2. Internships

Internships
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An internship provides supervised work experience in an area relevant to a student's career goals. In this case, you would be working in a physical therapy environment. This section of the guide is designed to give you tips on how to get the best internship experience possible.

According to Alan J. Kirkpatrick, internship director for the University of Colorado at Boulder’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, it is more important what you do with the internship than where you actually get it. Many employers may overlook the fact that you were an intern for a prestigious company. Instead of focusing on that, he suggests making sure you get a solid list of contacts that could potentially help you in the future.

The more internships you get, the better. The more internships you get, the more chances you have to get more contacts, which will eventually translate into more opportunities for your career.

Some ways to find an internship are attending career fairs, looking in the classified ads or even as simple as flipping through the phone book. One of the most important things to do to get an internship, however, is networking. Network with as many people as you can. College professors, fellow students or other professionals and employers. This has become so simple, anyone can do it with tools like Facebook or Myspace. You could also check a website specifically designed for listing internships such as internships.com.

Make sure you note the deadlines. Some internships have deadlines starting as early as November, so make sure you get your applications in in time.

Once your application is in, the employer will decide if you qualify to be an intern. Factors like GPA, community service or other extracurricular activities may be the deciding item, so try to keep your bases covered.

If and when you are accepted as the new intern, you want to make sure you make the most of it. Even if it isn't a paying internship, there is still valuable information and experience to be gained. As I said in an earlier chapter, always keep your eyes and ears open. There is always something to learn.

If all else fails, maybe you could become an entrepreneur? Try your hand at making some money on your own during the summer and see if you have a particular knack for running your own business.

That's all for interns. Next we'll visit how to pick the right college for you.
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