This summer, I spent nine weeks in New York City as a marketing intern at a real-estate and technology startup. In the first week of my internship, I feared that I wouldn’t be able to add any value at the company. I had not yet been given much work to do,  and I imagined myself having one of those internships you hear about where you just pretend to look busy the whole summer. I soon realized that those fears were unfounded. On the contrary, I was given very significant projects that had a big impact for the company, and I learned a whole lot from each one.

My first major project was to create a calendar system via Calendly for potential clients to sign up for a call with our Client Success team. At first, I thought the task would be a breeze as I had worked with Calendly before and it seemed easy enough. I soon realized the complexity of the task, as I had to integrate multiple members of the teams into one calendar. I also began to encounter some technical issues. Nevertheless, I eventually figured out how to make the system work. My success with this first project gave me confidence that I could troubleshoot when problems arise, and deliver on what was asked of me.

For my second project, I was asked to create and execute an engagement plan, using  Textus software, to reach out to over 2,000 users who had signed up for our website in the past month but had not spoken with Client Success nor been assigned to one of the company agents. At the start of the project, I was given very few guidelines, and was uncertain how to proceed. I ultimately learned to reach out for help and ask appropriate questions when necessary. In the end, I was able to present the Marketing team with data demonstrating the success of conducting outreach to previous signups. The company plans to implement this method as part of their Marketing lead generation process.

My largest project of the summer was to perform a social media audit and create a social media strategy for the four social media accounts of the company. The project culminated in a presentation to the leadership of the company. At first I was intimidated by the complexity of the project, and questioned whether I was qualified for the task. I started by conducting research on social media strategy, found and followed directions on how to complete a social media audit, and  sought insight from members of the Marketing department. Even though I performed the tasks I believed to be right, I was fearful that the leadership team would be unimpressed with my work or that I would not be able to give them the information they were looking for. I was greatly relieved by the positive feedback I received after my presentation, and I realized that my social media skills really made a difference for the company.

One of the most significant lessons I learned from my internship is what a difference good management makes. The management in the Marketing department made me feel appreciated, supported and valued. As they gained confidence in my work, they gave me increasingly significant projects to perform, which in turn boosted my confidence and helped me do my best work. As my career progresses and I have the opportunity to manage others, I hope to apply the lessons I learned about good management from the Marketing department.

This summer, I am interning in Marketing at a real-estate startup in the heart of Manhattan. When I first learned of my internship offer, I was extremely excited by the opportunity to be immersed in the urban business world for the first time in my life.

Soon after arriving in New York, I discovered that my daily routine was dramatically different than my routine in Claremont. Instead of walking five minutes to class, I walk about half a mile to the subway and then take about a 10 minute subway ride to my office. In addition to my longer commute, the vast number of people in New York is a sharp contrast to quiet, suburban Claremont. And rather than simply heading to the dining hall for meals, I have to think about where and what to eat that will be nutritious and fit my intern budget.

After completing a week and a half of my internship, I am also struck by the strong contrast between the academic and business environments. One of my first assignments at my internship was to create a personality resume including anything I deem important about myself that would not be on a typical resume such as grades, leadership activities, academic accomplishments, or awards. Rather, the personality resume was meant to focus on my personality, strengths, and unique attributes. I found two aspects of this assignment challenging. As I have been evaluated and rated quantitatively through grades and tests scores for the majority of my life, I found it difficult to truly define my unique attributes. In addition, I struggled initially due to the lack of guidelines for the assignment. The manager intentionally provided minimal guidelines so that the structure, style, and content of my personality resume would reflect my personality. After adhering to strict and specific instructions from a syllabus for so many years, it was hard to channel my creativity to create my personality resume.

After a few hours of trial and error, I came to accept the purposeful lack of structure in this assignment, take advantage of the opportunity to truly understand aspects of myself beyond grades and awards, and enjoy not having to follow a syllabus. I was able to explore different infographics to represent myself and different layouts to demonstrate my unique attributes. In my personality resume, I was able to highlight my bi-coastal identity, love of drones, ESFJ personality, strengths, and short and long-term goals.

Now that I have become more used to the striking contrast between New York and Claremont and the business and academic worlds, I can fully appreciate that having the opportunity to experience both environments is helping me to develop a stronger sense of my own personality, and get a better sense of the living and working environment that I will best enjoy once I finish college.

It is difficult to believe that I only have 2 weeks left of my first-year of college. I feel like it was just last month that I was anxiously registering for my first semester classes. Despite a few bumps in the road, I have accomplished much more this year than I could have imagined. Based on my experience, here is my advice for incoming Scripps first-years:

1. Keep Your Options Open

I had no idea what I wanted to study when I started at Scripps, which is perfectly normally. I also felt pressure to choose my major as many people around me seemed to have it all figured out. I tried out some potential majors this year through taking introductory courses in Economics and Psychology. I realized that I’m not really crazy about either, which is ok! Next semester, I want to explore Anthropology and Media Studies. The beginning of college is all about figuring out what you like and don’t like, so definitely take advantage of this time to explore before you have to start fulfilling major requirements.

2. Find a Mentor

Mentors have been a great help to me this year with finding an internship, expanding my skills, and choosing classes. My older sister has generously helped me with my internship search, by prepping for interviews with me and looking over cover letters. Virginia, my boss at the Office of Parent Engagement, has patiently taught me to navigate the Thank Q CRM and taught me how use many other tools such as Canva, iMoudles, and Hootsuite. This year, I realized that the whole Scripps community is your mentor. Specifically, the Scripps College Current Student Facebook page is a great place to ask questions about classes or professors.

3. Take Advantage of the Resources at Scripps

Scripps has an abundance of resources that students don’t always take advantage of. If you’re bored on a Friday night, you can purchase discounted movie tickets from the Office of Student Engagement. If you’re stuck on where to start your resume, you can set up an appointment with CP&R. If you are having trouble in a class, you can request a tutor through Scripps’ Tutoring Program.

4. Get Involved

Through getting involved at Scripps and the 5Cs this semester, I have discovered many new interests and met people I wouldn’t have otherwise. Through working as a Development Manager for The Student Life, I have created connections in the journalism community at the 5Cs and discovered my interest in creating partnerships. Through blogging for CP&R I have confirmed my love of writing, which played a large role in my ability to earn my summer internship where I will be blogging as well. I have been amazed by how opportunities, if you take advantage of them, lead to other opportunities.

While the first-year of college can be daunting, be confident that you will learn so much in the upcoming year, meet many interesting people, and eventually find your place at Scripps.

While this is my first semester as a Blogger for Beyond The Elms, the role has had a large impact on my time at Scripps, my interests, and my internships.

Through blogging for CP&R, I have become closer with the CP&R team and learned about all the resources they offer. As CP&R staff member Rachael reminds the bloggers of upcoming events, I have been able to take advantage of several of them, including the Financial Literacy series.  The Budgeting Session that was part of that series taught me the value of keeping track of my spending habits, which I have been doing ever since.

Blogging for CP&R has also given me an outlet to express my excitement and frustrations with finding a major, searching for an internship, and choosing a career path. Blogging has allowed me to think deeply about the choices I make in relation to my career. In addition, I feel that I am now more self-aware of how I can I present myself on my resume, in cover letters, and in interviews. Blogging about these topics helped me to realize that it is perfectly acceptable to not yet know what my major will be or what career path I want to follow.

While applying to internships, I had no idea how much my position as a CP&R blogger would help me. As I was preparing for an interview for an internship at a startup, I discovered that the startup had a blog. I loved reading all of the content on the blog about living in New York and was excited that the internship might allow me to create content of my own. During the interview, the interviewer asked if I liked writing or not. I responded that I loved writing and was currently writing for my college’s Career Resources blog: Beyond the Elms. She was ecstatic to hear that I had blogging experience. Soon after the interview, I was asked to complete an assessment in order to continue in the recruiting process. Part of the assessment required me to create a blog post about living in the West Village, a neighborhood in New York. I felt very confident in my ability to write a polished and informative blog post for the startup because of my blogging experience with CP&R. Ultimately, I was offered the internship and will be interning at the startup this summer. Through this experience, I have realized the true and unexpected value of being a CP&R blogger. I honestly do not think I would have been selected for my summer internship if I were not a blogger for CP&R.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to blog for CP&R this semester and for all the benefits it has provided me. If you are interested in careers in communications, marketing or social media, I highly recommend the role!

The summer after your first year of college is a rare and wonderful time to discover and explore your interests, without the pressure to nail a great summer internship that increases every summer until graduation. As the school year comes to a close, my fellow first-year friends at Scripps and I have been sharing our plans for the summer. After interviewing a few of my friends, I realize there is a wide variety of interesting and fun ways you can spend your summer. Here are a few great examples:

1. Work at an Academic Enrichment Program: Caroline

Caroline will be working this summer at the Office of Marketing and Communications at Explo, an academic enrichment program for middle schoolers and high schoolers held at Wellesley College. She will be organizing and designing the programs’ daily newsletter and other program materials. In addition, she will be working with other passionate college students from all over the United States. She chose this summer opportunity because it allows her to strengthen her design skills, work with a team, earn money, and spend time on the East Coast.

2. Take Summer Classes: Angie

After taking an Intro to Sociology course this semester, Angie has become very interested in how societies develop and affect our daily lives. She will have the opportunity to explore this interest further during Pitzer’s Summer Session. She plans to take a course that will delve into how sociology is seen and understood through film. The six-week course will not only keep her busy and productive over the summer, it will also count for credit towards her potential major of Sociology.  She is excited to continue learning over the summer and to be able to study her two interests of film and sociology in a single course.

3. Take Time for Life Transitions: Sophie

Sophie and her family are moving across the country this summer for her parent’s careers. Although the move prevents her from getting an internship or job like many other students at Scripps, she is glad to be able to help her parents with this big life transition. The summer break gives her a rare opportunity to spend time with her parents and help them begin this new adventure.

4. Work in Your Hometown: Sophia

Sophia will be working as a cashier at Nothing Bundt Cakes, a bakery in her hometown. She worked there last summer as her first real job and believes that working in any sort of retail or service job is important and a great work experience. In addition to making money, she enjoys bringing out her creative side by making decorations and frosting cakes, as well as developing her social and communication skills through interacting with customers.

5. Work in a Lab: Kimia

Kimia is planning on working in a psychology lab this summer in her hometown. She aspires to go to graduate school and earn her PhD, which involves a lot of research, so working in a research lab early in her psychology career will be very helpful to her. She hopes that her work this summer will lead to further opportunities in psychological research. She is especially excited to expand her skills and knowledge and hopes to further define which field of psychology she wants to practice.

I hope you are inspired and excited by these ideas, and that they help you to realize that there are many alternatives to the traditional summer internship.  Take this time to relax, spend time with family, explore new areas of the world, discover your interests, and develop your skills!

What are your plans for this summer?