Advice from a hill applicant who got rejected 3 cycles straight.. including summer
I was dead set on a hill internship for 3 cycles straight. The first cycle was summer and I was really confident that it would be easy to get because of my previous congressional district internship. I ended up getting rejected from every hill office I applied to.
For Fall and Winter, I got interviews for many top offices but ultimately got rejected from all of them. I ended up doing governmental relations work and it was the best work I have ever done. It was so amazing that it changed my career trajectory. I truly think that if I did not pursue the internship, I would not have made the connections that I made with individuals which included my hill interviewers and hill staffers from both senate and house. I also ended up having coffee chats with interviewers who rejected me and most of the time, the selection was based on something out of the applicant's control.
What I am trying to say is, try something new if hill internships do not go your way. It may give you more opportunities to meet with people on the hill. Do not let a no stop you.