a lot of textbooks and backpacks!

While students choose to enroll in secondary institutions to meet a variety of needs, the most popular reasons are: 1. To obtain an education; 2. To find a job; and 3. To enjoy the Great American College Experience. Whatever their reasons for attending, nearly 70% of high school graduates flock to the pearly gates of wisdom and higher learning each year.

By their senior year of high school, most students have a very definite idea of where they want to attend college. However, in this increasingly competitive international collegiate marketplace, actually getting into that chosen institution can be tough. After all, you potentially have millions of competitors yearning to occupy that same cozy lecture hall seat as much as you do. (There's something about those durable plastic chairs and foldaway demi-desks that make eager young students crave the masochistic challenge of the academic environment year after year.)

Therefore, many high school students are taking advantage of their summers to maximize the potential of getting into their preferred institution. By enrolling in summer pre-professional or collegiate programs, students are not only enhancing their resumes, obtaining college credit and sorting out what they want from a career, but they are also getting a taste of what college life will be like. Some programs even invite students to live on campus, where they enroll in college-level courses and dine in campus dining halls. (Sure dining on campus may be cool now, but once you're actually in college, you'll understand where the ominous Freshman 15 comes from!)

Not All Programs Are the Same

There are a variety of pre-college programs intended to help high school students meet their summertime goals. The three most popular types of programs are: college-offered, institution-offered, and internships. Each of these types of programs offers a different experience, so it is important for students to do ample research into the particulars of each if they are considering enrollment.

Here's a brief overview of the basic differences:

College-Offered

Many college-offered programs are designed specifically for high school students and are focused on a particular field of study, such as drama or the Sciences. Other college-offered programs are simply open-enrollment general education courses in which high school students are welcome to enroll. Most colleges offer one or both of these programs, so take a look around for programs that interest you.

"I was lucky enough to attend the University of Pennsylvania's summer program for high school students before my senior year in high school," said college graduate Julie Yannalso. Yannalso lived in the college dormitories for two months and enrolled in a General Education course in Psychology alongside matriculating college students. "The program helped me know what to expect when I actually went to college. I learned how to meet people and make friends, so the transition into college was easy," said Yannalso. Yannalso also received credit that later helped her complete her major in Psychology at UPenn.

Institution-Offered

Institution-offered programs are generally very specific and are geared towards the high school student that has a very definite career goal already in mind. For example, if a student is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, then he or she may elect to enroll in an intensive program that focuses on exploring the world of medicine. There are many institutions that focus on just about every professional field under the sun. You may have to travel in order to attend these programs as many of these programs are over-night experiences that last from four to six weeks.

Take high school senior Ian Smith, for example, who enrolled in the Powell Center for Economic Literacy at Richmond, Virginia's Collegiate School. The Powell Center is a highly competitive and intensive summer program centered on economic education. The program is divided into two parts. The first part is an in-class training session in which instructors work to impart the principles of the business upon their students.

"That week is all about teaching students the basics of enterprise systems," said Powell Center Director Rob Wedge. The participants spend a full day (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) in class, where they not only learn about complicated economics models, but also about basic business procedures, such as resume writing, interviewing, and etiquette.

Across the board, participating Powell Center students are not only impressed and inspired, but also measurably educated. "I learned so much about economics from this experience," said Smith. "When I took AP Economics during my senior year [of high school], I had already learned a lot of the things the guest speakers taught in class because I had taken the Powell summer program." The Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, CEO of PartnerMD, Senior Vice President of Wachovia Bank, and Service Quality Vice President of SunTrust are among the Powell Center guest speakers.

Internships

Finally, many high school students enjoy taking advantage of internship opportunities offered by local businesses. As an intern, students are generally treated as if they are entry-level employees of the company. While the myth that interns are the low-level folks getting coffee for the higher-ups may be true in some places, most businesses will offer some sort of educational aspect in turn for the free (or cheap) labor.

The Powell Center is one of many programs across the U.S. that acts as a broker between high school interns and corporations. The Center will place students with companies such as the Bank of America, the Medical College of Virginia, BB&T, Circuit City Foundation, Media General and United Way.

Smith interned at an investment bank, where he had his own office with a view of the river. "With investment banking, you learn things in workplace that you don't learn in the classroom," Smith said. "I was treated just like the other interns that were actually majoring in finance. I had the same responsibilities."

Like many interns, the bulk of Smith's responsibilities revolved around managing Excel spreadsheets. He also had the privilege of attending a seminar highlighting the basic procedures for operating a Bloomberg terminal, the complicated equipment used to navigate stock positions on Wall Street. As an added bonus, Smith also received a $500 stipend when the internship was complete.

What's more, Smith values the contacts that he made at the firm. "I know that if I want to intern with the same company in college, they would probably have me back," said Smith. "I think I would also have a really good chance of being hired after college." Smith appreciates the follow-up phone calls and emails that he continues to receive from his former employer. "They still contact me and are interested in where I'm going to college," he said.

Rilee Harman, a high school senior, also served as an intern during the summer between his junior and senior years of high school. Harman plans to pursue a degree in pre-law or pre-business at the College of William and Mary after graduating from high school. Thus, he chose to intern at the law firm of Hunton and Williams, LLP. "I wanted to get the experience of learning what it is like to work in an actual business," Harman said. Harman added that the internship helped him do well in AP Economics during his senior year. "And I was able to meet new people and make new friendships," he said.

Tips for Getting the Most of Your Program

While just about anyone can enroll in some sort of pre-college program or internship, the key to getting the most benefit from your experience is defining your summertime goals. Thus, before you begin the program, define what exactly you hope to achieve by the end of the summer.

Be honest with yourself; if you are looking to enhance your resume, then the best way to do that is to participate in your chosen program as much as possible so that you can add definitive action statements to your detailed resume description. For example, if you choose to serve as an intern, state what you accomplished during your stay with an organization. Did you help the company obtain new business? Did you research critical market trends that led to increased profits for a client? If so, then be prepared to talk about it.

Todd Gehr, Chief of the Nephrology division at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) hosts a handful of high school interns each summer in his division. "What students really get [from the internship] is a view; not a huge amount of knowledge. They get exposure," said Gehr.

While you certainly cannot expect to walk away from your summer experience as an expert in any field, perhaps the most important benefit is that you can gain valuable insight into your potential career. The edification can not only be entertaining, but it can help to prepare you for your next academic stage.

"The students go on rounds and have interaction with physicians, residents and medical students," Gehr said. "They can also talk to the medical students about what it's like to be in medical school. The experience offers a good perspective for them."

Gehr, who has been hosting student interns for a decade, enjoys the interaction with the students. "We keep in touch with some of the students. Most of them end up going into medicine. Some even come back to MCV for medical school."

Finding a Program

If you would like to participate in a pre-college program or internship, the best place to begin your search for experiences that are right for you is with your guidance counselor. Most guidance counselors receive weekly announcements from pre-college programs and internship hosts that they then retain as resources for interested students.

You can also do independent research online. Begin either with programs at colleges in your area or with programs that focus on your discipline. The more you search, the more your will realize that the availability of programs are abundant.

Finally, word-of-mouth is perhaps the best tool for finding a program or internship placement that will fit your needs. Ask friends and peers if they know of any pre-college programs or internships that might appeal to you.

Most of all, remember that your summer experiences should be designed to help to expose you to a career or field that you could potentially be engaged in for years to come. Take time out to have fun amidst all of that learning! After all, if you aren't benefiting by having fun, then why do it?