As second semester is finally in full swing, Scripps students are courageously looking forward to their summer vacation. Although summer vacation is more than three months filled with the company of family, friends, delicious barbecues, and beautiful weather there is anxiety attached with summer months and leaves students asking a commonly heard question: should I get an internship?

While it is true that I am rather new to finding internships, I’ve recently heard about the ambitious nature of internships with regards to first years.  From the perspective of a first year, the word internship is extremely intimidating.  It is already enough to have to worry about making and maintaining friends and not failing classes, but to search for an internship seems like a rather ambitious task. But hear me out freshman (or anyone who is afraid to apply for one) as I explain my rationale as to why we shouldn’t be afraid to try and why we are all extremely qualified.

Up until a week ago, I didn’t believe I was worthy or qualified enough to apply for an internship. I would have only had one year of college, and besides I’m not even positive as to what I want to major in. Who wants to hire an intern who isn’t even sure what they want to do with their life? But as I thought more about it, my “internship mentality” completely changed.

First off, having a year of college under your belt is in fact a huge accomplishment. While it is true that the Claremont Colleges are known for their high retention rates and being home to some of the happiest students in the nation, college drop out rates are unfortunately always rather high. Therefore, I finally have realized that for me to doubt the significance of a year of college was silly and was only stoping me from accomplishing my ambitions.

In addition, even though I am a first year, I have already accomplished more than I could have ever imagined for my first semester. I am on the club field hockey team, volunteer for the Admissions office, and (as of a week ago) I am now officially on the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Team.  And on top of being active in the Claremont community, my grades were above average. I’m sure everyone of you reading this has been just as involved or even more involved than I have. College, especially at first, can be a scary place and every Scripps woman need to pay tribute to her accomplishments and triumphs.

So even though you may have already convinced yourself you won’t be applying for an internship this summer because you believe “you are too young”, please don’t let that be your excuse. Yes, it is true some internships are for rising juniors and seniors, but there are a plethora of other opportunities.  The longer I’ve been at Scripps, the more I feel a desire to be intellectually challenged. I finally feel I’m up for the challenge in finding and applying to internships. As cliche as it may sound, “you never know until you try,” and my challenge for you is to at least apply to while the opportunity still presents itself.  What are you waiting for?