what to do if you STILL don’t have a summer internship

It's March and you still don't have a summer internship. While everyone else is posting their offers, here's what to do right now. First, stop thinking internship season is over. A lot of companies are still hiring through April and even May. The big tech and finance deadlines have passed, but thousands of startups, local companies, and nonprofits are just starting to look. Strategy number one: apply to startups immediately. Go to LinkedIn, filter by company size under 200 employees, and posted within the last week. Startups hire way later than corporations, and many of them actually respond to applications. I know someone who got an internship at a YC startup in May where they got amazing experience and looked great on their resume. Strategy number two: cold email like your career depends on it. Find 20 companies you'd wanna work for, go to their team page, and find someone in your target department. And you can send an email like this: "Hi [Name], I'm a [year] at [school] studying [major]. I'd love to intern with [company] this summer even if it's unpaid or part-time. I admire [specific thing about company]. Is there anyone I should reach out to?" I got five first-round interviews at startups from cold emails alone. Strategy number three: reach out to professors in your department. Professors have projects that need summer help and connections to companies in your field. One email to your favorite professor can open doors you never knew existed.