How I spent my college summers

What are you doing this summer? The average spring-semester college student probably gets asked this more than once a week. Like other premier institutions, USC breeds ambitious, passionate and competitive students.

As May arrives and this question becomes more pressing, students often consider how summers are a chance to set themselves — and their resumes — apart. Summer plans can range from relaxing and restful to time-consuming and stressful, from traveling with friends to a 40-hour-a-week internship.

Consequently, not every student’s summer looks the same. This University’s seniors, who have gone through three college summers, are living proof of it. From freshman year onward, they too have felt the anxiety of seeing a peer post their impressive job on LinkedIn, or maybe feel proud to embark on a Maymester or family trip.

“I traveled with my dad, and I just relaxed,” said Ana Andrade, a senior majoring in communications.

Andrade said that she knew things would ramp up during her sophomore year and wanted to prepare. Summers are often used to give students a break. Many can find value in using their summer, especially the summer after freshman year, to take a break.

For others, the summer after freshman year meant getting an introduction to a field they may later want to pursue. It can be notoriously difficult for freshmen to get summer internships. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, many companies are seeking to hire students with more experience in a college setting and a heavier course load, so it is uncommon for freshmen to receive one so early.

Because of this, some have sought short immersions in an area of interest, such as the London School of Economics summer program, where — according to their website — students can “gain a deep understanding of the forces that underpin business, management, public policy and human behaviour.”

“I did an immersion week [at a] consulting firm … and they do a one-week program for freshmen, teaching them about what their future internship process would look like,” said Daniela Cahalan, a senior majoring in international relations and the global economy.

Whether it be an introduction to a field that may be of later interest, the summer after freshman year was about getting ideas for Jade Bacon, a senior majoring in jazz studies.

“My freshman year [was] when I learned about the job I want to do now, music supervision, which is overseeing and organizing and getting together music for films,” Bacon said. “I told my teacher about it and she brought in someone who graduated from [USC] and did [music supervision]. So she let me do a minimal, free internship for her.”

Bacon emphasized the importance of making connections with others after gaining the opportunity through a professor, which, she said, set her apart that summer. Similarly, Jinge Li, a senior majoring in journalism, highlighted the value in connecting with professors who want to see their students succeed.

“My professor was hiring for [an] internship, and he shared that with the class. And just because I got to know him very well throughout the semester, it was a pretty easy recruitment process for me,” Li said.

But does it really matter what you do the summer after freshman year? Some say society is rushing us into the workforce that awaits us after college.

“You have your whole life to work, and not that working is bad and that you won’t be happy, but you have so much time to do that,” Andrade said. “So while you have one summer, maybe two, to just relax, I would do it.”

In a world where high schoolers are pursuing college degrees and college students are taking graduate classes, it can seem like we are always in a rush. However, the benefit of having four years in college is having four years to figure out your path. That is not a small choice, after all.

Whatever path each student chooses, the hope is that it will be one they are passionate about. As students exit their first year of college, the idea of choice remains, as there are numerous ways to spend one’s following summer in college. This will greatly vary by major, as certain degrees have drastically different paths.

“If you’re a finance major, my understanding is you do need to follow a linear path … But anyone who’s pre-law, political science and government, it’s not linear,” said Rebecca Aisenberg, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law.

In the summer following one’s freshman year, opportunities often become available. According to Washington State University, most companies look to hire incoming juniors or seniors. This may be because they are more experienced, and also because they may be considered for a return offer — an opportunity to work full-time at the company where they had interned.

Though the pressure may feel strong, there are other ways to spend a summer besides internships. Travel and other experiences can also educate students on their desired path, offering a memorable and immersive experience.

“I did a Maymester in Paris, and it’s this special Maymester for Kaufman [School of Dance] and Thornton [School of Music] students,” Bacon said. “It was the best month of my life.”

In the Maymester program Bacon attended, students took a course titled “Music & Dance in Paris Salon Culture.” According to the Kaufman website, “During this three-week Maymester, students will be in dialogue with the evolution of art, music and dance through interactive encounters with Parisian spaces … allowing students to not only broaden their cultural literacy but also reflect on their positions as global ambassadors of music, dance and culture.”

There are a variety of Maymesters, roughly four-week summer course programs, which can be a great way to take advantage of the summer. A transformative experience does not always involve work, but can also include education, travel and overall immersion.

To Aisenberg’s point about the myth of a “linear path,” some summers might look very different than an arts program in France. Some turn to the common summer option: an internship.

There are numerous benefits to internships, including gaining valuable knowledge for the workforce, challenging oneself in a new and unfamiliar setting and learning about the various roles within a field. However, there is another perk that is often overlooked: learning what you don’t want to do.

College students are typically asked to solidify a major at the end of their sophomore year, when they are only 19 or 20 years old, or sometimes earlier. With this early pressure to envision your future before you’re even halfway through college, it’s quite expected to experience some trial and error when it comes to potential jobs of interest. With this in mind, there is immense value in discovering what one may not want to do upon graduation.

“[I] was [at] an agency in Beverly [Hills] called The A List. I was doing social media, but also helping with the showroom and just taking account of all the influencer content that goes in,” Andrade said. “I wouldn’t say that’s what I’d want to do every day of my life, but it was a great experience.”

There’s always the hurdle of internships, with them sometimes being unpaid, but Aisenberg was able to surpass that obstacle.

“I did that as part of a fellowship that exists at USC, where they basically sponsor you to do a full-time summer internship that’s unpaid, and they give you a stipend so that you’re able to afford to do it,” Aisenberg said.

As enticing as these opportunities may seem, the issue with many is their competitive nature, as the program Aisenberg did, for example, only takes 8-10 students from each school. With few spots to spare and numerous qualified applicants, just scoring a summer internship, job or another opportunity can be a large challenge to tackle.

According to a 2024 survey done at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the main obstacles students faced in getting internships were limited time to apply, lack of pay and scarcity of opportunities. While this can seem discouraging, seniors like Bacon have found ways to make this challenge more manageable.

“I’m a big advocate for … applying to programs that are all about overall career development, and they help you or match you to internships,” Bacon said. “For example … [there is] one that’s about getting Black representation in the entertainment industry, because it’s really hard when you don’t have a ton of connections.”

Programs like this help level the playing field for competitive internships, which can be challenging to secure without connections in a particular industry. Also, meeting people within a cohort can expand one’s network of individuals with similar career interests. As students at summer internships may hope to get return offers or find a future job similar to their internship, this can be beneficial.

The interview process is another fundamental part of securing work opportunities and a crucial opportunity for companies to get to know you. Comfort in this part of the process is crucial, as it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that you are more than just an application.

“On [an] interview, you have an opportunity to show up with a smile and be warm and be bubbly and have charisma,” Aisenberg said.

Whether it be finding like-minded people in a cohort or developing interview skills, there are always different ways to enjoy your summer.

“Walk around the beach and just sit there all day and read a book,” Li said. “ I don’t understand why I was stressed … [your path is] just gonna come to you.”

As seniors graduate in just a matter of weeks, reflecting on past summers means reflecting on their USC experience as well. Beyond May, June and July, much of what they learned — career-wise and beyond — was here at school.

“I do recommend everybody not just focus so much on internships but also get involved in stuff on campus and be here, because … I spend more time talking about my [club] involvements at USC than those internships,” Aisenberg said.

With over 1,000 student organizations on campus, there is certainly no shortage of opportunities. With so many people to meet, it’s essential to live in the present and not worry excessively about the future.

“The biggest thing about USC is that you are surrounded by so many wonderful people and so many bright people from different backgrounds,” said Caroline Hannah, a senior majoring in public policy. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just know that if you are doing what you need to do to be successful in what you want to do in the future, then you will be fine.”