Ask specific questions

Recently, a lot of people have been asking me for open-ended advice about summer internships. But, because I don't know them and I don't know about what they're hoping to get out of it, I'm typically unsure how to be helpful. As a result, I end up procrastinate getting back to them.

Whenever possible, make it easy for people to help you by asking specific questions. For example, ask if I'm available to meet at specific times instead of nebulously asking if we can meet at some point in the future. And avoid asking questions like "how was your experience?" or "what did you learn?" over email. I'm not going to write an essay for someone I don't know. I don't want to waste time telling people things that they already know. It's easier to just talk on the phone.