Schools Younger vs Older Internship Applicants: What You Need to Know

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The discussion centers on whether younger college internship applicants have an advantage over older applicants. A common belief is that employers prefer younger interns to train them for longer, particularly in competitive fields like computer science. However, several participants argue that the ideal time to secure internships is between junior and senior years, as applicants at this stage typically have more relevant coursework and skills. It is noted that obtaining internships after the sophomore year can be challenging due to a lack of experience. One participant suggests that claims of age discrimination in internship selection are unlikely, as companies would avoid citing age as a reason for not hiring to prevent legal issues. Overall, the consensus leans towards the idea that younger age does not necessarily confer an advantage in internship applications.
annoyinggirl
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Do younger college internship applicants have an advantage over older applicants?
My cousin told me that it is important to look for internships early (when you are a freshman or sophomore), because employers prefer interns to be younger. My cousin said that it is because they want to keep and teach you things for a long time. Is that true? Or does this apply to only some fields such as computer science,which is quite competitive and age-discriminative? I won't be able to apply for internships until my junior year or something because I have to attend a community college, which offers few to no internships. I'm considering a career in the field of Neuroscience. Do internships in that field of study tend to prefer younger internship applicants?
 
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annoyinggirl said:
Do younger college internship applicants have an advantage over older applicants?
My cousin told me that it is important to look for internships early (when you are a freshman or sophomore), because employers prefer interns to be younger. My cousin said that it is because they want to keep and teach you things for a long time. Is that true? Or does this apply to only some fields such as computer science,which is quite competitive and age-discriminative? I won't be able to apply for internships until my junior year or something because I have to attend a community college, which offers few to no internships. I'm considering a career in the field of Neuroscience. Do internships in that field of study tend to prefer younger internship applicants?

Your cousin is wrong. In all the organizations where I've worked by far the peak time to get an internship was between your junior and senior year. It's actually tough to get an internship after your sophomore year because you just haven't had enough classes.
 
I know that with the navy they won't accept nuclear engineers because they want to teach them their way, he might be thinking about that.
 
carlgrace said:
Your cousin is wrong. In all the organizations where I've worked by far the peak time to get an internship was between your junior and senior year. It's actually tough to get an internship after your sophomore year because you just haven't had enough classes.

Thank you for telling me that. To clear all confusion, you meant "before" instead of "after", right? Thanks again. :smile:
 
Sjm757 said:
I know that with the navy they won't accept nuclear engineers because they want to teach them their way, he might be thinking about that.


Nope, she's not in the navy and is not familiar with it. My other cousin (they're sisters) told me that she lost her internship position because another applicant was younger than she was, and the younger applicant got it.
 
annoyinggirl said:
Thank you for telling me that. To clear all confusion, you meant "before" instead of "after", right? Thanks again. :smile:

I actually meant it is harder to get an internship for the summer after your sophomore year than it is to get one for the summer after your junior year. That is why I am highly dubious that any companies prefer younger interns.

annoyinggirl said:
Nope, she's not in the navy and is not familiar with it. My other cousin (they're sisters) told me that she lost her internship position because another applicant was younger than she was, and the younger applicant got it.

My guess is she lost the internship for another reason. I think it is incredibly unlikely the company would have told your cousin they didn't choose her because she was too old because that would open them up to legal action.
 
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