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\u2019t be much better.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s hiring?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cInternships 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,\u201d Sodec said. She had applied to over 50 interviews before even getting a second interview. \u201cEveryone was talking about how many jobs and internships they had applied for and been rejected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, so this is never going to happen for me,\u201d Sodec said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI have dozens of rejection emails,\u201d Rodebaugh said. \u201cI had self-placed pressure, especially to get the summer internship, but it just built with each email.\u201d<\/p>\n Student anxiety on the rise<\/p>\n Hearing other students struggle to secure an internship did little to calm Sodec\u2019s nerves, as the worries and stress of the job market were \u201call-consuming\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I would hear people talking about it everywhere, I would just be constantly reminded,\u201d Sodex said. \u201cI get that it\u2019s a collective struggle, but I still have to apply to places.\u201d<\/p>\n Student anxiety levels have risen in recent years. The American College Health Association\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be academic-related or related to upcoming graduation,\u201d said Lasky. \u201cIt could also be anxiety around relationships, family situations, health concerns, and a number of situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasky highlighted the UNF Counseling Center\u2019s resources for short-term individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management services for students.<\/p>\n For students facing issues that may require more immediate support, the Counseling Center offers walk-in appointments.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey can walk in Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and speak to someone,\u201d Lasky said.\u00a0<\/p>\n LinkedIn-Maxxing and the FYP<\/p>\n For students today, the stress of internship applications and the job market bleeds off campus and onto students\u2019 \u201cFor You Page\u201d on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cI just looked up on TikTok \u2018How to format a resume\u2019 once, and my feed was flooded with \u2018How to get an internship\u2019\u201d Sodec said.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJust on TikTok and Reels, constantly seeing all these stats and ways to perfect your resume or LinkedIn-Maxx the correct way,\u201d Sodec said. \u201cAnd how no one gets a job anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLinkedIn Maxxing\u201d is internet slang for constantly optimizing<\/a> your professional environment through algorithm manipulation, hyper-aggressive personal branding, and daily networking.<\/p>\n Sodec said workplace-oriented platforms like LinkedIn could add another layer of pressure due to peer comparisons.<\/p>\n \u201cLinkedIn is nowadays like a scoreboard, especially in finance, with internships and post-grad offers,\u201d Sodec said. \u201cNot to say people are disingenuous, but the amount of posting and \u2018look how successful I am\u2019 just adds to that anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodebaugh said LinkedIn culture and \u201cLinkedIn Maxxing\u201d could feel more performative than useful at times. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of embellishment, and it\u2019s very transactional,\u201d Rodebaugh said. \u201cThere\u2019s almost an absence of culture.\u201d<\/p>\n However, university faculty and the Career Center highlight LinkedIn\u2019s networking opportunities and capabilities for students, noting how students utilize the tool matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n