High school students, would you be interested in an internship that culminates with you creating your own 30-episode podcast about a topic you care about? If so, consider applying to Seth Godin’s summer internship, “The Podcast Fellowship.” It’s designed for college students, but I don’t see why that should stop you from applying. Take a shot. Show him that you’re serious and dependable. It will cost you about $500 to participate if you’re selected. But financial aid is available. And even at full price, that’s a fraction of the cost of attending many formal summer programs. All the details and the application are here. I’ll let him describe his own program, but here are a few free application tips (all are from me, and none are officially Seth-endorsed).
- The deadline to apply is April 10, but don’t wait that long. He’s mentioned when promoting many of his past programs that he’s more likely to admit someone who doesn’t apply at the last minute because (1) that’s when the bulk of the applications come in and (2) he prefers working with people who don’t wait until the last minute.
There are three short essay questions to answer:
- Why do you want to make a podcast?
Don’t do this because you want to put it on your college application (yes, it will look great, but that’s not the reason to do it). Be honest. Are you really passionate about a topic and just want to share it? Are you interested in media and exploring how to share ideas? Are you looking for a challenge, or to get out of your comfort zone, or to show that you’re capable of more than your GPA and test scores indicate? Your answer should tell him more about you. If it doesn’t, get more specific and drill down to your personal reasons for why you want to do this.
- If you had to decide on a topic for your podcast right now, what would it be about?
Don’t base your answer on what you think will sound impressive. Base it on what you would genuinely be excited to spend your summer learning about, developing, and ultimately sharing. Much like a topic for a college essay, if you genuinely care about it, the reader will care about it. And as I’ve written before, interests make you interesting.
- And finally, tell us whatever else we need to know about you…
My advice here is exactly the same as when a college interviewer begins your conversation with, “Tell me about yourself.” And I’ve shared that advice before, here and here.
If you apply and are accepted, please reach out and let me know. I’d love to congratulate you, and to hear your podcast!