Many of you might be thinking: "It's only November, and I still have three months until applications are due." While this is true, why not look and see what steps you could be taking right now to get ahead? I can bet that when February rolls around you would much rather be perfecting your personal statement letter than scrambling to arrange transcript requests and reference letters.
Many internship applications require that you ask your program director for a reference letter. Have you ever considered just HOW MANY reference letters this one person might be writing? Give them ample time to write you a stand out letter. Fill out the Student Information Form located on the Articles page at http://www.allaccessinternships to get started. Give this to your professor as soon as possible so they don't feel rushed. Get them while yours may be the only letter they are focusing on! Which brings me to another point, ask them in PERSON (that's right, ask, don't just say "I need you to write this reference"). You will appear much more professional and appreciative of the time they will be spending if you drop by their office rather than sending an email request.
Not everyone is ready for this step yet. Many of you are probably still narrowing down your choices and while this may seem obvious, remember to do the legwork yourself. Do NOT have parents calling internship directors to find out information or to arrange a visit. Internship directors are looking for independent, self-motivated individuals. Prove that you are one of them!
Katie
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I couldn't agree more with the advice about giving your reference person(s) ample time to write recommendation letters. I requested mine 2 months in advance, thinking that was plenty of time. Turns out several people were ahead of me and one professor - who I was counting on and didn't think to have a backup for - rejected my request, saying she could only write so many letters. I ended up having to choose another professor that didn't know me as well. For those of you still early on in the process, try to develop relationships with all your professors so you can have many options when it comes time to choose one for your reference.
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