This webinar, presented by Dr. Mani Vadari of the Spark Summer Internship Program and Allison Jackson of Future Forward Labs, provides guidance for high school students on writing compelling essays for summer internship applications.
Summer Internship Application Essay Strategy
The speakers emphasized that application essays are a critical “differentiator” in a competitive process, offering students a way to stand out when academic metrics like transcripts and resumes appear similar to those of other applicants.
The three-step essay development process:
- Selecting the Opportunity: Identify which mentorships are most interesting and align with your goals.
- Reflecting: This is deemed the most important step. Before writing, students should answer reflection questions to clarify why they want the opportunity, how it fits their long-term goals, and what specific skills they can offer.
- Writing the Essay: Draft the content using specific, authentic stories that showcase strengths and explain how the opportunity will facilitate growth.
Writing Techniques
- Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of simply claiming to have a quality (e.g., “I am a strong leader”), provide a specific story or action that demonstrates that quality.
- Specificity: Be as granular as possible regarding long-term aspirations and how the specific mentorship project helps achieve those goals.
- Authenticity: Evaluators can detect inauthentic or exaggerated claims, which negatively impact an application. Reflect on actual lived experiences.
- Addressing Weaknesses: It is acceptable to acknowledge areas for growth. In fact, discussing a past failure or a skill you wish to learn shows self-awareness and potential for development, which mentors value.
- Structure: A strong essay should feature a captivating “hook” (such as starting in the middle of a story, using statistics, or setting a scene), followed by the narrative, and concluding with a reflection on what was learned or how it connects to future goals.
SPARK Program Details
- Nature of the Program: Spark provides internship-style mentorships with universities and startups. It is not a camp, but an environment where students perform real work.
- Requirements: While there are no strict grade prohibitions, applications are competitive; students should demonstrate that they meet or exceed expected requirements.
Logistics: The Spark summer internship program is open to students beyond the Seattle area, depending on whether the mentorship provider offers remote or in-person opportunities. There is no cost to the student to participate in the SPARK program.
