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Accomplish November 1, 2018
Because a great summer is worth the expense.
When asked about summer plans, most college students would say they have an internship. After all, internships are a great way for students to get work experience outside the classroom. But when they’re unpaid and out-of-state, they can also get expensive.
The good news? You still have options! If you can’t afford to work for no pay, here are six ways to finance your summer internship experience.
Your college could potentially cover your living expenses! Schools like University of Notre Dame, Barnard College, Brown University and Lafayette University actually have well-developed programs that specifically fund unpaid internships.
You won’t be able to find these programs at every school, but you could discover other grants and scholarships for eligible students. University of Chicago students can apply for the Summer Action Grant, and Michigan State University awards stipends through the MSUFCU Internship Opportunity Award.
University of Chicago, USC and UT Austin also have separate awards that provide funding for unpaid internships in non-profits.
If you get college credit for an unpaid internship, some schools will allow your financial aid to cover extra educational costs. At Michigan State University, students with internships “for academic credit” may be allowed to “access aid through the financial aid office.” At Mississippi State University, students can “qualify for financial aid during the Internship semester” if they take other courses along with their internship.
Not all schools offer this option, but it can’t hurt to check! Set up an appointment with your school’s financial aid office to see what choices are available to you.
Your school is likely the best place to find scholarships, but it’s definitely not the only place. Outside scholarship resources can also help with educational costs.
Unfortunately, most outside scholarships don’t cover living expenses for internships. Instead, they go towards tuition. But as long as your financial aid isn’t affected by the scholarship, you can use the saved cash for your work experience!
My personal favorite scholarship website is Unigo.com, because it allows you to search for scholarships by keyword. I’ve even found a couple of internship scholarships that way! But you can also try Scholarships.com and fastweb.com to broaden your options.
And if you landed an internship outside the country, NAFSA.org has a great list of internship-specific funding resources for you. Go check it out!
Of course, if you have any extra time, picking up a part-time job will definitely save you some bucks. If you can’t commit to retail or food service, try a more flexible position! Tutoring, babysitting and dog-walking are all great ways to make a little bit of cash on the weekends. You can use Indeed.com to find job listings in your internship’s location.
My friends personally recommend using Wag! as a way to earn money. Wag! is a dog-walking service that easily matches walkers to customers in the area. You can set your own schedule, meet cute dogs and explore your area. Check out their website for more information.
Instead of asking your parents to pay all the expenses, why not ask all your family members and friends to chip in? Crowdfunding allows the people in your life to donate whatever amount without pressure or obligation. Every dollar really does count!
GoFundMe is the most well-known crowdfunding website out there, but FundRazr is also user-friendly and legitimate. With the power of social media, you can rack up donations in no time.
Keep in mind that these sites either charge fees or take a percentage from your funds. If that’s a deal-breaker, you could always find ways to raise money locally. There’s nothing wrong with managing a fun event and leaving out a tip jar.
If you secured some money but it’s a little less than the ideal amount, map out your budget and see where you have a little wiggle room. You can seriously save money with some good planning.
But planning isn’t the only way to save. You can also order non-perishable food items in bulk to get the best prices. Also use coupon-searching sites like joinhoney.com, GroupOn and GivingAssistant.org to find great promo deals.
And keep an eye out for ways to make a few dollars on the side. For example, participating in surveys or studies can sometimes earn you small cash prizes. Subjects of psychology studies at Northwestern University can make $10 an hour (and sometimes more!) in the form of cash or gift cards.
Sometimes cutting back can mean living a bit uncomfortably, but if you’ve landed your dream internship, it’ll be worth it.
Hopefully these ideas give you a better understanding of how to make your summer internship experience a reality! And if you’re still searching for internships, consider applying to ENTITY Academy’s 2019 Writer’s Collective. Amazing summer guaranteed.
