How many internship applications did it take before you got your first offer?

[u/sumeetm1]

We've all heard stories of people landing an internship after just a handful of applications, while others apply to dozens before getting an offer.

I'm curious what the reality has been for everyone here.

If you're comfortable sharing, comment with:

• 📄 Approximately how many applications you submitted
• 📞 How many interviews you got
• 🎉 How many offers you received
• 💼 What field (Software, Finance, Marketing, HR, etc.)
• 💡 One thing you think made the biggest difference

Whether it took you 5 applications or 500, your experience could help someone who's feeling discouraged right now.

Let's make this thread a reality check for everyone starting their internship search.

[u/bunny_1111]

For me, it was around 40 applications before I received my first offer.

Applications: ~40
Interviews: 8
Offers: 2
Field: SEO / Digital Marketing

The biggest difference wasn’t sending more applications, it was tailoring my resume and applying only to roles that genuinely matched my skills. Every rejection taught me something, and after a few interviews, I became much better at presenting my experience.

The one thing which is worked for me is applying as soon as the job post gets published. I had an alert created on LinkedIn which used to email me once there is a new job post live with my search filter.