Duke students talk pressure to perform, competitiveness of summer activities

For many Duke students, the expectation to perform well outside of the classroom extends into their summer endeavors.

The University boasts a wide variety of opportunities for students to make the most of their three-month break, from interdisciplinary research programs to immersive experiences in the United States and abroad through Duke-In and DukeEngage programs. Whether through these University-sponsored programs or external job opportunities, students have a range of choices for how to spend their summer.

Many internship and research opportunities entail selective application processes that must be completed during the school year. As students strive to meet the high bar set by Duke’s academic prestige and pre-professional culture, some expressed feelings of inadequacy in light of the competition.

Intense competition

Senior Hiwot Shaw found that the academic culture at the University “weighs down pretty heavily” on students when it comes to summer plans.

Currently interning at the Rachel Carson Council — an environmental nongovernmental organization based in Washington, D.C. — as part of the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Stanback Fellowship Program, Shaw recalled putting together more than a dozen applications because she was nervous that she “wasn’t going to get anything.” She likened the selectivity of summer internships to the college application process, explaining that she had applied to several schools to keep her options open.

During her summer internship search, Shaw sought out jobs at consulting firms and energy corporations even though they did not always align with her ethics and “the passion that [she has] for environmental science.” She explained that she felt compelled to pursue these rigorous opportunities due to the high-achieving nature of her peers at Duke.

“There are very informal comparisons among students, and it can be heightened on LinkedIn and social media,” Shaw said. “It's great that they’re getting such prestigious roles, but it can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy.”

Applying her skills in computer science, she now participates in a Data+ project analyzing biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease through the topology of brain networks. Though Data+ was not her first choice, Jagadeesh does not regret the decision. She has enjoyed her interactions with teammates, professors and mentors and used her spare time to pursue side projects.

“I wanted to learn more about how radiology is in a hospital setting as opposed to a research setting, so I've been coffee chatting radiologists and doing some shadowing,” Jagadeesh said. “… I feel like if I was [working] nine-to-five doing an internship, I wouldn't be able to even touch any of this other stuff.”

Jagadeesh emphasized the difficulty of securing summer internships as a first-year and expressed that the feeling of impostor syndrome is “pretty prevalent” among students when it comes to summer experiences.

“You always feel like you're competing against people, but what I try to do is I try not to compare myself to other people,” she said. “… I think a lot of that competition is made up in our minds.”

Pressure from within

Sophomore Chelsea Gan knew from the start that she wanted to gain mentored research experience over the summer. She first considered the biology arm of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program and the Paired Undergraduate Mentoring Program in Uronephrology before stumbling upon the chemical biology lab where she currently works.

Even though Gan observed that her peers are all very ambitious, she noted that much of the pressure stemmed from within herself and her tendency to overthink. 

“I think a lot of that [pressure] was self-brought on,” she said. “There were no friends or anyone telling me that I needed to do anything, it was just … trying to keep up with other people here because everyone is very hardworking.”

Shaw shared Gan’s sentiment that feelings of imposter syndrome often develop internally, as opposed to from external expectations. She has learned not to take the outcomes of internship applications personally, especially since many are now reviewed by artificial intelligence or other software, which makes it difficult for her personality and skill set to be fully reflected.

Shaw recalled being stressed during the summer after her sophomore year when working for the Governor's School of North Carolina — an internship she didn’t consider “big” compared to the jobs her peers had. However, she also appreciated the experience for providing her with new skills that could be applied to future career moves.

“I think people just get so caught up in like, ‘I have to be doing exactly what I want to do in the future over the summer [or] I'm not going to be able to be successful,’” she said. “It's so hard to not think that, but ultimately we're all on our own paths.”

For Shaw, the pressure and competition for summer internships should not prevent students from embracing new opportunities.

“It's okay to just try things, apply to things. If you don't get it, move on to the next — the worst anyone can say is ‘no.’” she said. “… Put in 100% in everything you do, and you'll get somewhere.”