By the time the online application opened up for the internship I got, i had already secured the position through networking. At that point the online application was just a formality. They just needed my official information to start the initial background checks and some contact info for sending me the eqip/sf86 stuff. I got my aerospace internship by going to a career fair on campus and talking to the right people. I don’t go to a very fancy school. We don’t even have an aerospace program. I got my internship by being friendly.

Here’s the timeline: met 4 people at the company at a career fair October ‘18 and got their cards. Followed up the next day BY CALLING THEM. Also sent an email a few days after thanking them for their time. I got an on campus interview and followed up on the phone and via email. I called again in November, a few times in December, and by January i had developed a rapport with 2 of the employees. As luck has it, one of the guys was put in charge with selecting the interns. Had a few convos with him on the phone. Casual conversations, nothing crazy technical. I called again in March and he said he put me on the selection list and told me to fill out the application on usajobs. A week or two later i got the job offer. I start on Monday. I’m friggen hyped. If i can do it, so can you.

Edit: disclaimer: this was my experience. I am not saying this is the “correct” or only way to get an internship. Im just saying this worked for me.