I had no idea what to expect when this summer began. To give you perspective on my naiveté, I wasn’t even sure what my living situation was fully going to be as I exited my plane at JFK. But to my surprise, that exact moment was when my summer took off.

I arrived on my first day at the Hearst Tower with The Devil Wears Prada playing in my mind. After all, I was going into the magazine industry just as fresh and eager as Anne Hathaway. However, I didn’t wear the lumpy grey sweater on my first day – I would have probably melted from the heat. Having taken over an hour to strategize my first day outfit the night before, I met my direct supervisors, and fellow Sales Assistants, at the top of the escalators promptly at 9:30am. They gave me a tour of the café, our floor, and introduced me to the rest of the ELLE DECOR advertising sales team. I could already tell that my summer was going to be far different than Ms. Hathaway’s – instead of feeling overwhelmed, I felt at home. After I was genuinely welcomed and familiarized with the interns for House Beautiful Magazine and Veranda Magazine, I was given my first assignment. And just like that, my internship began.

My internship consisted of a diverse group of tasks. As is representative of advertising sales, some days were very slow and some days were exceptionally busy. One of the most common tasks I was assigned was the completing of edit credit books for the account directors. I tracked every advertisement and mention of an advertiser, both manually by reading each page and with the help of MediaRadar. Although creating these edit credit books took a significant amount of time, they played a vital role in acquiring new business. I was able to see the results of my edit credit assembling efforts by attending a sales call with our Lancôme client. The account director I went with used the materials I had created – she showed the various pages on which Lancôme products were featured, perfectly connected the beauty line to our interior design magazine, and finalized the contract all in an hour. It was thrilling and rewarding to see how much of an impact my time and dedication made.

In addition to edit credit books, I was also assigned a final project where the interns came together to pitch advertorial ideas for a new business. We decided on U.S. Trust, a branch of Bank of America focusing on the specific needs of affluent individuals. Over the course of two months, we researched every facet of U.S. Trust: From specialty asset management, to small business account management, and refinance insurance. After compiling our research, we then used our developing knowledge of each of our magazine brands to create unique pitches. Finding a common thread between two seemingly unrelated areas, interior designs and banking, was the most fascinating part of the final project. In the end, we produced an entire deck that showcased our research, the connections, and presented it to all sales assistants, marketing assistants, and associate directors.

In the end, I didn’t turn into Anne Hathaway, but I did grow into the version of myself that I am proud to be today. Many thanks to the generous Scripps College community, particularly Ms. Judith Nelson Keep, for helping me find my way – even if it’s not entirely mapped out.

I’ve written probably a hundred essays, maybe more. But this was the first time I ever blogged — ever put my own experiences and my little tokens of advice for an audience larger than the eyes of a professor. And it was very, very, very satisfying for me. I can only hope that it was for you, too.

I started this semester with a post about being “OK” with not having a plan. I still believe that. I wrote another post about how important it is to value your relationships when choosing a career. I still believe that. I published something about overcoming rejection with a your head high and mind strong. I still believe that. From all of these posts (and, of course, all the others), I not only believe in the words that I wrote — but oddly enough, I believe in myself a little bit more. Being able to talk about your accomplishments, your failures, or your life in general is completely therapeutic. It’s safe to say that, as busy students, we don’t take enough time to just stop and think about our life, our well-being.

Blogging has encouraged me to think about the areas of my life I wouldn’t have thought about at length. Coming to terms with what stresses you out, what excites you, and what motivates you allows you to appreciate your strength, while also exposing where you can improve. As my last piece of career-related advice for this semester, I encourage all of you to take the time to think. That’s right, think. Assess where you stand (not literally, although that might be applicable), where you want to be, and how your can get there. Acknowledge what you’re thankful for and why. Look back to when you succeeded, but also when you may have failed. The end of the semester may be the closing of one chapter, but it’s also the opening of another. Taking the time the evaluate is more beneficial than it is cheesy, I promise you.
Thank you for an incredible second-to-last semester, Scripps. May next semester present a new round of successes, and maybe a fail or two so I can continue giving advice. Have a wonder winter break!

This post would have probably been more timely two weeks ago, given its Thanksgiving theme. But it’s only now, after the first round of holiday festivities have passed, that I’m coming to terms with what I am most grateful for. This year, I am thankful for my community of friends, of family, and of Scripps staff and faculty. The importance of people has never felt more necessary and obvious at this point in time — coming to terms with graduation, writing thesis, applying to jobs, etc. When in doubt, it’s a comfort knowing you have somewhere to turn for help. I want to thank and reflect on the significance of having others to support you, because even the strongest people have their moments of weakness.

In college, we form second families right from the start. For me, it was on move-in day. I was greeted by my two roommates with hugs, not handshakes. Friends throughout college teach you to care, to think, and to act. Their confidence in you propels you into unknown spaces that may scare you, but knowing they will be there in case you fall makes all the difference. Friends throughout college will see you cry, scream, and cheer. You might win and you might lose, but your friends will be a constant. Rely on them when you need help writing a cover letter, ask them to double-check your interview outfit. The community of friends you will form at Scripps (at all of the Claremont College) makes all the difference not only in your personal life, but in your professional life as well. I thank my lovely, chaotic friends for all they’ve done for me these past years. I will take your hugs or your handshakes any time, any day.

My parents are the two pillars in my life who keep me standing and keep me going. I still don’t know what I want to do after I graduate, and for some miraculous reason, they don’t question me. Their lack of worry about my future is enough for me to want to keep searching. And although I may not find that “one thing” before May, I’m grateful enough to know they will always be there. I’ve come to find that celebrating the little career victories with your parents outweighs complaining to them about the mishaps. Because sometimes parents care too much, and then they start to worry, and then they add to the stress despite any good intentions. Lean on your parents to rejoice with you, they should always be your biggest cheerleaders.

My professors have been life changing. I feel like I’ve really become an academic with their help — like I can knock a cover letter out in 30 minutes flat and nail a conversation that requires critical thinking. But outside the classroom, I’ve become incredibly grateful for CP&R. And not just because I work there as a Career Consultant. I’m grateful for CP&R because it’s a second home, just like my friends are a second family. It’s the only office that has seen me celebrate the big and small victories, cry over personal and professional downfalls, and even dance every necessary happy dance. The counselors open up their minds and their hearts to students in ways I’ve never experienced elsewhere. They not only want you to have dreams, they want to help you fulfill them. And my fellow career consultants are some of the most passionate, supportive, and unique set of weirdos I have worked with the past two years. If you haven’t met with a counselor or a career consultant before, now is always the right time.

So to my friends, my family, my professors, and CP&R – thank you. There’s nothing like over-stuffing yourself with turkey and mashed potatoes to really get the emotions flowing.

When it comes to finding an internship/finding a full-time job/finding a graduate school, keeping all of your thoughts, goals, contacts, interviews, etc. in one place is invaluable. But how do you do that? I have ideas! I personally prefer physical notebooks, so that’s where I’ll begin. But for those more tech-inclined persons, I will relinquish your spreadsheet dreams. Not only will organizing your criteria keep you calm, it encourages you to think about what you want. Let’s get started…

Criteria/ Checklist

Start listing, people! Company culture? School size? Industry? Concentration or track? Growth opportunities? Alumnae network? Financial stability? Affordable tuition? Draw on the experiences you’ve had — both personal and professional. Contemplate who you’ve liked, who you didn’t; what you definitely want, what you don’t; where you’d like to be, where you’d prefer to not be. This list will continue to grow as you learn more about yourself and your career narrative, so make sure you leave some space before starting the next section.

Names of Companies

Starting with industries, categorize and list companies that interest you. For example, have separate sections for your “Tech Companies” and for your “Entertainment Companies” — or your “Close to Home Grad Schools” or “Fellowships in France.” Also write down a couple key words next to the names of the companies as a reminder. You’ll reach a point in your research and application process that you forget what other companies you liked, or why certain companies have mattered to you. Keeping this information organized and updated will benefit you right from the start.

Informational Interview Notes

Leave a lot of room for this section. Here is where you should write your questions, and the responses they will give, from the people you network with. In the future follow-up that will happen because of your conversation, you’ll want to have some anecdote or topic to bring back up that will remind them of you. You also probably asked an amazing question you’ll want to have stored for later, so don’t let it get lost in all your other thoughts.

Interview Notes

Due to how organized, thoughtful, and committed you’ve been to your search, now you got an interview! Or maybe two! Maybe three! Give yourself a pat on the back. During your interview, take notes on the questions your interviewer asks you, jot down any useful information he or she says, and most importantly, write down follow-up questions in this section. It’s an absolute must that you say “yes” to “do you have any questions for me?” Do some research on the company, on the interviewer, on anything relevant to your interview and keep that in your notebook or spreadsheet for a quick reference.

Contacts

Now, this is my favorite section of the notebook or spreadsheet. There is where you keeping a running list of the people you’ve contacted and the people who’ve gotten back to you. Start with the date you messaged them, followed by her or his title, ended with a box. You will check this box when they (hopefully) respond to your outreach. Not only will having a list of name look super impressive, you’ll be able to reference it in the future when you think you may have already spoken to someone, or perhap when a friend could use a recommendation of someone to talk to.

The gist of this post is basically to encourage all of you to treat your career or academic journey as you would a pet. Keep it clean, keep it safe, think of it often, and love it unconditionally. Organizing your thoughts and dreams will make the process of finding a job, applying for grad school, or perhaps finding a gap year option, all the more enjoyable.