Career Prep 2009 Summer Blog

Before you start your internship, reflect. You should already have an idea, especially as an MLT fellow, where your weaknesses lie. Make sure you understand what you need to do in order to improve your weaknesses and work on flipping them into a strength. Additionally, a successful intern must always be critical of him/herself. Therefore, you should constantly be evaluating your performance by being self reflective and actively seeking feedback from those around you. Chances are, you may be unaware of some of your weaknesses as you enter the summer, so the last thing you want is for you to think that you’re doing something right when you’re not. So make sure you are always looking for ways to improve. Have your mentors check your work to point out areas of weaknesses, ask questions, and be critical of yourself. The most successful intern will constantly be aware of where he/she needs to improve, and will always actively figure out ways to effectively strengthen those weaknesses. -Gerrel Olivier (Boston College)