Internships are a real opportunity for students to learn a practical trade while obtaining a diploma at the end of the course. Of course, knowing whether or not your summer internship improved your grades is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation.
Gaining experience in a business, in everything from retail to data analysis, can help improve your grades. However, improving your marks in class can also translate into doing a better job with your team.
This form of work-linked training is increasingly adopted by students, who can choose from a multitude of professional sectors. Living in the UK also means that you’re not just limited to London internships, but have other cities that have been listed as the UK’s best internship cities, such as Manchester, Birmingham and more!
Do Internships Look at Grades?
There have been a number of studies looking into the data on what employers think will give them a better chance at hiring someone who will excel in their team and internship programme. Studies have shown that the majority of employers believe school marks are a good indicator of a successful hire.
The question is, should you worry about your grades when applying for an internship programme? As with all types of questions regarding a career, the answer to this depends on where you’re applying.
If you are applying to a career at one of the Big Four accounting firms – such as Deloitte or KPMG – you will definitely have to provide your grades during your application regardless of whether it’s a short summer internship programme or regardless of its location.
From London to Los Angeles, international companies with competitive candidate pools will definitely be looking out for your grades as well as any work experience you may have. On the other hand, if you’re looking into internships in something like the retail business, they might care more about your hands-on experience in that role you previously had.
A good rule of thumb to have when thinking of whether grades matter for internships is to take a look at the companies you want to apply for and ask yourself these questions:
- How competitive is the candidate pool? If the company is highly selective, chances are grades will have a big impact on the hiring process
- Where is the internship located? Depending on the demand of the job market in a certain city or location, there may be programmes that need people regardless of grades
- What type of business is it? If you’re looking into an internship programme at a start-up, you may get more time to showcase your skills on a personal basis when compared to bigger, international companies. Chances are, grades might matter less than things like performance exams
- What kind of team is it? Ultimately, if your team is looking for someone who is also a great culture fit or has more job experience, grades will matter less in the long run
The best thing you can do for your career, especially if you’re first starting out as an intern, is to make sure to do your research on the internship business, programme and team.
How to Improve your Grades with an Internship
An internship is a form of work-linked training that allows young people to study for a degree while working in a company to gain experience and learn a trade in a practical way. The majority of internships, however, are not integrated into a specific university programme. So how can you use the work experience of an internship to improve your grades?
Whether you’re looking into a career in the retail sector or want to work as a baker, you can think about internship experiences as a chance for data collection. This means that even if you’re just taking an internship for the summer, you can benefit from this experience by taking it as a time for trial and error.
When you’re in university, you don’t often get to apply the theoretical principles you are learning. It is only once you start your career that you often get to try some of the things you learned at school for the first time in the real world.
This is exactly what makes internships so ideal for people who are still in university, have recently graduated or are simply looking to switch careers. Being able to have access to a real working environment means that you get to:
- Learn on the job or learn at the location
- Test out a career before committing to it
- Learn from different mentors on your team
- See what different teams are like
- Understand what kind of work culture you want to be part of
And you get to do all of this while getting paid! If you want to improve your grades, try out some of the concepts you’re learning in class during working hours. Are you learning computer science topics but don’t have a data-related internship? Be creative and ask for opportunities to demonstrate this skill.
How to Improve your Grades for your Dream Internship
Improving a grade in a class can be hard, especially if you’re like any other student and have to focus on multiple subjects at once. Whether you’re looking for an internship in a specific location, like London, or if you know you want to spend a summer internship in retail logistics, having good grades can only help your chances at snagging that dream internship.
Everyone has different methods of learning. In the classroom, therefore, there are some basic tips to follow to get good grades:
- Take notes regularly and in an organised manner,
- Participate in class,
- Dare to ask questions of teachers,
- Carry out the requested exercises.
This advice applies to all students, regardless of the course of study or the qualification being sought. Listening in class and participating is half the battle. Indeed, the brain retains information thanks to the interest in what the teacher is saying. The idea is to make links with what has been learned in the company. This is the time to ask questions about facts that may still seem a little unclear or about a specific technique.
Organisation is also the key to success in school and getting good grades. Although many courses are fast-paced, it is essential to organise your note-taking and documents by regularly putting your binders away for easy reference. Never get tired of learning something new every time you get the chance.
How To Improve your Grades Fast
Whether you’re thinking about positions for an internship next year or in the coming months, you may want to go into grade management mode. If you need to improve your grades for your internship, whether it be in finance, technology or product management – it’s never too late to start.
Regardless of the internship positions, you’re looking at, you will have a certain amount of facts and information to be retained. Regardless of the position – in finance or technology – grades can be a good indicator of whether you’ll be good at those things.
The best thing you can do if your internship is a year from now is to take good notes. Not only do good notes support your learning, but they can also help you review months later for various topics you learn.
Online tutorials are also really great for improving your grade in a few positions. View online tutorials to get support in the subjects you need help with. You can also join many paid online subscription services like Linked In Learning and Udemy to help with this.
If you only have a few months to improve your grades, the best support you can receive is from your teachers. They are the ones in the position to give you a better grade, so don’t be afraid to ask them for help with achieving your goal.
As a rule of thumb, the best thing to do for grade management is to split up big tasks into doable, smaller chunks. Like with anything in life, the best way to support your success is by giving yourself small rewards when you accomplish a homework task or grade milestone.
Using Private Tuition for Learning
There is a tendency to think, wrongly, that private tutoring is reserved for traditional subjects such as mathematics, finance, modern languages or technology. However, in the last couple of years, it has become possible to use private tutors teaching special subjects that can be found in internships, such as product management, computer science, or even banking law courses.
Many tutors have been through an internship themselves and can, in addition to teaching you the subject, give you advice on how to make the most of your work experience. They can also answer more general life questions, such as how to strike a good work-life balance.
These support courses are an opportunity to ask your tutor all your questions. The teacher typically devotes one or more hours per week to you and is therefore totally available to help you personally. You can also decide the length of tutoring that is ideal for you, such as a couple of months or even a year.
Moreover, the tutor adapts their programme according to your level and also according to what you need to progress. You can think of having a tutor like joining a team, where everyone involved is active in the management of your studies and improving your grades.
Superprof can help you get to where you want in life by offering tutors for all different types of subjects.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
