University of Wisconsin sophomore Benna Wise-Levine’s search for an internship taught her one valuable lesson that she readily passes on to others: It’s all about who you know.

Wise-Levine, a Communication Arts major, snagged an ideal summer internship last year working at Content Film, a small, independent film company in New York, N.Y. A friend of Wise-Levine’s had done the internship the summer before and suggested that Wise-Levine contact the company. So Wise-Levine sent an e-mail to the contact person at Content Film, mentioning that her friend referred her. She was granted an interview and rewarded the job, which she will be returning to this summer.

Wise-Levine admits her connection was essential in helping her get the internship, and she said it can be difficult to find the perfect summer job without doing a little networking.

“I found that it can be extremely difficult to find an internship if you don’t have connections. I think it’s generally hard to find an internship,” Wise-Levine said. “I’m lucky because I started looking early, which helped a lot. If you start late, it can be hard.”

And although Wise-Levine’s internship is unpaid, she said the experience makes it more than worthwhile. Her internship allows her to read scripts and recommend whether the company should pursue them further. She said the job is nearly ideal, including the flexible hours it offers.

UW sophomore Meg Bradshaw also got a rewarding internship thanks to the help of a friend. One of Bradshaw’s old rowing coaches approached her last year and asked her to work at the Navy Rowing Camp for Girls in Maryland during the summer. The job is flexible, only runs for several weeks in the summer and pays $500 a week. And Bradshaw thoroughly enjoyed working at it last semester.

“It was a blast. It was so fun,” Bradshaw said, adding she is looking forward to returning this summer.

But Bradshaw said the camp’s short duration meant she had to arrange for an additional job. Although she is returning to work at the small shop she worked at in high school, she said planning the summer was still a huge task.

“It was one of the most stressful things planning out the summer,” Bradshaw said, adding she feels connections are crucial in trying to find a summer job.

But Bradshaw admits not everyone is so lucky.

“Some of my roommates absolutely cannot find jobs,” Bradshaw said.

UW junior Lyndie Paquette understands that situation all too well. She is currently searching for a summer job in Madison, and she has applied for everything from jobs related to her elementary-education major to jobs with the university to waitressing jobs at local restaurants.

“I’ve especially had a hard time finding a full-time job. It’s easier to find part-time jobs, which is not really what I’m looking for,” Paquette said. “There are just so many other people applying for jobs.”

Paquette also said her situation is especially difficult because she absolutely cannot accept an unpaid internship and she has relatively few inside contacts within the city of Madison.

“I need to make money and gain experience and it’s really tricky to find a job that offers both,” Paquette said.

Wise-Levine said the key to getting a foot in the door for students without a connection is patience and persistence.

“Be as aggressive as you can be without being annoying,” Wise-Levine said.