Wednesday, August 5, 2009

My Parting Words

Hey Edsters! Today was a sad, sad day in the land of interns - aka my last day! It was really bittersweet. I had such an amazing experience and learned so much, and worked with an awesome team of people. But I definitely will appreciate sleeping past 6:30 a.m. (remember, commuting to NYC every day from NJ = early mornings), at least until I leave for my semester abroad in London at the end of August. Now I just have to worry about packing four months' worth of clothes and shoes into two 50-lb. bags!

If you haven't ended already (or if you just recently have), check out this site for great tips on finishing your internship on a positive note. Don't forget to write thank-you notes and keep in touch with the editors you worked closely with. When you follow up, nobody wants to read five paragraphs of how involved you are in school, or how much fun you're having, etc. Keep it brief and to the point - and make it relevant to the person you're writing to. For example, if you're writing to an associate editor who recently had an article posted on your mag's site, tell her that you read it and what your favorite part of it was. Then throw in a few sentences about your recent projects/involvements. Another great tip I got this summer for follow-ups was finding out when your editors' birthdays are, and sending them bday wishes!

Anyway, it has been my pleasure to be one of the bloggers for the Ed Intern Diaries this summer. I wish I could reveal my identity to you, but Ed himself says it's a no-no. I hope you all took something away from your internships - whether you discovered the type of place you want to work it, or perhaps that type of place you don't want to work at (equally important!). I'll leave you with a few interesting articles to keep your Blackberry active over this lovely sunny weekend!

Graduating from J-School: The Process: when you add new media to old media, the sum isn't always clear.

Securing an Internship - and a Seat
: I don't know about you guys, but I'm obsessed with NYT Education Life.

Being a Leader in a World of Followers: you need to be able to see the bigger picture.


Well, interns, it's been real. Stay classy, NYC.

xoxo,
cyber intern