Hey Edsters! I’m the new summer intern at a popular magazine’s Web site. Today is my first day, so I’m not starting until the mid-afternoon. In the meantime, I’m sitting in a nearby Starbuck’s (there’s only one every 0.5 blocks), nervously sipping my skinny vanilla latte, wondering what to expect. Last summer, I interned for a parenting magazine, so I’m pretty sure this will be quite a different vibe.
I just got home from college several weeks ago, so I’m sort of still in transition mode. The switch from class to catwalk is going to be awesome, albeit interesting – instead of sitting through another yawn-inducing sociology lecture, I’ll be helping out at red carpet events (perhaps as the new Emily, ala The Devil Wears Prada), creating online quizzes, editing Web content, and blogging. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a glimpse of some celebs!
Like many a journalism intern across America, I’m not getting paid one cent this summer. But I don’t get off that easy. Receiving college credit is required, so I’m doing it through my local community college because it’s way cheaper (the price tag on a credit from my home college is a whopping $900). Even though the credit from my community college won’t transfer, I’ll be saving about $500 – and that’s more money for lunch and shopping. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll still be scrimping and saving wherever possible – I’m a broke college student, after all – and I’ll chronicle all my findings in this blog. I optimistically call it “recession chic.”
In high school, I looked to the magazine that I’m interning for in hopes of gaining insight about my upcoming college career: dorm life essentials, how to deal with crazy roommates and clingy parents, you get the idea. Now, looking back as a rising college junior, I realize how much my views have changed. It’s actually fascinating to peruse the college section with the knowledge of a seasoned college student. Some of the stories about sororities or make me pause and think: is this what high-schoolers really think about college? Everyone has such varying experiences – depending on personality type, school, and environment – that no matter how well-prepared they think they are, they’re all in for culture shocks.
I’m commuting to work every day from home with the ‘rents in New Jersey – I’ll need a Venti with a double shot to get me through each train ride. But I’m a wannabe-New Yorker, so I definitely plan on spending some nights in the city with friends who are lucky enough to have nabbed apartments or NYU housing. Stay tuned till next time…can’t wait to see what this summer will bring!
xoxo,
the cyber intern
PS. Once a week, I’m going to share with you guys what’s on my bedside night-stand. I’m a reading junkie. To get the summer kicked off, I just checked out “Hot Mess: Summer in the City” by Julie Kraut. It’s about a young whippersnapper (she’d definitely be an Ed2010 member in reality) who traded in life in the suburbs for a fab internship in NYC. However, she learns the hard way that the glamorous life is harder than she thinks…
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