(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

With the economy tightening, one of the first areas that college students and recent graduates feel the greatest impact is in the availability of internships. Internships are one of the most common paths towards bridging the gap between academic experience and work experience. A logical argument would be that internships pay little, if anything, compared to full time employment, so these opportunities should be plentiful in economic downturns. However, this recession has turned upside down everything has been taken for granted, including the availability of internships. 

Another obstacle for those simply trying to piece together some experience for a resume is the long and competitive cycle involved in internship applications. For example, RAND Graduate Student Summer Associate Program receives about 500 applications a year for roughly 20 positions that include $12,000 for 12 weeks of fulltime research at one of RAND’s major offices including Santa Monica, CA. Typically, RAND looks for those within a year or two of completing a PhD program, since most of their hiring is at the doctoral level. The application cycle runs from October of the previous year until January of the year of participation. The lead time of up to 9 months is more the norm than the exception. 

The US Department of State has nine internship programs for high school students up through graduate students. Three of these programs are not accepting applications at all, and only one is currently accepting applications for Spring 2010. 

For those hoping to line up an internship for the summer of 2009, it is most likely too late. The alternative may be volunteering at a local agency in hopes of building some unpaid experience and character references. On April 21, 2009 President Obama signed the Edward M Kennedy Serve America Act to help facilitate community service. 

Postponing the internship window to Spring of 2010 or later is another possibility, as these opportunities are the internships currently taking applications.

For more information regarding graduate school programs check out:

Student loan forgiveness programs to consider

Grad Preview at Caltech highlights diversity and possibility

Janelle is the founder of Edusistance and the creator of the Race to College Success program. Janelle can be reached via email for comments and suggestions regarding future articles.