Claire O’Halloran’s insightful op-ed, “The 7 phases of internship applications: Into the black hole,” accurately and vividly describes the highs and lows students experience during the internship search.

My work in the Office for Undergraduate Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences confirms the roller-coaster effect: tremendous highs, such as positive leads and prompt e-mail replies from hiring managers, are followed by tremendous lows, such as zero callbacks or awkward first-round interviews.

As O’Halloran so rightly describes, these torturous phases of the internship search test students’ confidence and resolve. What good possibly can come from such frustrating experiences?

Actually, quite a lot. Allow me to “claireify.” Love this, by the way.

The internship search mirrors the job search. If you can successfully navigate the internship search process, from identification and application to waiting and interviewing and waiting again, then you’ll be expertly prepared to power through the job search whose roller-coaster vibe is eerily similar.

Need support along the way? For liberal arts and sciences students, help is available in the Office for Undergraduate Students in SAC 107. Our staff is dedicated to helping students bridge the distance between their college careers and the professional world.

Know that sinking feeling in your stomach when a roller coaster reaches its top height after a slow torturous climb only to accelerate downhill at a heart-pounding pace? That’s the thrill and agony of both the internship and job search. Best be prepared for the exhilarating ride ahead.

Kate Szumanski, ’95, ’97, a two-time Villanova graduate, is the director of professional development in the Office for Undergraduate Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University where she also serves as the adviser to the student-run BRIDGE Society. Looking for internship, leadership, and professional development opportunities? Looking for support on the roller coaster? Visit Kate in SAC 107.