Internships can be a great way to obtain marketable skills, increase your likelihood of a job offer, and expand your professional network. To make an internship a worthwhile, look for opportunities with:
- An assigned supervisor who will work closely with you
- Substantive assignments and responsibilities
- Periodic evaluations of your work
- A reputable organization with a record of preparing interns for success
To increase your chances of getting an internship
- Start looking early; Summer internships are typically advertised from December to February.
- Seek letters of recommendation early from professors and other mentors.
- Polish your resume and your profile for LinkedIn and Handshake. Free help available here!
- Attend the STEM Career Fair each Fall and Winter semester.
- User your personal connections!
Resources
Here are some resources for finding internship opportunities:
- Ask around in your professional network!
- Government lab internships: DOE national labs, Fermilab, NIST (here and here), NASA (here and here)
- National Science Foundation REU program: summer research experience at universities around the country.
- Department of Defense labs: Army, Air Force, Navy
- Industry internships: Direct searches on LinkedIn, Indeed, Google, etc.
- Professional organizations: APS, AIP/SPS (here and here), ASA, AAS
- Other databases: Physics Today Jobs, Pathways To Science
- BYU alumni: Check on Handshake!
- See list of other internships that recent BYU students have done here