If you’ve already read our guide to the summer internship search and have started planning ahead for summer 2014, then you know that the location of your future internship is an important factor to consider. While the first cities to find an internship that cross your mind are probably New York and Los Angeles, there are so many other amazing places that are secret internship goldmines. After all, our list of the five best internships in the country has internships located everywhere from Dallas to Martha’s Vineyard! Whether you’re interested in media, business or law, check out these unexpected cities that might just be the location of your dream internship.
1. Washington, D.C.
Top industries: Journalism, politics and international affairs
Spending the summer working in the nation’s capital sounds pretty impressive, right? As you might expect, Washington, D.C., is the place to go for students who are interested in careers in law or politics. D.C. has hundreds of awesome internships in fields such as international affairs, political journalism, government and more! Plus, the proximity to so many local universities (like George Washington University, Georgetown University and American University) means you get the added bonus of a “college-town” atmosphere (with a few more business suits and briefcases).
Check out these internships:The Fund for American Studies offers placement for summer internships in international affairs, political journalism, public policy, business and government affairs, philanthropy and legal studies. Students take classes at George Mason University (or Ohio Northern University if you’re a law student) during the summer.
Another great program in D.C. is the Washington Internship Institute, which offers placement in a wide variety of internships in government offices and both nonprofit and for-profit institutions. In the past, WII students have completed internships at Amnesty International, CNN and Capitol Hill!
2. Boston, Massachusetts
Top industries: Media, journalism and finance
The Red Sox, great shopping on Newbury Street and colleges everywhere you look—what’s not to love about Boston? Part of what makes Boston such a great place to intern is its smaller size, which makes it much more manageable (and less intimidating!) than say, New York. Some of the nearby schools (Northeastern University, for example) even offer housing specifically for summer interns!
As one of the biggest media markets in the country, Boston has tons of opportunities for students to intern for big-name newspapers, like the The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, and broadcast media stations, like FOX 25 and WGBH (not to mention Her Campus!).
Check out these internships:WGBH, one of the country’s top media production companies, offers internships and co-ops in fields such as digital production, journalism, marketing, TV production and radio production. If you’re interested in a career in finance, The Boston Consulting Group and the management and consulting firm Bain & Company both made the top 10 of Vault’s list of best overall internships in America!
3. San Francisco, California
Top industries: Technology, social media and art
Google. Yelp. Twitter. What do these companies have in common? Not only are they all mega successful, but their highly sought-after internships are located in or near the great city of San Francisco! If you’re looking to intern with a big-name company, especially in the fields of software or technology, San Fran is the place to be this summer. It’s a global leader in tech start-ups and innovation. For collegiettes who are more artistically inclined, San Francisco also boasts a large number of art museums and galleries, such as the Cartoon Art Museum and The Walt Disney Family Museum.
Check out these internships: If you think you have what it takes, Google’s internship program has been rated the best in the country, not to mention the one that pays the most!
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers art internships in a variety of departments, including photography curating, painting curating and design.
4. Atlanta, Georgia
Top industries: Business, marketing and sales
Atlanta draws many ambitious summer interns because it’s home to 16 Fortune 500 companies, including Home Depot, Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola! Atlanta’s cost of living is much more affordable than other major cities, which is a major plus for budget-conscious collegiettes. According to Expatistan, Atlanta’s cost of living is 35 percent cheaper than New York!
Check out these internships: If you’re interested in interning for a major company, be sure to check out the summer programs at Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola Enterprises. Atlanta is also home to the world’s largest aquarium, so why not get a unique experience at Georgia Aquarium this summer? They offer internships in areas such as fundraising, public relations and, of course, zoological operations!
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Top industry: Business
Minneapolis has a surprising number of internship opportunities, partly thanks to Target! According to AskMen, Target hires more than 1,000 interns a year for its competitive program, which focuses on business leadership and development. The city also has a large theater and arts scene. Bonus: it was rated America’s best new food city by Food & Wine magazine!
Check out these internships:Target’s world-class internship program offers opportunities in marketing, distribution, pharmacy and more. To get an idea of what it’s like to intern for the mega store, check out this awesome blog, which features testimonials from past interns! General Mills, one of the world’s leading food companies, is another fantastic company in Minneapolis, with internship positions in marketing, management and financial analysis.
6. Columbus, Ohio
Top industries: Fashion and visual merchandising
Who says that you have to go to New York to find a fashion internship? You may be surprised to find that there are a large number of fashion companies located in Ohio! Limited Brands, or L Brands, is the fashion retailer that owns some of our favorite companies (including Victoria’s Secret, PINK and Bath & Body Works)—and they’re based in Columbus. Who knew?
Check out these internships: Along with L Brands, you can also find awesome merchandising and design internships at Abercrombie & Fitch (in New Albany, just outside of Columbus) and Express.
NYC and Los Angeles are great, but these cities also have a lot to offer. Don’t miss out on applying to one of these amazing summer internships—you never know what kind of amazing experience you could have!
