So today was pretty interesting. Things are getting somewhat intense with film class today – we’re supposed to have short film pitch ideas basically already formed, beginning, middle and end – and absolutely no one was ready to present their ideas. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve already formed into groups but no one expected teachers to ask for a concrete idea of our final pitch until at least two weeks down the line. Now that it’s here, a lot of us are freaking out and scrambling around trying to come up with something our teacher will like. And for those of you who didn’t know, brainstorming a pitch is tough work, especially when you know that you might be sticking with it for the foreseeable future. I literally met up with my group members for almost two hours and at the end of it, we were no better off than at the beginning. I’m honestly glad that we’re going through this now because if we had waited until there was a deadline looming over us, we obviously wouldn’t have gotten much done at the pace we’re going at. I’m not complaining though, I really like my group and how much fun we have together just spit-balling ideas and using each other as sounding boards. It’s been a really interesting experience to hear some of the ideas running through their heads and share the ideas that have caught my own imagination in return.
But that’s just what’s been going on in my life on the academic front. In terms of my burgeoning career, I can finally – at least partially – give a sigh of relief. The internships that I applied for over Winter Break finally contacted me today to congratulate me on being selected for a round of preliminary interviews! Now I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I applied to these guys last year and didn’t get so much as a peep out of them for my trouble. Now that they are finally considering me, I couldn’t be happier. Now I just have to worry about the ever-so terrifying first impression. It’s one thing to send in a resume and cover letter. It’s completely different to have to answer questions on the spot, all while looking composed and ready.
Here’s my advice to all of the kids thinking about internships over the summer. First of all, know that you have other options. Your parents will probably hate me for saying this, but in my opinion, what’s important is the experiences you have under your belt and those can come from volunteering, jobs, travelling, or internships. Don’t let anyone put you into a box over what you want to do this summer because, ultimately, you’re the one who’s going to have to suffer through those plans. Therefore, make sure it’s something that you enjoy and are passionate about. Secondly, get your applications out of the way early. Whether you’re applying for the Peace Corps or for a job at a store near your house, make sure you get all of the application crap out of the way and get ahead of the other applications that might be flooding your potential employer’s inbox. I applied for my applications during Winter Break (under the watchful eye of my nagging father) and now I’m so glad I did. I can’t even imagine trying to apply for 10+ internships while also trying to acclimate to a new culture, academic program, language, etc. It was much nicer to do it when I had hours of free time wasting away on the couch. And lastly, make sure to stop by the Business School. They have these amazing pamphlets filled with all of the pertinent questions an internship interviewer might ask, and other resources dedicated to helping you find an internship in the first place. Never underestimate how many resources WashU has just lying around for anyone with some drive to see. They can be sneaky about it sometimes – I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have had the idea to go to the Business school if I hadn’t seen Business school kids walking around with the pamphlets and asked them about it – but it’s worth it when you find those few gems that make the whole struggle worth it.
And that’s all for tonight. I have to get to bed, I have an early day tomorrow!
Na schle!
