Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Motivation 101: Finding the Right Internship

I started off my sophomore year with my complete focus on my academic life. As most Babson students know, sophomore year is labeled as one of the most difficult. With that ideology set into my head from the beginning, internship search was honestly the last thing on my mind until the end of my first semester. Just as my winter break ended, I jumped into applying, finding opportunities, and revising documents. This led to writing a draft of my very first cover letters which came with edits after edits after presenting it to my CCD advisor. But because this was the beginning, I was so energized with finding all the opportunities that could potentially be my ideal summer experience. I could envision so many places that I could intern at.

However as the months went on and my email account was with blank with responses from potential HR managers, I began to feel demotivated. This is a long process and definitely not an easy one as I felt my resumes and cover letters were falling down a deep dark pit and potentially will never be noticed. Large corporations have amazing opportunities, and I wanted that experience for personal growth.

As I headed into finals, I had the opportunity to interview with Emily and Maria from Mighty Well, a start-up for medical accessories. They are recent Babson grads and were looking for summer interns. After interviewing, I was so excited about this opportunity as they were asking me what I wanted to learn from this experience instead of focusing on what made me qualified. Of course, skills are necessary to run a business effectively, but I was so ecstatic that they took into consideration what I was hoping to gain. As I wanted to learn more about inventory management and human resources, Emily and Maria drafted a role for me to be exposed to both aspects. I finally felt that the right door had opened.

Looking back to this internship process, I can say it was somewhat discouraging at times, but rewarding in the end. I came to realize that instead of asking myself  “How can I make employers notice me?” it is equally as important to ask yourself “Where can I thrive and contribute the most?” This experience was valuable: as I learn to edit my cover letters and resumes for future applications, I have a new perspective in how to motivate myself to work hard and be resilient. What I hope anyone would take away from this is that the ideal internship is not necessarily the one that is the “right” one for you, so stay motivated!