Are internship or studying abroad opportunities important to my college application and acceptance?

Hi Karen,

I am not sure that I understand exactly what you are asking. I am going to answer the questions I think you could be asking. I hope it helps. If not, reply to my answer and let me know!

1. Do colleges expect you to have internships or study abroad trips on your application? No! Colleges generally focus on GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and application essay responses.
2. Are internships or studying abroad opportunities important to my *graduate* college application and acceptance? Yes and no. Generally graduate schools require experience in your field but it could be from research or work experience. A lot of graduate degrees also require exams such as the GRE.

Based on my experience, I think that colleges are mostly focusing in on student's grades, exam scores, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and any other skills that you may have. For the most part they don't expect you to have internship or study abroad experience, that's what going to college will help you achieve!

I believe that for the most part it depends on the school you’re going to every school like to see your extracurricular activities but some may be more it shows that you are a well-rounded student that you can handle someone of a busy schedule. I don’t think that colleges look for internships so much as they do extracurricular activities unless you’re applying to graduate School?