Managing School and an Internship: Tips for the Busy Student Intern

Your Reputation Precedes You…NetClarify Can Help!

I’ve learned to live a double life: I’m the free-from-the-responsibilities-of-real-world- employment student most of time, but I’m also the working-like-I’m-employed-in-the-real-world intern.

Chances are you’ll too be a student intern at some point during your education. Most college majors and graduate study programs require an internship for academic credit.

If you’re going to juggle school and an internship, it’s all about time management. You have to realize when you’re wasting time for no reason and when you’re overextending yourself – both of these methods don’t work well for the student-intern lifestyle.

Tips for Managing School and an Internship:

• Be an early riser:You’ll be surprised how much you get done before noon, if you make the effort to get out of bed. You’ll also be morelikely go to bed at a reasonable hour and feel well rested.

• Be a planner: Scheduling out the hours of the day on a calendar gives you a visual as to when you have time and when you don’t. You’ll know the days that are best to intern and the days that are too jam-packed.

• Keep your online presence professional and positive: Interning for a company means that you are now directly associated with the company. Your online image could reflect on the company’s image. A negative online presence could reflect poorly on the company.

• Make the right time sacrifices: Is watching a movie on a Tuesday night really the best use of time during the week? Student interns have to be picky with their free time.

• Keep an internship log and showcase your work: Track what you’re doing and for how long each day at your internship. You’ll see exactly what you’re efforts have produced and can add them to your résumé.

With the job market more competitive than ever, having the right internship(s) before you graduate could set you ahead of your class and land you the job. While everyone is doing internships after graduation, you’ll have paid your dues already.

But, remember: If having an internship while going to school is affecting your grades in a significantly negative way, you may have to re-evaluate your decision to handle both at the same time.

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