You’ve visited every job fair, networked and name-dropped at each career talk, and you’ve been browsing Handshake and LinkedIn more frequently than Facebook. Finding the perfect summer internship is undoubtedly one of the biggest struggles almost every college student has to face. From keeping up with multiple application deadlines to managing your coursework and extracurriculars to facing rejection, finding internships can be mentally draining. We at the Clog want to help ease this anxiety and give you some tips to help you deal with the summer internship struggle.

Start early

Most of your fears about finding a summer internship will be quelled if you start early. This gives you a head start and allows you to budget your time accordingly. Plus, starting early will give you plenty of time to deal with schoolwork, club work and apply for other jobs.

Research different opportunities

Working at a place where you’ll learn new skills, meet new people and have a refreshing experience is extremely important, especially if you plan on working for the whole summer. Sometimes we feel the need to choose quantity over quality and end up applying to the most random jobs that might not even be of interest to us. Using all your resources, from Handshake to LinkedIn to your trusty friends, can really help you find that one amazing internship that you can put your heart and soul into.

Update your calendar

Whether it’s Google Calendar, your iPhone calendar app or an actual calendar you have stuck on your wall, update it once a week to keep track of internship application due dates so that you can budget time needed to spend preparing the application. Not only that, but you’ll have a visual aid for all your other deadlines too.

Talk to people

Communication can be the silver lining that helps you get that perfect internship. Whether it’s networking with employees of the prospective company or just talking to friends, you’ll have the opportunity to learn something new and possibly helpful.

Pace yourself

It’s never a good idea to go on an internship application binge and apply for a whole string of jobs in one day. Pace yourself and have a set goal of internships you’ll apply to in a week so that you can give each application your care and attention and submit quality work.

Go to a job fair with a friend

Job fairs can be intimidating whether it’s your first time or not. Go with a supportive friend to relax your nerves and boost your confidence.

Relax!

Yes, applying for internships is a stressful and draining process, but keeping a cool head can be really beneficial. Don’t get too discouraged if you don’t get your first choice internship — you never know what the world has in store for you or what other exciting things you could be doing this summer!

We hope this smooths out some of the wrinkles in the internship process and wish all you Bears the best of luck!