#HonorsProblems: Finding the Right Connection

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Sean, an Elliott School sophomore studying international affairs and political science.

As Honors Students, we’re all pretty familiar with GW’s competitive professional environment. Regardless of how hard you might work, there always seems to be that one person taking 18 credits on top of a 20 hour/week internship and who’s on E-Boards for 3 different orgs. I for one found that daunting as a freshman last year. When you hear every day about how your peers are getting those hillternships or interning for State, while you’re coming up empty handed, it can be easy to think that we’re somehow underqualified for those same positions. I know that was certainly the case for me.
After my first semester, I had failed to get heavily involved with many orgs and I had no prospects for any internships. So, like any Honors Student would, I went into overdrive in the spring, and sent out summer internship applications to any place I could find. I was even more disheartened when, after sending all those applications, I heard nothing — nada, zilch, goose eggs.
But of course, as with any uplifting motivational story, something changed. I was scrolling through my FaceBook feed one day in March, after most of my application deadlines had passed, when I came upon a post that piqued my interest. A woman named Carrie, who I had never met before, posted a link to an application in the “Alumni Network” page for an organization that we had both been a part of in high school. I sent along my application and sent Carrie a message thanking her for posting the application and asking her for more information about the organization. One thing led to another and I heard back with an offer from the organization, a youth homelessness non-profit called Covenant House.
I was elated and relieved to hear that I would indeed have plans for the Summer. But on top of that relief, my experience applying for Covenant House taught me a few things. Importantly, when applying to internships, knowing the right person can often be key to getting the position. Especially when you are an underclassman, it is most important to have the right connection to get your foot in the door. That means that when you have the opportunity, join networking groups, attend networking events, and don’t be afraid to reach out to someone on Linkedin or Facebook if you suspect there might be an opportunity. But, most importantly, don’t let rejection get you down. Chances are, if you keep your head up and work hard, opportunities will come around.