Having completed a summer internship here at King’s, Carina, Jasmine, and Manasi want to tell you what it is like, and why you should also apply for one next summer!
Firstly, a bit about each of them:
CARINA: Hey there! I’m Carina and I’m in my second year studying History. Over summer I undertook the Student Transitions Priority Groups Internship. An interest of mine is playing sports, I absolutely love volleyball and swimming; you’ll always see me at the KCL BeActive sessions for those sports.
JASMINE: Hi! I’m Jasmine. I recently completed my MSc in Neuroscience at King’s and have been working as a Data Research Intern with the Digital Innovation for Student Success (DISS) Team. In my spare time, I am an avid photographer and enjoy gallery-hopping and ice-skating.
MANASI: Hi, my name is Manasi Shah and I am a second-year medical student. I undertook the Student Outcomes: Civic Leadership Academy internship. In my free time, I enjoy reading fiction books and playing table football.
What sparked your interest about an internship at King’s?
MANASI: I had been looking into opportunities to develop my skills and gain employability experience over the summer, and I came across the Student News article advertising the Student Transition and Outcomes internships. I was particularly interested in working on event organisation, data evaluation and written communication, which the internship offered through its focus on supporting the development and delivery of the Civic Leadership Academy alongside working on its recruitment process.
What has surprised you about this opportunity?
CARINA: Something that surprised me about this opportunity is learning about all the support services Kings has to offer for priority group students! The 2 members of the Student Transitions and Outcomes team, that are in charge of support for priority group students and seeing how much they do, really surprised me; I was eager to showcase all the amazing services offered to students in the rebranded version of the newsletter.
What have been your favourite things about the internship you took?
JASMINE: I’ve enjoyed the range of projects that I’ve been able to work on, and the flexibility to be self-directed in managing them. It’s been really satisfying to see the impact of my findings and the way they’ve been actively applied to improving services for students. My manager, Tom, and the rest of the DISS team are super friendly, knowledgeable, and supportive, which has made this entire experience so much more enjoyable.
What one thing do you think made your application stand out?
CARINA: The 1 thing I think made my application stand out was that I discussed my past experiences in my cover letter demonstrating why I would be a suitable candidate for the role. The mentions of soft skills through being in leadership roles and managing projects, I feel really highlighted the strengths of my character and how I would make a positive impact and provide a voice for priority group students.
MANASI: The research I did into the internship role is a factor which I believe helped me stand out. My internship was centred around the Civic Leadership Academy, so I made sure to look into its purpose, what was involved and the recruitment process. In my application, I linked my existing skills and knowledge to why I would be a suitable intern, using specific examples, and included ideas of how I would build on the programme.
What has challenged you in the opportunity and what have you learnt from it?
JASMINE: The most challenging (and exciting) thing throughout this internship has been working in completely novel areas such as exploring use cases for advanced AI in supporting student feedback insights and then creating a proof-of-concept prototype. That was something I hadn’t done before and so I needed to balance conducting my own research and drawing from the experiences of my colleagues in a short amount of time.
What are you grateful for in this opportunity?
CARINA: I was grateful that I had such a wonderful manager during my internship. I always felt supported and valued when I was asked for my opinions. I have always struggled with speaking in front of other people, but I am grateful I was given a chance to practice my public speaking skills, which is now currently helping me on my course and participating in seminars!
Applications for summer internships at King’s will always be published on King’s CareerConnect. Most opportunities will be advertised for around 2-3 weeks each, between March and July. When you see one that you are interested in: apply, don’t wait! For further information, contact us at Internships@kcl.ac.uk.