First of all, I cannot believe it is almost three weeks until the end of the semester.  Although Claremont has been through a couple days of April showers, the sun came out today and I was able to emerge from my study cave.  But with summer quickly approaching, many of us are probably wondering what to do during break.  As some of you all may know, I am very excited to be spending my summer in New York City interning for ELLE DECOR!  This has always been my dream since I was young.  I’ve always lived in sunny SoCal, so I am anxious but excited to spend a couple of months navigating New York’s concrete jungle by myself. 

Of course, this all sounds very Carrie Bradshaw-esque, but I definitely encountered a lot of obstacles a long the way.  Fortunately enough, I recently was able to receive a generous Internship Grant from CP&R, so my budget is more flexible, but wow, living in New York is definitely more expensive than I thought, especially living expenses.  For a while, I contemplated living in a corner of a living room (yes, that is how expensive rent is).  Having high expenses definitely creates a challenge for someone who is on a college budget, especially living alone in a place I have never been.

However, there are definitely lessons that come along with obstacles.  One of the things I started to be more conscious about is budgeting and saving up for the summer.  Throughout the semester, I became more aware of how I was spending my paychecks and how to come up with ways to make a little more pocket money.  I sold my old clothes, signed up for extra work shifts, and kept myself accountable.

In addition to planning out my budget, I also had to coordinate living arrangements, book plane tickets, as well as balance my studies and activities.  Another tip I found useful was making the most of my planner and writing down important deadlines ahead of time to ensure flexibility.  Since I am pretty comfortable with my working style, it was a matter of coordinating all the tasks I had to do and doing it on a step-by-step basis.  Also, I was fortunate enough to talk with Lily, who previously interned for the publication so she was able to give me very valuable advice (You might have read her previous post on the blog about her experience!). I want to give a quick shout out to Lily for helping me with this internship every step of the way.  Essentially, the lesson is that reaching out to people who have had similar experiences is definitely an advantage, and with the close Claremont community, the extra support is very helpful.

Overall, I cannot contain my excitement for the memories that will come very soon.  I am looking forward to the skills I will gain, experiencing a 9-5 job, and getting a slice of the city (back at it with the cheesy phrases).  It will be the start of a new journey, and I am very thankful for the opportunity as well as the support I have gotten so far!