My school is about an hour train ride away from NYC. I just got offered an amazing position for fall, but have never done an internship during the school year before and am afraid I’m going to be too stressed out between all of my classes and doing an internship. Plus, i still do want to have a social life on campus. I don’t technically NEED to do the internship because I think my resume is set, but it’s a great opportunity that I’d probably be dumb to pass up.
Any of you juggling school and internships that can give me some advice? Should I take it?
Thanks!
Totally doable
Juggling school and an internship is no problem if you’re smart about it. I interned year-round starting my junior year of college… and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As a hiring editor now, I don’t think it looks very good to see applicants from the area who didn’t intern during the school year. It’s about taking initiative. If you don’t have the drive to take on an internship during the school year, are you really driven enough to make it in this industry? Giving up an internship because your social life might suffer is just stupid… I’m sorry, but it is. Are they making you work nights and weekends? No…
You may think your resume is stellar, but going against applicants who interned year-round at major magazines during college (and trust me, there are TONS of them)… you’ll probably regret not taking this internship.
It can work.
Yep, during the spring semester I took 12 hours of class, worked at my campus newspaper 10+ hours a week, and worked at an internship 13 hours a week (one and a half days a week). It was completely manageable!
I had an internship an hour
I had an internship an hour away from school during my senior year of college.
Mixing it up like that turned out to be great. It was busy and a little overwhelming at times, but having my schedule split between classes three days and interning the other two days kept me motivated at both. There was never time to get bored with either one, and they were both a break from each other. I didn’t have to drop my favorite on-campus activities, either—you just have to schedule carefully.
deciding factors
an hour train ride isn’t super long. i live in brooklyn and my commute to times square is 40 minutes, so i wouldn’t stress about that.
how many days a week is the internship? i would only consider it if it’s 2 or less and if they are flexible giving you time off during finals weeks.
i would also only consider it if it’s a top national mag where you can make great connections and really dazzle them. there is nothing worse than an intern who isn’t completely excited and dedicated, so if you think that might be your vibe, you won’t make great connections and it might not be worth making a less than perfect impression. the eds at that magazine will be references for you in the future and you want to be flawless and dedicated.
true, but...
Thanks..i agree with your advice, mimi. I’m afraid if I turn it down I’m going to lose that editor as a contact and have completely ruined any possible chance of interning there or using them as a foot in the door in the future…. any thoughts? As editors, would not accepting an offer count against an intern, or would you rather them be upfront about their intentions?
I would say “completely
I would say “completely ruined any possible chance” is a little extreme, but at the same time, I would definitely wonder why someone who went all the way through the trouble of applying and interviewing to the point of being offered the job flaked at the last minute. If you weren’t sure you wanted an academic year internship, its definitely better not to apply for it. That said, I would just make sure that you’re very clear on your hours and number of days and do it. I loved loved loved my college experience and loved hanging out with my friends, and I’ll always treasure those memories, but I graduated a semester early to start working at a magazine as well as freelancing during the fall and have never regretted it. By senior year, you already know who your true friends are, and not seeing them a few days a week or missing out on a few keg stands won’t shake that.
Yes, but
I told the editors from the start that i wasn’t 100% positive that I could do the internship in the fall. I actually didn’t even apply for fall…they ended up contacting me because they had my resume on file for summer internships. Thanks..I just wanted to clarify. I was upfront with my intentions the entire time and they told me that they appreciated my honesty.
You can do it!
In two weeks, I’ll be ending my 7 month internship with a fantastic technology/marketing/advertising company. It all started when I started the internship my spring semester working 1 full day a week (Fridays). I was taking 13 credits, plus had to juggle extracurricular activities, dance team meetings and practices, and attending 2 honors conferences. I was able to manage just fine, but before you decide whether or not to take this internship, think of the following things:
1) how many credits are you taking?
2) is there any activities you could cut out for the semester?
3) how do handle stress? if badly, then this might answer your question
4) how often does the job expect you to come in weekly? 1 time per week for 6 hours? 2x weekly?
Even if you don’t think you need another internship on your resume, you can still gain more experience, meet new people, and gain more contacts for the future.
If all else fails after you take the job, you can always talk to your manager and tell her it’s not working out. I’m sure she’d rather hear that then you not being able to get your work completed.
That's awful advice
That’s awful advice… back out once you’re there? It’s SO HARD to replace an intern who bails once school has started. That’s an easy way to screw yourself over in the future. I knew a girl who did this and all of the editors swore they’d make sure that girl never worked for the company again. It puts the editor in such a horrible position and makes you look totally unreliable.