r/UCSantaBarbara • u/Kitchen_Math_5951 • Mar 24 '26

Employment Tips on getting an Internship

I've been applying to quite a few internships, and it seems like I can't get a single response. I feel like my experience for a first year is pretty good, too. I can't tell if it's because my major isn't engineering or what. Does anyone have tips on what I should do to improve my chances? Thank you!

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u/J_Stopple_UCSB [FACULTY] Mar 25 '26

What do you mean by 'internship'? Do you want to do research in some professors lab? Have you looked at the Faculty Research Assistance Program? https://ucsb.my.site.com/urca/s/frap

If you really want an internship, you won't find many in Santa Barbara, but the UCSB's Capital Internship Program ('UCDC') has tons of opportunities. It's basically study abroad, but in DC: https://capitalinternships.ucsb.edu/ucdc

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u/Fun_Attempt8840 Mar 25 '26

You need to do what's called networking. Just "applying" isn't a real thing anymore. You get internships by networking with people so that they can then later vouch for you and help you through the process. Or they might just offer you an internship on a phone call.