Fall Internship Timeline

Not sure when to start?
Here's what we recommend.

May

Visit Career Services and start scouring JobTrax, YouTern, Internships.com, indeed.com & other sites for internships
Have your resume reviewed.
Talk to your professors or people you have worked with to find out about new opportunities. Sign up for the Marshall Mentor Network and ask your mentor for tips.
Mark down application deadlines now so you don't forget. Also, start looking into what exactly the company requires so you apply well in advance.

Early-Mid June

Have several generic cover letters written targeted at each industry that you plan on applying for an internship in. For example, if you plan on applying at a magazine but are also going to shoot for a broadcasting internship, you will want to differentiate between your cover letters.
Have several letters of recommendations on hand. Set a deadline of the end of the month to have them by. A good strategy is to have at least three letters of recommendation from different sources: one academic, one professional, and one of your choice.
Make sure that you have all written materials both in digital form and on nice quality paper with plenty of copies in case you are asked to submit material in the mail.

Late June

Finalize the list of internships you will apply for. Aim to apply to a range of different companies.
Start digging around for contact information. The main goal is to send your materials to an actual person, not a generic company email, so if their website doesn't list specifics call and ask.
Sign up for a mock interview session. Getting some practice time in now will help you feel confident enough to face any question you encounter in an interview later on.

Early July

Submit your materials to your final list of companies.
Track all of the companies that you actually apply to so you stay on top of things. Jot down information such as the contact information you sent your info to, when you sent it, and when you plan to follow up.

Mid-Late July

If you haven't heard from a company that you sent information to, now's the time to call and politely ask if they received your material.

August

If you haven't had any luck with landing an internship just yet, keep your eye out for other opportunities. Many smaller local companies sometimes don't hire until closer to the start of school.
The trick is simply to start early and to dedicate yourself to the search. Show the companies you want to intern for that you are driven and prepared by following these steps, and you will be well on your way to internship success.