Getting your environmental degree most likely means you’ll need to complete at least one internship. One the one hand it seems exciting to have hands-on experience, on the other hand, it can be scary. Procrastination is one of the worst things you can do because of the good internships, the ones that pay or are at the local aquarium, go fast. Waiting until the final hour also increases your stress because you’ll get more rejections and feel like you’re running out of options.

Here are three things you can do to rest assured that the internship is coming:

1. Start looking early. The best time to start looking is now, even if you don’t need the internship until next year or another semester. Starting early will allow you to start networking in the right places (see #2). It wouldn’t hurt to ask if you can get on the waitlist for popular programs more than a semester out.
2. Network both online and in-person. You’ve got your LinkedIn profile up to date,...