One of the most challenging aspects of the internship process is figuring out the timeline. Below, you'll find a general overview of what a year in the internship process looks like. You can also use this graphic timeline that includes both an Early Starter timeline and a Late Starter timeline.

Summer

June

• Most summer internships start in June and last for about 10-12 weeks
• During this time, some companies post information about internships for the following year so keep your eye out for these postings.

July

• Still internship season
• A few more companies may post information for the following year.

August

• Still internship season
• Internship postings for the following summer start picking up now
• The postings will likely be competitive internships at FAANG Companies and finance firms. 

‍What You Should Be Doing:

• Complete independent projects‍
• Practice coding questions
• Create a resume
• Apply to the few jobs that have been posted
• Start sending out networking messages to people at companies you’re interested in.

Fall

September

• Back to school
• Lots of postings coming out for big and midsize companies
• Interviewing will be picking up.

October

• Lots of postings coming out
• Top companies will hire many people

November

• Postings still rolling out, even for some big companies
• Most competitive internships have wrapped up interviews by the end of the month. 

What You Should Be Doing:

• ‍‍Begin applying to newly-posted jobs
• Continue interview prep
• Keep networking.

Winter

December - February

• Postings still coming out, but slowing down
• Less competitive internships will be interviewing and finalizing offers.

What You Should Be Doing:

• ‍‍Applying, interviewing, staying sharp on the studying you have done
• Use personal connections if you aren’t seeing any success from previous applications.

Spring

March-May

• Startups and small companies start to post internships for the current summer. 

What You Should Be Doing:

• ‍‍If you haven’t found anything yet, lean hard on networking
• Aim for smaller companies
• Still keep applying to anything you see posted
• Reach out to recruiters if possible.