Students are applying to over 200 internships in a semester, only to find an AI-generated rejection email in their inbox minutes later. Some worry that the post-graduation job hunt won’t be much better.
According to UNF Career Services, students using Handshake to apply for internships should expect a 5% response rate, meaning students could get ghosted from 19 out of 20 applications. This past year, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates reached 5.6% in 2026, surpassing the national average of 4.2%, according to employment data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
UNF is making strides to combat this issue through workplace-oriented resources at the Career Center, mental health support through the Counseling Center, and support for students to build connections with faculty and employment opportunities.
Who’s hiring?
Rebecca Sodec, a finance major at UNF, said that internships were a hot topic of conversation in many of her classes, largely surrounding the collective struggle to attain one.
“Internships are a huge deal in finance. The people who had internships were lowkey seen as better, because of how coveted it was to have one,” Sodec said. She had applied to over 50 interviews before even getting a second interview. “Everyone was talking about how many jobs and internships they had applied for and been rejected.”
An informal Instagram poll conducted by Spinnaker found that 42% of respondents applied to at least 15 internships in the past year, while 20% reported applying to more than 50 internships.
“I was like, so this is never going to happen for me,” Sodec said.
David Rodebaugh, a double major in finance and international business, shared a similar story. He had applied to over 150 applications across LinkedIn, Handshake and Indeed before securing his current internship, logging his applications in an extensive Excel spreadsheet.
“I have dozens of rejection emails,” Rodebaugh said. “I had self-placed pressure, especially to get the summer internship, but it just built with each email.”
Student anxiety on the rise
Hearing other students struggle to secure an internship did little to calm Sodec’s nerves, as the worries and stress of the job market were “all-consuming”.
“Since I would hear people talking about it everywhere, I would just be constantly reminded,” Sodex said. “I get that it’s a collective struggle, but I still have to apply to places.”
Student anxiety levels have risen in recent years. The American College Health Association’s Fall 2024 survey of around 33,000 undergraduates found that 78% of students reported dealing with moderate to severe stress levels, with 35% indicating they were formally diagnosed with anxiety, and 30% indicating the stress was interfering with their academics.
Michelle Lasky, a licensed clinical social worker at the UNF Counseling Center, said that anxiety is one of the primary reasons that students seek support, with resources at the center targeting a range of anxiety issues.
“It could be academic-related or related to upcoming graduation,” said Lasky. “It could also be anxiety around relationships, family situations, health concerns, and a number of situations.”
Lasky highlighted the UNF Counseling Center’s resources for short-term individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management services for students.
For students facing issues that may require more immediate support, the Counseling Center offers walk-in appointments.
“They can walk in Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and speak to someone,” Lasky said.
LinkedIn-Maxxing and the FYP
For students today, the stress of internship applications and the job market bleeds off campus and onto students’ “For You Page” on social media.
“I just looked up on TikTok ‘How to format a resume’ once, and my feed was flooded with ‘How to get an internship’” Sodec said.
Sodec said she recalled the moment her social page flipped from trending content to sympathetic creators and unemployed graduates sharing tips and tricks for the dreaded job market.
“Just on TikTok and Reels, constantly seeing all these stats and ways to perfect your resume or LinkedIn-Maxx the correct way,” Sodec said. “And how no one gets a job anymore.”
“LinkedIn Maxxing” is internet slang for constantly optimizing your professional environment through algorithm manipulation, hyper-aggressive personal branding, and daily networking.
Sodec said workplace-oriented platforms like LinkedIn could add another layer of pressure due to peer comparisons.
“LinkedIn is nowadays like a scoreboard, especially in finance, with internships and post-grad offers,” Sodec said. “Not to say people are disingenuous, but the amount of posting and ‘look how successful I am’ just adds to that anxiety.”
Rodebaugh said LinkedIn culture and “LinkedIn Maxxing” could feel more performative than useful at times. “There’s a lot of embellishment, and it’s very transactional,” Rodebaugh said. “There’s almost an absence of culture.”
However, university faculty and the Career Center highlight LinkedIn’s networking opportunities and capabilities for students, noting how students utilize the tool matters.
According to the Career Center webpage, UNF students have free access to LinkedIn Learning. The program offers over 15,000 on-demand courses in business, software, technology and other industry skills that students can link to their personal LinkedIn profile, according to the UNF Career Center webpage.
Networking instead of the Net
Some students and faculty are skipping LinkedIn Maxxing and are instead opting to go through their personal networks for possible employment opportunities.
Felix Bonventre, a biology student at the university researching tardigrades, credits his freshman-year biology instructor for vouching for him when he applied for a research grant.
“When I was applying as a freshman, I was severely underqualified, but I still got the position,” Bonventre said.
Bonventre had applied through the university’s application portal but initially had little hope until he spoke with his lab instructor.
“He said he couldn’t intervene, but he definitely said something, so thank you to him,” Bonventre said. “We spoke and connected, and I’m still researching.”
Bonventre is grateful for his current lab position and has secured his spot to continue his research next year, but is worried about future opportunities.
“I don’t feel like I have job security,” he said. “I don’t even know how I’m getting funding for research next year, but we march on.”
Dr. Rachel Riggs-Achorn, an assistant professor of public relations in UNF’s School of Communication, said not enough students take advantage of joining off-campus events for networking and internship opportunities.
“Not a lot of students go to these PRSA or off-campus events,” Riggs-Achorn said.
Riggs-Achorn said that connecting with faculty could also help students connect with local professionals. “We all can get connected with these professionals, and maybe it’s getting connected with me,” Riggs-Achorn said.
The UNF Career Center also offers several resources aimed at connecting students with employers, including a biannual internship and job fair in the fall and spring semesters, on-campus recruitment fairs, resume review services, and one-on-one career coaching appointments, according to the UNF Career Center website.
Employers on campus
Students can also access Handshake through the Career Center to see local postings and schedule interviews with employers visiting campus.
Dr. John Parmelee, director of the School of Communication at UNF, said the school also offers a biannual internship fair each fall and spring, a mentorship program, and Media Week, with the events designed to bring industry professionals directly to campus.
Parmelee said student organizations, like the School of Communication Multimedia Club and PRSSA, often host events with industry professionals.
“If students take the time to be involved in all these activities, they will already be on a first-name basis with many of these media executives they want jobs from, and that will increase the callback rate,” Parmelee said.
Dr. Pieter de Jong, a finance professor at UNF and director of the MS in Fintech program, echoed this, recommending students begin building an active LinkedIn presence and network with industry professionals at local events.
“That could entail attending workshops within your field of study, or getting membership in a professional organization,” de Jong said.
“This could be the most frustrating time in your life,” de Jong said. “The market is rough, and you must give yourself some time and grace. You might not find the job you wanted in the time you initially thought it would take. You have to keep going.”
Sodec is currently working a summer internship as a billing specialist and has a return offer for her fall semester. She applied to 173 internships before her current position.
“It’s not exactly fintech, but I’m on my way there,” Sodec said.
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