EDITOR’S COLUMN: WHY IS INTERNSHIP SEASON SO STRESSFUL?
BY GABRIELLE CABANES ILLUSTRATION BY KENDALL WIFF
Here I am, sitting on my bed on this cold Wednesday in February, thinking about how internship season has got to be the most stressful time in a young person's life. Forget the holidays — the period from early January to late March will always make my heart jump.
Whether you're applying for internships, interviewing for internships, hearing back from them, or not hearing back at all, this process would have just about anyone begging to be put out of their misery. Then, there are always those people on LinkedIn who posted their internship acceptances back in September. Yeah, right.
It’s all you think about first thing in the morning while you desperately scroll for an email reply and the last thing you think about before going to bed at night, wondering if you wrote the right things in your cover letter or said the right things in your interview. I find myself endlessly texting my graduated friends frantically asking which clip I should include in my application or if they would do me a favor, yet again, by reading over a letter of interest.
At the end of the day though, it’s important to realize how lucky you are to be in this position. Many people would die to have even a shot at the same opportunities as you and no rejection, no matter how heartbreaking, ever takes away from your worth as a human being.
So, as I sit here, reflecting again on this time, I become grateful for my ability to write. I am grateful that this is only the start of my career and how exciting it is to think of the places I might end up. I am grateful for my friends who continue to support me. I am grateful for my ability to take breaks and surround myself with the people I love. So take some time, eat a snack, take a break, and watch a movie. I promise the portal will still be open when you get back.
