Once accepted into my undergraduate program, where do I start to find internships?

Hi April! It is very productive of you to start looking for internships right away. As mentioned by Judith, this will definitely help with your future. Also as stated, an academic advisor on campus would be a great first step. Athletic training is a very specific and small industry so starting in something related could be a start. Many universities and colleges have career services that post internships on a job board for students to search. I would also look at local gyms and fitness clubs to see what they have available as you may have to start with something under an athletic trainer.

In college, I had a similar major but was timid and not confident when searching for an internship. This led me to not get the experience I needed after graduating. Take it from me, internships are meant to be for learning and experience, not necessarily something you will be in forever. Take every opportunity you can get in college and benefit from it as much as you can.

Hi April!

Before initiating your internship search be sure to speak with your on-campus career center representative (or faculty advisor) to ensure the types of internships you are seeking align with program requirements and/or your career goals.

Side Story. Ready? When I was an undergraduate it didn’t occur to me until my senior year to start searching for an internship. I wish i would approached this sooner, as you are, because I can to find out an internship was one of my graduating requirements. I was fortunate enough to have had the ppportunity to work with one of our student services offices to not only create an internship, but one that would count as experience and earn me the credits I neeeded to graduate.

OK, back at it.

This would be a great time to also start constructing your resume and tailoring it to the internship/job you‘re seeking. Do you have a LinkedIn account? This is a great base to start building your online profile and network.

Additionally, LinkedIn is a great resource to dig into while searching for internships. Simply go on the jobs tab and set your preferences. Your network on campus, such as faculty and career center staff, also serve as great connections for finding the right internship. Your college/University more than likely also has its own internal database full of opportunities. For instance, job fairs.

Side Story: As an undergraduate I found myself attending job fairs for practice.

Job fairs are a great way to connect with recruiters and inquire on possible entry-Level opportunities. Bookmark your college/university calendar and write down all upcoming job fairs. It’s okay if you don’t walk out with an internship. At least you can say you made great connections.

What do you do with those connections? Follow up. This is where your LinkedIn account comes into play. You can search for those persons you met, connect, and send them a quick “thank you” note (vía email Optional).

Hope this helps get you started on your internship search. Wish you the best of luck!