4 Internships For Students Who Have Yet To Declare A Major

By Julia Dunn on October 19, 2015

When you’re helplessly undeclared or you have no clue in the slightest what you’d like to major in, it can be difficult hearing people tell you to get an internship–how can you have an internship if you don’t know what you’re studying?

For internship applications that ask for your proposed major, it may feel overwhelming not knowing what to write. Even if you don’t know 100 percent what to study, your best bet is to write down a major that interests you even in the slightest, or a major that somehow connects you to the internship itself. Then, focus on delivering a super solid interview (if required for the internship) and it won’t even matter that you aren’t totally certain on your pathway.

There are many types of internships you can do for general experience that will help you no matter what field you decide to pursue later on. You don’t have to have your four to five year plan complete before landing a helpful internship. Here are some great internship options for students without a major yet–and who knows, maybe your internship will lead you to the perfect major you didn’t know was out there.

1. Social Media 

Image Via Pixabay.com

Social media is one of those things that is relevant everywhere, all the time, for all subjects. Any major/field can connect to and benefit from social media since more and more people are getting onto Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat–even LinkedIn, the most professional social medium.

To stay current and up-to-date on what’s happening online, a social media related internship will teach you how to reach people on the platforms they use the most, and this can be of great help to any company. Whether you’re into art, science, engineering or even linguistics, social media plays a large role in how the human population perceives and understands these fields–furthermore, if you’re interning for a company or a nonprofit, that business will do almost anything to draw people in.

Social media is timely and efficient, and millennials definitely have the upper hand in understanding and even teaching about social media. If you’re already going to scroll through Facebook in your spare time, you might as well make an internship out of it.

2. Marketing/Advertising

This type of internship can be closely related to social media. A marketing or advertising internship will teach you skills like how to sell a good or service, and how to effectively design an advertising campaign, among other skills relating to public relations or customer service.

An internship like this can provide insight into how to successfully grow a product’s reputation and how various factors impact the success or failure of a business based on its marketing strength.

3. Finances

Managing a business’ finances or working with money can be useful elements of yet another internship type that is relevant to all fields. Experience managing a budget or assisting a company with their fundraising can provide you with employable knowledge about how money flows through a business and how best to allocate funding for different needs.

Most businesses need someone to keep track of their money, so if numbers and figures interest you at all, search for a business or company doing work you appreciate, and see if they offer any internship opportunities or roles that place you in charge of financial affairs.

4. Teaching/Tutoring

Even if you don’t know what major you’d like to declare, you’ve probably got some knowledge up your sleeve from classes you’ve taken so far. A perfect way to gain internship experience while using what you know already? A teaching or tutoring internship!

Image Via Pixabay.com

This can take the form of being an instructor’s assistant, or holding your own tutoring sessions. Teaching and working with others is a transferrable skill that will pay off no matter which field you may choose to enter in the long run. You’ll fine-tune your communication skills and improve your strategies in synthesizing material and making complex concepts accessible, which you’ll need to know how to do in every career.

If you find teaching to be something you enjoy but still aren’t sure of your definite major, you may consider working towards an education minor or even major–you don’t have to know what you’re teaching to know that you want to teach. That element can come later on.

The entire point of getting an internship is to accumulate experience in a given field. If you don’t know what your major is, trying an internship in a certain field can help you determine what you do and do not enjoy, as well as identify your strengths and weaknesses.

This corresponds to the common quote more or less along the lines of “if you don’t know what to do, do something.” It can be easier to figure out what you don’t want to do than to narrow down what you do want to do. Sometimes your major doesn’t determine your internship, but your internship determines your major.

To find great internships all over the country, search www.uloop.com and LookSharp.com. Good luck!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format