Several academic departments across campus also have in-house internship and career advisers, including political science, journalism and mass communication and public policy analysis. An internship is a valuable part of that, but the process of finding one is just as beneficial to students. Timing is everything The internship search process requires time and planning. Graham says a good rule of thumb is to start looking for an internship about six months before a semester begins. In other words, if a student wants to work during the summer, he or she should start looking in November or December, at the latest.
Different industries have different timelines, so it pays to do research early.
Because most companies offer positions to students at all levels, freshmen should consider internships, too. The worst-case scenario is that recruiters ask a student to check back later if the process was started too early, Graham says. I'd much rather do that than miss a deadline. Nichols says most public policy students do summer internships between their sophomore and junior years, with application deadlines ranging from mid-December to the end of March. Most employers begin accepting applications in October and November.