This time of year reminds me of when I first started working at Spectrum as an intern during my senior year in college. In some ways, I feel like I was more buttoned up with my PR know-how then. I mastered Grunig and Hunt’s four models of public relations and could outline an RPIE approach to a campaign in no time.

After being in the “real world” for a few years, I know that PR cannot be so easily defined or broken down into four simple models. And there’s never as much time as I’d like to R (research), P (plan) and E (evaluate)—which is unfortunate, really.

Securing a PR internship and capitalizing on the opportunity is one of the most important things PR students need to do to land a job after college. It’s the time when you begin to learn those invaluable out-of-the-classroom lessons. Below is a list of ways for students to distinguish themselves from other internship candidates and leave a good impression: