Choosing an Internship Outside of your Comfort Zone

As an agronomy student, there are loads of internship opportunities that you can apply for and choose from. During my sophomore year, I really was not sure what kind of internship I was going to have. I decided to apply for a bunch of different ones and see what happened. I heard back from a few different companies, but the one that I was not expecting was a field biology internship with BASF. I knew that this was going to be an internship that was focused on field trials and weed science. The only thing I knew about herbicides was that Round-up and Liberty worked so well and should always be used. So going into this interview was terrifying. I felt so unprepared and I had a day to learn all about BASF and weed science. But this turned out to be the best interview that I have ever had. The people were so personable, and I immediately connected with them. Later that day, I was offered the internship. Talk about a confidence boost! I took the weekend to think about it, and I knew I had to accept. This meant that I was going to have to move to Seymour, Illinois, where I did not known anyone, did not know much about weed science, and felt completely under qualified. But I chose to take it and it ended up being one of the greatest experiences that I have had in college this far. Moving away from home was scary, but it helped me figure out that I love weed science and helped me find out more about myself. I also made some great friends that will last a lifetime and I am forever grateful for that. So, if you receive an offer for an internship and you don’t know if you should do it, go for it! You never know what you might learn!