Ananya Shah | The duality of summer internships

Summer break is in full swing, and so are most Penn students’ summer internships. On a recent weekend trip to New York's Financial District, I had a front row seat to see the stampede of summer interns clad in khakis and blue button ups. Hearing the grumbles of native New Yorkers about how crowded the city was with the influx of summer interns made me ponder how many of the strangers passing me would be my peers at Penn come fall. 

Seeing fellow Quakers walking past us in the street, I frantically told my sister that I had to figure out my summer plans for next year. The absurdity of the comment hit me as I reminded myself that I hadn’t even chosen classes for the fall semester. I’m not even sure I can call myself a first year yet. How could I possibly know what my summer plans for next year need to be? School hasn’t started, but I already feel the mounting pressure of Penn’s rigorous environment.

As an incoming first year, I’ve already been warned multiple times about Penn’s rampant preprofessionalism and the never-ending grind to secure coveted intern spots at Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs. But it wasn't until reading people’s grievances on Sidechat about how grueling the chase for internships is and the disenchanting reality of the internships themselves that I began to grasp the extent to which Penn’s preprofessional culture runs. 

It seems as though it is harder to forgo the preprofessional tracks than it is to be on one. As someone who is considering a prelaw path, I am no stranger to the unparalleled sense of security that comes with the formula of getting into medical school, law school, business school, or [insert name here] school. As young, impressionable students apply to internships, the allure of the high pay and social status of the jobs that the internships lead to is irresistible. But the laundry list of complaints about the lifestyle begs the question: Is everyone consciously making this decision or is it a product of a drive for prestige?

In Penn’s highly competitive environment, students are fervently pursuing these elite internships in order to climb up the status ladder and exhibit what they think success looks like at Penn. There seems to be a strong case of social proof at Penn — everyone around me wants this, ergo I must too. 

I’ve read countless posts on Sidechat about the intimidating recruiting cycle, quibbles about long hours, and the laborious task of putting together slide decks. In spite of these complaints about the strenuous white collar life, about 50% of employed Penn grads go into either finance or consulting — the highest percentage out of the Ivy League — likely due to return offers from summer internships. 

As everyone heads to Sidechat to gripe about our summer experiences, all of the posts are collectively contributing to Penn students’ perpetual dreary outlook on all things school and work. Wanting to complain about one’s hardships in their internship is one thing and not acknowledging how far you’ve come is another. Remember how ecstatic you were when you got that acceptance email or phone that you got the internship. Remember how relieved you were that your rounds of interviews were worth it. 

The uninhibited pressure experienced by Penn students is inevitable; we are all high-achieving students at one of the most elite institutions in the world. I already feel behind about future internships and I haven’t even stepped foot on campus, so I can only imagine how all-consuming the pressure becomes while physically being there. But, I would argue that it’s possible to acknowledge the benefits of Penn’s preprofessionalism while also recognizing its unintended consequences, like internship mania. 

ANANYA SHAH is a College first year studying Philosophy, Politics, & Economics from Bonaire, GA. Her email is aoshah@sas.upenn.edu.