Students find summer internships scarce
It's that time of year again. As the icy wind blows at students' backs, undergraduates ? casting an eye toward warmer weather ? are searching for summer internships.However, with the economy at a low this year, students are less certain that they will find a position.A number of companies that used to offer several internship spots to college juniors have cut or scaled back their programs."There is no doubt that the troublesome state of the economy has been a critical issue since last spring and as a result, many organizations have scaled back their recruiting efforts," said Beverly Hamilton-Chandler, director of career services."Some organizations, prominently those in the financial and consulting [fields], are choosing to make fewer positions available."Hamilton-Chandler distinguished, however between a hiring decline and a hiring freeze."This should not be interpreted as no one is hiring because that is not the case," Hamilton-Chandler said.Hamilton-Chandler said she expects the time frame for finding jobs to be similar to last year's, leading the majority of students to secure placements by April.But in consulting and investment banking, undergraduates have already encountered disappointment."While Woodrow Wilson School students are usually highly sought after, this year I, and a lot of other kids, in my department have already had a lot of trouble getting interviews," said Rob Richardson '03 who applied to three consulting jobs.But while financial internships have become more competitive, Hamilton-Chandler said it is premature to predict the overall outcome of the summer internship search."It is still too early to say that students won't find internships or jobs," Hamilton-Chandler said.