Below, former intern Margaret P. talks about her experience working at the Campus Clipper. Margaret is a 2022 graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Over the past semester, I was a Publishing Assistant at Campus Clipper. I had the opportunity to complete this internship remotely, while going to school in Philadelphia. I truly enjoyed the time I was able to work with Campus Clipper employees and help the company continue to grow and expand.
My main responsibilities were focused on expansion to the Chicagoland area. With this, I was able to research different schools and universities in Chicago. Once we identified the schools that we wanted to work with. We began identifying the vendors we wanted to partner with. Then, I led efforts to contact the vendors and set up initial phone calls with Cassandra.
My time at Campus Clipper helped me develop as a working professional. I was able to improve my communication skills and my time management skills while helping the company grow. Working closely with Cassandra, I was able to learn from her experience and improve the way I did things as well.
I am excited to see what is in store for the future of Campus Clipper!”
During my semester abroad in Madrid my sophomore spring, I tasked myself with finding an internship for the upcoming summer. My internship search took on a sense of urgency because I knew I couldn’t spend the summer in New York City without income. While I loved visiting my family and my hometown, I felt like I belonged in the city, and I yearned to be there. Sending cover letters into the void was discouraging when each unanswered application felt like a step away from the life I was building in the city. I couldn’t stop comparing myself to people in my classes, who had internships at Citibank and Morgan Stanley lined up before we even arrived in Madrid.
What finally got me through was, for the second time, a referral from a friend, who gave my resume to her boss with a glowing recommendation. The company was Richard Attias & Associates, an international political and communications consulting firm specializing in high-end global events.
Walking through Midtown Manhattan on my lunch break
After two Skype interviews, I was offered the position of Research Intern for the Community Team. Our team focused on event speakers and guests. The events I worked on included the Future Investment Initiative, aka “Davos in the Desert,” a financial and economic conference in Saudi Arabia; the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York, the largest gathering of Heads of State outside the United Nations; as well as the Global Cybersecurity Forum, Women in Corporate Leadership, and the Olympism in Action Forum.
On paper, the job sounded glamorous. In reality, it was monotonous. I spent all day, every day trying to find business leaders and government officials’ contact information on the internet so that we could invite them to our events. I would put this information in Excel spreadsheets or Salesforce then send event invitations through Salesforce.
I worked a full 40-hour workweek that summer. For the first time, I felt independent, like a person living in the world rather than a child who relied on her parents for every rent payment and medical bill. Even though I was scraping by each month after paying rent, I still appreciated the independence immensely.
I now knew what it was like to be a young working woman in New York City, taking the subway each morning in sneakers, changing shoes when I got to work, and going to happy hour at 6 pm. I spent the weekday afternoons longing for the weekend. I even found myself looking forward to the start of the fall semester, when my days would have more variety and my mind would be put to use at a level closer to its potential.
A coworker’s Instagram story on a hot summer day
At the same time, this more fully-realized, self-reliant person that I felt myself becoming was scary, maybe because I thought that this monotony was all that was waiting at the other end of the tunnel that was college—a job where I would sit all day and look at spreadsheets. What seemed even scarier was that I felt a comfort in the monotony. After the stress of finding this job, I didn’t want to do another internship search. At Richard Attias, I was paid well, my coworkers were nice (we even had a party with Spanish wine for my birthday), and the environment wasn’t stressful. So I stayed for the entirety of my junior year.
I think this feeling, this unease I felt in a traditional corporate environment, is part of what planted in my mind the idea of going abroad again. During my junior year, when I wasn’t working, I began leaning into my creative interests. I enrolled in a photography class. I was still studying for the LSAT—I wasn’t ready to take the full leap into a more artistic and nomadic life. However, I was ready to take small steps toward living a life full of creativity and helping others.
Internship Search Tip:
Don’t be afraid to follow up after an interview. When I hadn’t heard back for two weeks after my first interview at Richard Attias & Associates, I sent an email to the supervisor reiterating my interest in the position and why I would be a good fit for the role. Less than a day later, I was invited for a second interview.
Students can save on smoothies, sandwiches and more at Greenwich Marketplace with this coupon
By Marisa Bianco
Marisa graduated from NYU in May 2020, summa cum laude, with degrees in International Relations and Spanish. She grew up in Nebraska, but she is currently living in Córdoba, Spain, where she works as an English teacher. You can find her eating tapas in the Spanish sun while likely stressing about finding her life’s purpose.
For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.
At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.
In October of my sophomore year, I applied for a semester abroad at NYU Madrid. At the same time, I submitted an application for the for-credit internship program there. In November, I had a Skype interview with the director of EUSA, a separate company NYU hires to run many of its abroad internship programs. During this meeting, we discussed the fields of work I was interested in, and she evaluated my level of Spanish fluency.
When I arrived in Madrid, I received an email notifying me that I had an interview in two days with the European Foundation of Society and Education, an education policy think tank. The interview process was a whirlwind. A few days before, I was pickpocketed at a nightclub, and my phone was stolen. To make it to my interview without a cell phone, I had to purchase an alarm clock and memorize the route to the office. Luckily, the foundation was in the city center and not the outskirts of Madrid, but I still had to transfer trains and ask for directions on the street.
My neighborhood in Madrid
I was nervous because the placement information made the office sound like a strict and formal environment. However, I was greeted by a charming old man. He reminded me of a kindly grandpa as he offered me a cup of coffee and complimented me on my success at NYU. His name was Miguel Ángel, the President of the foundation. It wasn’t even a real interview; we just worked out my schedule and got to know each other.
Contrary to my preconceived assumptions, the foundation was casual and friendly. I ended up wearing jeans every day. It was also customary to say “hola” and “adiós” to every person individually when you arrived and left each day. I even remember a coworker apologizing profusely one afternoon because she hadn’t said hello to me when she came in.
The work was a mix of administrative tasks, translating, social media management, and research analysis. I also went to a required weekly class at NYU Madrid for the students in the internship program, which involved various projects including a capstone research paper at the end of the semester. The most challenging part was reading quantitative research papers that the foundation published in Spanish, then writing my analysis (in Spanish) in a blog post. It seems I did okay, though, as Miguel Ángel submitted two of my articles to a Spanish newspaper.
My article on civic education, published in the Spanish newspaper Magisterio.
Every morning, Miguel Ángel would ask me about my classes, exams, and weekend trips. These conversations were almost always interesting, as Spanish people tend to speak about personal topics more openly in the office than we do in the U.S. For example, I mentioned once that I had been baptized as a Catholic, and Miguel Ángel was so excited to tell me all about the importance of that sacrament.
At the end of the semester, the foundation invited me back for a goodbye party with coffee and snacks. They even bought me a Zara bag as a thank-you gift. I was sad to leave. I had genuinely enjoyed my time in the office, with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, terrace for drinking coffee, and genial coworkers. However, when people ask if I recommend doing an internship during your semester abroad, the answer isn’t so simple.
Even now, after all of this reflecting, I still don’t know the answer. I am sure it looked impressive on my resume—job experience in a foreign country and in a foreign language. I could now prove my Spanish proficiency to future employers. I wrote about my work at the foundation in numerous cover letters and personal statements. For years, it has served as a unique experience that I can draw upon when promoting myself for a new job or academic program. More so, being a “working professional” in Madrid made me feel like I actually lived there, that I wasn’t just a typical study abroad student.
At the same time, I don’t believe I was fully ready for the transition to life in Spain. I left my closest friends and family in New York to study in a program where I barely knew anyone. Then, I filled my schedule with classes and my for-credit, unpaid internship hours, so I didn’t often have time to connect with other students. For them, their time abroad was an “easy semester” where they slept in, went to clubs on weeknights, and traveled every weekend. Meanwhile, I was shut in my room during the week, trying to finish my homework in the little free time I had after work. I rarely succeeded—I constantly felt that I was behind in my classes. I still got to travel extensively, and I had the most lovely time jet-setting across Europe. But I was so tired, so anxious, and my support system was across the ocean. I wonder what would have happened if I had spent those 16 hours a week (plus transportation time) taking care of myself rather than working in an office without getting paid.
Interning as a student is a learning process. In Madrid, I learned that it is okay to take a step back from work when you need to. Being a student and being a human are jobs too. Despite my struggles, I do not regret my time at the foundation. I challenged myself, and growth always comes from facing challenges.
By Marisa Bianco
Marisa graduated from NYU in May 2020, summa cum laude, with degrees in International Relations and Spanish. She grew up in Nebraska, but she is currently living in Córdoba, Spain, where she works as an English teacher. You can find her eating tapas in the Spanish sun while likely stressing about finding her life’s purpose.
For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.
At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.
As I entered my sophomore year at NYU, I was feeling pressure to get an internship. I had spent the summer working in a restaurant in my hometown, collecting tips and saving them all for my semester abroad. While this was a perfectly normal and productive way to spend my first summer at college, I still worried that I was inadequate compared to my NYU peers who interned for hedge funds or theater companies.
I came into Welcome Week sophomore year determined to land my first internship (or on-campus job). I was in the weeds trying to figure out work-study when an upperclassmen friend of mine posted in our sorority Facebook group about a job opportunity in public relations. My friend, Chehak, edited and polished my resume, then gave it to the PR company with her glowing recommendation. After a fairly straightforward phone interview, I was offered the job. I realize now that this experience is like an actor saying they landed the gig on their first audition—it would never happen again.
My Instagram story from my last day in the office
I dressed up for my first day but was surprised to find my supervisor wearing a flowy maxi dress and flip-flops. The office was in WeWork Williamsburg. I was amazed by WeWork, with beer on tap, fancy snacks, and trendy couches where people seemed to be lounging and working simultaneously. Huge windows poured light onto the coworking tables. The offices didn’t even have walls—just windows. It was a modern start-up world, completely different from any New York office I had seen in the movies.
My position was at RVD Communications, a boutique public relations firm. Most of our clients were NYC restaurants and bars. I didn’t realize at the time how great I had it with this internship—I got paid weekly, including an unlimited monthly MetroCard, and I got to attend press and influencer events at some of the best restaurants in the city. I worked 15 hours a week, including a full day on Fridays.
The best part of the job was working with my fellow interns, two NYU students who would become some of my closest friends. Each Friday, the three of us would claim one of the restaurant-style booths in the WeWork common space and spend the day there, giggling and sharing stories about the frat boys we were hoping to see that weekend while creating Pages presentations for the account leaders to present to clients.
A delicious churro I sampled while working an event at a Times Square food market
Many of New York’s food holiday markets are run by the same company, Urbanspace, which was one of our clients. I found the Bryant Park Holiday Market by accident my freshman year when I went to the New York Public Library to study. I was enchanted by this little world full of lights, art, hot chocolate, and lots and lots of food. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when my fellow interns and I were asked to work a press and influencer event at the opening weekend of the Bryant Park Holiday Market. For these types of events, we invited journalists and Instagram influencers to come to the market, take pictures, and write articles. Our job as interns was to track mentions of our clients on Instagram and online publications. At the event, however, we were given press passes and allowed to roam the market, trying dishes from every stall. We pretended to be influencers, taking photos and videos with our Belgian fries, mozzarella sticks, and Korean-style tacos. Even though I did not end up pursuing a career in PR, I am so grateful for my experiences in the industry. I learned how to speak up for myself in a professional environment and how to balance interning with schoolwork. Best of all, I got to eat some great food.
Tips: On finding your first internship and being successful in the workplace
Reach out to upperclassmen you know from class or the clubs you are involved with. Upperclassmen can become great mentors and great friends.
Don’t be picky. You are trying to get experience working in a professional environment in New York City. That experience could be in a variety of fields. I didn’t expect to work in public relations, but I ended up having a great time.
When communicating with your new supervisor(s), be clear about your work and school boundaries. Constantly evaluate whether you are working the right amount of hours for your major, class schedule, and extracurricular involvement.
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Marisa graduated from NYU in May 2020, summa cum laude, with degrees in International Relations and Spanish. She grew up in Nebraska, but she is currently living in Córdoba, Spain, where she works as an English teacher. You can find her eating tapas in the Spanish sun while likely stressing about finding her life’s purpose.
For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.
At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.
So, I graduated from college during a pandemic. The last two months of school were one of the hardest and shocking obstacles I had to overcome during my entire college career. I was devastated by learning that I wouldn’t get to experience any senior events. I was devastated that I wouldn’t get to see my best friends for G-d knows how long. On top of all of these realizations, I now had to get used to virtual learning for my last two months of school. Not only did this completely change my capstone course, but I also felt like I couldn’t find the motivation to learn more. Once my classes switched to online I felt as though college was already over. I was so upset and bothered by all of the unknowns that I found it extremely hard to stay focused on my courses.
It was hard not having anywhere to go to do my work. It was hard not having in-person classes. It was hard learning online when professors didn’t even know how to teach their courses online. I always found getting up and having a place to go would motivate me more to do my work. So once we became virtual, I struggled to get my work done. This was a whole new way of learning for me.
You see, for my capstone class, I was supposed to be a part of a class documentary. One that we produced, wrote and edited ourselves. But once we switched to online, the documentary was no longer an option. I missed out on learning the ins and outs of documentary reporting. Although the class transitioned into writing, editing, and producing a podcast, I still felt like I lost out on a huge opportunity.
Over time, I learned to accept that this was the end of my college career and there was nothing I could do to change that. Once I accepted that I made the best out of it. In any obstacle that is thrown your way during college, the most important thing to realize is that things happen and you have to just keep moving forward. I finished my courses with all A’s and graduated from college during a pandemic. The most unforgettable year. The hardest year. But it has also been a year of self-reflection and improvement.
I am now on the job hunt. I can tell you one thing that I know for sure. Job searching during a pandemic is not easy. I have come across many emails saying, “Thank you for your interest but we are not hiring at the moment.” As the months go on though, jobs have opened up and the search has definitely picked up. The most important a person can do for themselves while searching for a job or internship is to network. Networking has always been important but it is one of the most important aspects of finding a job right now. If you can build your network and get your name to the recruiters before you apply then you are more than likely to set yourself up to succeed. I don’t want to give too much advice on the interviewing process because I have just begun interviewing, but I will tell you that you must stay confident during these times. There have been moments where I have gotten a bit discouraged, but I reminded myself that there are so many people struggling to find jobs right now and that it is not just me. If you realize that you have so much to offer and don’t give up, eventually the right position will come along and you will be happy that you worked this hard. Stay confident. Stay confident. Stay confident.
By Hannah Sternberg
Hannah is a graduate from James Madison University where she majored in the School of Media Arts and Design with a concentration of Broadcast Journalism. She worked for her school’s weekly newscast called Breeze TV as a reporter. Her dream is to become a reporter but she also enjoys the entertainment production industry. One of her favorite things to do to relieve stress is dancing.
For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.
At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.
When I received my undergraduate degree from Baruch College in May 2006, I was ecstatic. I immediately began applying for jobs and couldn’t wait for my phone to start ringing non-stop. Little did I know that this was a far fetched idea; my phone did ring, but not as often as I had originally hoped for, so I decided to make some phone calls myself. I contacted the human resources departments of at least three companies to inquire about the status of my applications and was told more than once that I did not have enough experience. Experience I thought, how many new graduates have experience? I believed that one industry related internship and a few years of non-industry related work experience were enough for me to get an interview, but apparently it wasn’t. At that point, I realized both the power and importance of an internship, which may have been obvious to some, but to others, such as me, it was new and enlightening information that could have helped to speed up my career.
According to freedictionary.com, an internship is defined as “a student or recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.” This means that as a student or a recent graduate, one will gain hands on experience in their field of choice. Most internship’s are unpaid, but do compensate students by offering credit for a specified course. For example, a student may work as an intern for the duration of the fall, spring, or summer semester. When the internship is completed, the student may then receive the number of credits for the course taken in conjunction with the internship.
There are various ways in which a student can find an internship. Below is a list of resources/tips that can help students with their search.
Contact your school career and internship center. These centers have trained staff members who are there to assist you with your career, job, and internship needs. Most of these centers offer career guidance, resume and cover letter workshops, and interview preparation assistance.
Utilize the career services that are offered by the public library. New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library all offer free career services. They also have many materials that may help you with your internship search.
Intern Katie leads today's discussion. We talk about the pandemic's effect on college students, since current juniors and seniors' college experiences have been largely defined by the pandemic. We discuss what it was like being sent home from college in 2020, navigating online classes and extracurricular activities, and the lessons we've learned from this whole […]
Welcome back to a new season of the Campus Clipper podcast!Intern Megan leads today's discussion. We talk about the activities that inspire creativity in our cities and how to balance creative hobbies with schoolwork and internships. We also discuss the uncertainty and insecurity that we often feel when putting our creative work out in the […]
Intern Ehani leads today's discussion. We talk about the films, series, books, and other art that has touched our hearts, even when the world makes us want to be dark and cynical. We also discuss what role our passions have in our lives, and what passion means to us. Mentioned in this episode:Call Me By […]
In this episode, our interns talk about going to college in a big city - from the cultural advantages to how they deal with the expensive cost of living. We also share our favorite things to splurge on. Mentioned in this episode:The Whitney MuseumThe Tenement MuseumTips for budgeting (even when you're not the budgeting type)Check out […]
In this episode, our publishing interns talk about why they love writing and how they use writing and creativity as a tool for personal development and mental health. Check out our publishing interns' writing on the Campus Clipper Blog. This episode was recorded at the new East Village, NYC location of Marinara Pizza. Click this […]
Anna leads today's discussion about her ebook, Balancing Your College Life: An Existential Perspective on Exercise and Entertainment. We talk about how we chose our majors and dealing with uncertainty. We also share our tips for coping with academic pressure and art and literature that inspire us. Check out more of Anna's work in her […]
Monica leads today's discussion. We talk about why we chose our respective college, coping with homesickness, and our internship experiences. We also share our tips for getting to know a big city.Check out more of Monica's work in her article "Chapter 2- The First Week at University (Full of Homesickness and Doubt)." Read about her […]
Sydney leads today's discussion, and it's all about "Plugging in with Good Intentions." We talk about technology - from maintaining long-distance friendships to podcasts and music recommendations. We also share our tips for managing anxiety on social media.Check out more of Sydney's work in her article, "Plugging in with Good Intentions — Chapter 4: Music […]
