Hello Internet-Junior Summer
Dk here.
I’m a high schooler from New Jersey trying to get into a top college. My Chinese heritage has absolutely nothing to do with this, and we don’t discuss how to “climb ivies” at dinner every day. I’m also not using reverse psychology.
Most of us care about college applications. As senior year approaches, that becomes obsession, as we polish essays like religious idols, fill paperwork like lawyers and research colleges like Princeton Review college catalog writers. We have one last summer before that chaos befalls us. Let’s make it meaningful, and simultaneously contribute to the list of our achievements to enumerate on the application. Paradoxically, this will reflect across to colleges precisely because it is not trying to impress them. In summary, colleges are like pretty girls.
This summer, I’m participating in an internship at a pharmaceutical company and attending Yale Grand Strategy. The object of both activities is NOT to make myself look better to admission officials, but to genuinely improve myself as a person before I go to college and make an absolute mess of my life.
I have interned for a week now, and the truth about internships, especially unpaid ones, is that you generally don’t get to work on exciting projects or any important tasks. Instead, you rinse flasks, carry stuff, calibrate equipment, and complete grunt tasks that the scientists can’t be bothered to do.
In exchange, you are given a chance to connect with those adults, observe their methods (and minds) and acquire discipline as you slog through the same pool of glassware every single day. It is the exhausting but gratifying experience of an adult, with responsibilities, rewards (in the form of recognition, not greenbacks) and the fixed hours of a real job.
Jobs and internships teach you social capabilities, time management, organization, discipline and semi-professional working skills, all of which will serve you through the rest of your life. Additionally, you will learn to deal with inevitable hairy situations, such as pissed-off customers, theft and management conflicts, so that you don’t crawl back to your parents as an adult every time you come across a problem.
If you’re still sitting home shooting zombies on Call of Duty, do yourself a favor, come outside and take a breath of real life. We won’t eat your brraaaiiinssss.
Feel free to share your summer experiences below.
Dk out.
Dk's Ordinary Life 
wow that time is soon approaching for me as well, as i sit almost finished with my junior year of high school.
Some questions: Was your internship a rewarding experience? Also, you seem like the type of guy that could answer this question: would you agree that it is the worst to fall in the middle, or perhaps slightly upper part of the spectrum in terms of college applications? The student who is above average academically, is passionately involved in extra-cirricular pursuits but may not the best in them, is not the smartest one out there, is not from an economically disadvantaged background, and is inevitably Asian. It seems like you may be in this spot and could offer personal advice or feedback?
Anyway I like your candid posts-someone actually giving you the truth about this kinda stuff on the internet is hard to find.
Howdy,
Internships are generally memorable, but the more time and commitment you give to them, the more profoundly you can pursue the topic of your internment. 1 month versus 2 weeks is a big deal. On the other hand, if it ends up not being something that suits you, you can get out of it earlier. Don’t focus on the paid internships: they will most certainly land you a crappy rat job that won’t teach you much and the money you get is basically minimum wage. If you can get into one of the few intern spots a university professor has in the summer, it could be awesome for both personal growth and college cred.
At this point, I’m a bit fatalistic. Everyone’s aiming for the top 20 schools. Obviously not all are going to make it, especially if your ethnicity, conditions and experiences play against you. I posted this status on facebook right after being rejected from Princeton University, and I still wholeheartedly believe in it. “You know…you work hard and diligently with a specific goal in mind, and you don’t always get there. Life has other plans for you. But if you have the the conviction, the passion, the character, the heart to pursue what you really want to do in life, you will fucking succeed with whatever lemons life hands you. The fiber of your character matters more than the name of your undergraduate college. With that said, congratulations to those who achieved their goal.” You can really succeed wherever you end up. Sky’s the limit when you apply, but ultimately it’s down to how you handle your situation.
Moral of the wordy story: Don’t let yourself down and drop your grades, but when all your apps are in, tell yourself that life is what it is, a crapshoot. Good luck sir.