That’s standard “entry level” now.
Too many design grads. Not enough jobs.
My recommendation has been, for years, is for students of GD to get out there doing internships and part time jobs as early as possible in their college career. Do not wait for the senior internship. Even loading paper at a busy print shop will get you industry experience. Two years minimum. And no, not “student freelancing.” That’s just reinventing the wheel on a daily basis. Real mentored work that means something and will give you real insight into the industry. Most students will tell you that they learned more during their first six weeks at a job than they learned during four years of college.
If you don’t have the drive to seek it out, you may not be ready for a career in the real world.
Imo The BEST way to find work is old school pound the pavement.
About half the places won’t see you at all.
About half of that half you won’t talk to the right person.
About half of that half might give you some good advice.
About half of that half will help you improve your portfolio.
About half of that half might tell you about an opening at a different company.
And what’s left over is a face to face meeting with a decision-maker.
Compare that to internet job site responses (absolute and total garbage - a lot pay bills as personal info collection sites btw).
When I started I did an internship for a company, as well as freelance projects for a nonprofit. Both gave me the opportunity to include non-school samples into my portfolio. I was self motivated, because it was never part of my college program (like to get credits). The benefit was that I was able to dictate the hours I was available and I learned a lot.