BU students are working to beat the odds of internship shortages

Jessie Karol, a sophomore, said she felt behind after she watched her peers post about their internships on LinkedIn.  

“It kind of just seems like if you don’t have an internship junior to senior summer, you’re behind,” Karol said.

An internship shortage is affecting college students across the United States, according to an article published by Inside Higher Ed. According to Inside Higher Ed, about half of the 8.2 million students who wanted a summer internship didn’t end up completing one.

And that difficulty is proving to be true at Boston University, according to students like junior Jaden Cheong. 

“It’s always hard and demoralizing,” Cheong said. “Getting rejection after rejection [and] not hearing back.”

Cheong, an economics student, has already interned at two consulting firms. 

“Because a lot of the students and even the recruiters these days understand it’s kind of a numbers game, you kind of shoot your shot as much as you can,” he said.

During last year’s summer internship application cycle, Cheong said some of his friends applied to anywhere from 75 to 150 internships each, only to hear back from at most 10 employers for next steps.

Cheong started applying for summer 2025 internships this August, which he said was a late start compared to his peers in finance.

Karol recently began the application process again, and said she felt “internal pressure” to get an internship. 

“Knowing that if you want to get a good career and you want to make the most out of your education, that’s what you have to do,” she said.

This past summer, Karol said she applied for 10 to 20 different positions before becoming a legislative intern in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The skillset she acquired from her legislative internship was beneficial to her, she said. 

“​​That’s what makes them prestigious, that not everybody can have that name-brand internship,” Karol said. “You kind of just have to get experience where you can.”

BU offers resources to help students find and apply to internships.

Steve Koppi, executive director of the Center for Career Development, said the center helps students across campus refine their applications and their internship search.

“We’re here to help every student,” he said. “We often try to convey that there are lots of opportunities, and that people who are successful in their search are usually people who search well.”

The CCD supports students by hosting practice interviews, cover letter guidance and resume reviews, Koppi said. Through resources like Handshake, students can share their resumes, filter internships and connect with potential employers.

Himsam Park, a sophomore, secured a marketing internship last summer through a connection with a family friend. 

“Talent is so abundant these days,” Park said. “Whether you get the job or not, it’s solely based off personal preference of the hirer.”

Park said he decided to forgo an internship this summer. Instead, he plans to spend his summer working part-time and developing a portfolio, which he said is crucial when looking for a job.

“The 4.0 [GPAs], the academic prowesses — [employers] are becoming used to that,” Park said. “They like to see concrete proof of your actual skills within the real, working world.”