Featured Intern: Picking an Internship

By: Amanda Sauceda

Now is the time where most people are in the midst of choosing and narrowing their choices for an internship so I decided this would be my next blog topic. There are a lot of factors that come into play when choosing an internship. For me my choices were primarily based on location. I was going to pick an internship that was somewhat near to where I lived. That alone narrowed my choices quite a bit but there are a lot of programs here in Southern California. After much thought I decided to apply to two programs and the rest is history. So here are just three big factors to consider when picking an internship.

• Program’s Emphasis: Take a look at the internships website and see what the emphasis of the programs are. The programs I applied to had either a nutrition therapy or business emphasis. Others might have a food service or community emphasis, etc. Make sure that the one you apply to has an emphasis (if they do at all) that you really want to learn more about. If you are like me and really dislike food service then obviously steer away from an internship that has more time spent in that area.

• Programs Mission and Goals: When I was researching internships I felt that this was one of the most helpful pieces of information. Their mission and goals really spoke a lot to what they wanted their interns to accomplish and get out of it. This goes beyond what the program’s emphasis is because it gives more of an insight to how the whole program will be like.

• Cost: Some internships require application fees and/or tuition while others might even give you a stipend. Since having a job during an internship isn’t something feasible for everybody figuring out how you are going to afford the internship is a big deciding factor. Not only do you need to think of the costs of the actual internship itself but also of the costs that come along with it. For example if you aren’t living at home then rent and other living expenses come into play.

When you’ve finally narrowed down your list of possible programs make sure you only apply to ones that you really want to be at. Even the last program you rank should be one that you want to go to and not just be on your list for the sake of being in an internship. And if you don’t get into your first choice don’t let that upset you. I wasn’t picked for my first choice but I think it actually turned out for the better. I hope that helps a bit for this important decision. Next week I’ll report on my orientation week for my internship, very exciting!!