<p>I’m in my sophomore year right now at a pretty good school (Top 20-30 or so) but I’ve never had an internship before. I’m a mechanical engineering major with a (planned) concentration in aerodynamics. I’m also minoring in computational and applied math. </p>
<p>I’ve applied to a few companies so far (Boeing) but I’m sure I won’t get them since I don’t have much experience and these are big name companies.</p>
<p>So what are some good companies to intern for for a first-timer? Positive points for me are that I have 4.0 gpa and I’ve studied abroad. Negative is obviously that I have very little experience. </p>
<p>Just searching on google has been OVERWHELMING so I figured I would ask here. My school has a website to submit your application but that has been going a bit slowly.</p>
<p>Network. It turns you from yet another faceless resume into an individual with interests, abilities, and a personality. Talk with your professors, graduate students, and upperclassmen - where have they worked? Who do they know in industry? Who sponsors their research or hires them as consultants? Do they have contacts at those companies? Can they refer you to internship and co-op programs? </p>
<p>Look on-campus. Talk with professors conducting research on topics of interest to you. Look beyond your major or department. Someone in a soft science may have mass of data they need help modeling and analyzing. Some schools have well-organized undergrad research programs where you can receive credit. Or there’s a research lab that will take you on as an intern or part-time/summer hire. </p>
<p>Talk with the college placement office. They may have information on internships, and some recruiters are looking for intern and summer hires as well as full-time. If you are in a fraternity, sorority, or similar living group with an alumni network, use that. Finally, talk with parents, family, and friends of family especially those working in engineering. While it is unlikely any one person will immediately offer you a job, they can advise on where to look and may refer you to someone who can hire you. Developing these networking and job-hunt skills will be at least as valuable to you as anything you learn at work - it’s a life skill some of your classmates don’t begin to learn until well after graduation.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the lack of experience - no one expects you to be the next Burt Rutan. And don’t worry if you land something that is not at a big aerospace company - you can learn a lot at the smaller firms, and at places that are not even in aerospace. The experience may confirm for you what you want to be doing, or be a lesson in where/what/for whom you don’t want to be. Good luck.</p>
<p>One of D’s roommates is ME/aero and she applied to Lockheed Martin. She didn’t have much in the way of experience. She had a phone interview and wasn’t offered anything. But then first week of May she heard from them again and was offered a summer internship. She’ll be going back this summer.</p>