25 Best Internships For College Students

Are you a college student seeking internships? Then you have come to the right place. Through internships, you will gain real-life skills and experience. This blog contains a curated list of the best internships that you should consider doing to boost your career and make your resume look outstanding.

College students are usually advised to take internships during their breaks. This is because internships offer a view of the real world outside school, get you prepared for life after graduation, allows you to explore your discipline and others, and equip you with real-world skills, and the experience gained is second to none.

It is during your internship that you can begin applying the things you’ve been learning in the classroom and also learn other things that they don’t teach you in the classroom such as effective communication, working with others, and time management. An internship also gives you a boost in your career because you will add it to your resume which is something employers love to see.

Now, the kind of internship you do and the place where you do it are very important which is why you don’t just hurriedly jump into any internship. It is just like looking for a college and a program to apply for, you also have to do diligent research when looking for internships as a college student.

When searching for internships, seek companies that compensate for your field of study or in a field that you would like to get into in the future. Aside from the technical and soft skills, you will gain, it will also give you a better understanding of your current field or the one you are about to enter. Also, your resume will look outstanding and make employers trust in your skills and expertise.

Well, that is what to know when searching for internships as a college student. To help make your search much easier, we at Study Abroad Nations have published various articles to that effect, irrespective of where you are and whether you are an international or domestic student.

There are internships in Germany for international students who are looking to go abroad and study in Germany or just go there for internships. There are also internships in Canada, which is also one of the top destinations for international students. And if you are looking to be an intern in the US there are loads of them that you can apply for.

We don’t just write about internships, we practically have thousands of helpful, interesting articles on the blog, especially for those looking to study abroad and those seeking universities to apply to. You can find resources to learn Japanese language or teach English abroad on our site. You can also find a wide range of articles on free online courses that covers all subject that you can take from the comfort of your home.

That being said, let’s get back to the main topic…

What Is The Need For An Internship For A College Student

Taking internships as a college student offers you the opportunity to explore careers, develop yourself, and learn new skills both technical and soft skills. It also allows students to test out the practical aspects of what they’ve been taught in school, so far, and get familiar with office environments.

An internship also lays the foundation for transitioning into a job and gives you an edge in the job market. There are also the financial compensations that come with doing an internship. In the latter part of this article, you will find a list of paid internships for college students.

How To Find Internships Near Me

Thanks to the internet, finding an internship is piece of cake. Simply use any of the search engines like Google or Bing to search for internships near you and there, you have the results in the palm of your hand. Aside from the internet, there are also other ways to find internships near you and these ways even increase your chances of getting hired.

You can look for internships on your university’s job listing page and also ask your professors for internship openings. Your professors will help you write a good letter of recommendation that will make the establishment accept you more quicker. You can also talk to your fellow classmates, ask your upperclassmen for recommendations, advice, or connection, and you can also ask your parents.

Finding an internship will become super easy if you follow all that I have mentioned here.

What Is The Best Time To Start Applying For Internships In College?

For this, you may want to start applying for internships in your college freshman year and you want to start applying early, say 4-6 months prior to the due date. Internships are usually on a first-come, first-serve principle, so applying earlier increases your chances of acceptance.

5 Paid Internships For College Students

You must have heard that there are paid and unpaid internships for college students, well, you heard correctly. There are internships that will pay you while being an intern and others that will let you work without a penny. Whichever one you want to go for is completely up to you but most, if not all, students would prefer a paid internship.

If you happen to fall into the category of students that want a paid internship, then do not hesitate to apply for the following companies.

1.     Explore Microsoft: Intern Opportunities for University Students

This is an internship from Microsoft, it is in the summer and takes 12 weeks. It is for students in their first or second year of a bachelor’s program who would like a career in software development. The payment is $36 an hour.

Apply Here

2.     Garmin International, Inc. – Software Engineer Intern

If you want to learn software development and hardware management, then this internship is for you. Although it is only open to students in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering or a related field. The salary is between $46.4k – $58.8k a year.

Apply Here

3.     Spring Internship: Editorial

This internship is provided by Penguin Random House LLC and offers a pay of $20 per hour. It is for 10 weeks and remote where you will work for 14 hours per week. You get to work in the editorial department of the company. It is open to college senior, those entering college senior year, or graduates.

Apply Here

4.     Information Security Intern

This internship role is provided by the American Specialty Health Incorporated for college students or graduate to join the company’s Information Security Operations (ISO). It is remote and pays $20.40 – $25 per hour.  

Apply Here

5.     Front End Engineer Internship by Amazon

Amazon is hiring front end engineer interns who are also college students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field. The salary is $10,000 per month and is full-time.

Apply Here

Internships For College Students Medical

If you are looking to enter medical school then you should start doing internships. Your work experience and practical knowledge are top of the list when med schools are accepting applicants, they even value your experience more than your scores in tests.

So, if you want to increase your chances to get into any medical school, even ones with the lowest acceptance rates, apply and do internships in the medical field. This will make your resume and application letter look posh and put you far above the other competitors.

You need not look for medical internships, see then below.

  1. Epidemiology Intern at Merck
  2. Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics Intern at Merck
  3. Medical Data Science at Alcon
  4. Child Family Health International
  5. Project Intern at Baylor College of Medicine
  6. University Internship: Medical Diagnostic Lab Assistant Intern at Labcorp
  7. Data & Genome Sciences Intern at Merck
  8. Discovery Biologics Intern at Merck
  9. Oncology Clinical Project Scientist Intern at Johnson & Johnson
  10. Infectious Diseases Intern at Merck
internships for college students

10 Best Internships For College Students

To the moment you’ve been waiting for. Let’s explore the best internships for college students.

  • Public Relations
  • Hospitality
  • Marketing
  • Healthcare
  • Graphic Design
  • Higher Education
  • Real Estate
  • Translation
  • Technology
  • Agriculture

1.     Public Relations

Public relations is one of the best internships for college students and here’s how. Public relations is a department that is found within every organization and their job is to manage the image and public interactions of a company. If you are an intern in this department, you will learn and gain problem-solving skills which you can apply into all aspect of life.

2.     Hospitality

The hospitality industry is growing at a rapid rate and according to a recent research, this industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of 13.9% from 2020 to 2021 alone. With such a rapid growth, you may consider entering this industry and gaining hands-on employable skills as an intern.

To get into it, look for internships at hotels, restaurants, and event planning companies.

3.     Marketing

Marketing happens to be one of the best internships for college students and this is because more businesses are created daily that needs the skill of a marketer to push it out to the public. If you are a college student pursuing a degree in business, economics, or finance then you should look for marketing companies to apply.

Even though you are not in any of the fields above but have a thing for advertisement and campaigns, then you should totally go for a marketing internship.

4.     Healthcare

The healthcare field is not going anywhere and will forever be in demand, and the professionals in the field would only get more and more valuable as we go on. This is why I have listed it as one of the best internships for college students.

Those looking to enter med school or nursing school can increase their chances of acceptance by working as interns in a healthcare facility.

5.     Graphic Design

Graphic design is one of the best internships for college students and here’s why. If you intern at a graphic design firm, you will gain the skillset that can make you start working, maybe doing freelance jobs, and earning money even as a student. Also, it doesn’t matter what bachelor’s program you are currently pursuing, you can totally intern as a graphic designer as long as it interests you.

6.     Higher Education

Higher academic institutions are some of the easiest and quickest way to be an intern. Colleges offers internship opportunities in their admissions, financial aid, and career services department which makes it easier to get. If you are interested in how colleges recruit, select, and support student’s education then you should totally intern at a college or university.

7.     Real Estate

The real estate is growing at a rapid rate and being an intern in a real estate firm might be your only window to learn the ropes of this business. There are many real estate agencies that offer internships to teach and equip students with skills and experience about the process of investing in real estate and selling properties.

8.     Translation

This is a good one for college students pursuing a language program because doing a internship for a translation service would boost their knowledge and expertise on languages. They will gain industry-needed experience and also practice their communication skills in multiple languages.

9.     Technology

There is an endless need for interns by tech companies and they don’t fail to accept students whether in tech or non-tech fields. If you work as an intern with a tech company, you will learn various processes involved in producing and distributing new innovations, gaining industry-level skill and experience that will be highly sought after by giant tech companies.

10.  Agriculture

And last but not least on the best internships for college students is Agriculture. We all know how important agriculture is, it practically sustains the entire world and as intern, you will be well-grounded on the various method and techniques used to grow food. You will also learn to work with agricultural companies, banks, and companies that manufacture agricultural implements.

These are the top 10 best internships for college students. It is important that you go for an internship that compensates your current field of study or a field you will like to break into in the future.

Internships For College Students – FAQs

Are there paid internships for college students?

Yes, there are various companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon that pay interns.

How long is an internship?

Internships typically take between 10-12 weeks but there are a few that lasts the entire year.

How many internships should I do while in college?

It is important that you do at least one internship while in college.

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