Recently, I went through a very difficult decision process to sort out my summer plans. For context, I am a junior soon to be heading into my senior year, and I am originally from Washington state. I have been working as a production intern at Tory Burch since the Fall semester and was offered an opportunity to stay with them as a product development intern over the summer. I have yet to stay in NY over the summer, and I always miss home this time of year since I’ve been away for so long. There were many things to consider when debating to accept this offer from Tory Burch. I wouldn’t be able to see my friends and family from back home over the entire summer, I wouldn’t be back in the PNW during one of my favorite seasons, and I wouldn’t be saving money from not paying rent. It is also my last summer as a student and I wanted to be very careful with how I used this fleeting freedom. On the other hand, if I stayed with Tory Burch, I would be building my resume and developing more skills and experience to further my career and eventually achieve my long term goal; I eventually want to move back to the West coast and work for iconic outdoor apparel and lifestyle brands, with one of my top picks located in Seattle, WA. If I stayed in NY over the summer, I would be helping my future job search when applying for positions back home, but was this worth not seeing my friends and family? In the end, I chose to take the internship with Tory Burch with hopes that working towards my long term goal would be best for me. There was really no right or wrong decision in this situation for me because I could see myself being both thankful and regretful at the same time for making either decision. Sometimes, you just have to push aside your critical analysis and just make a decision when one is needed. It made me realize that I’m at a point in my life where my choices are going to have direct consequences on aspects of my life, and that real planning needs to be put in place if I don’t want to lose control of my life. One thing I did to sort out my decision was I put together a 5 year and a 10 year life plan for myself, mapping out different aspects of my life, including career, health, and relational. These things are important to think about and develop an understanding of what you want. It’s never too early to start planning.
Tag Archives: Internships
Another FIT Perspective: Ashley Gauthier
I wanted to showcase another student’s perspective and lifestyle at FIT. Here’s a video of my good friend Ashley Gauthier and her daily life in New York City, busy with school, internships, and just venturing the Big Apple! P.S. There’s a cameo by yours truly!
Here’s to My Last Semester:
This is it— next semester is my final semester. My last hoorah. My last time to enjoy the city as a student. I can’t believe my time here is almost up. Your last semester of college is totally not the end, even though it may feel like it at times. Good news is there’s tons of ways to make your last semester memorable and productive, just like I’m going to make mine!
1. EMBRACE THE LAST MOMENTS
It’s crazy to think the “best four years of your life” (or three in my case, lol) are just about over. As scary as that may sound, there is so much to look forward to. The most interesting feeling as a senior is the nostalgia you feel about the past.
2. DO SOMETHING
It’s never too late to get involved. Join that organization you “never had time for” before. Plus, it makes for a great resume builder…or just take on an intensive internship!
3. POLISH YOUR RESUME AND PERFECT COVER LETTERS
Speaking of resumes, now is the time to perfect them. Make sure everything is up to date and practice writing cover letters.
4. SOAK UP WHAT FIT HAS TO OFFER
The real world will not be as forgiving as FIT…who am I kidding, we all know FIT is intense. If they haven’t already, mommy and daddy won’t be paying for things anymore. Appreciate the free food around campus, going to an organizational meeting and having financial aid.
5. STAY ORGANIZED
Chances are you’re going to be applying to at least 40+ jobs (unfortunately, finding jobs after graduation isn’t as easy as your humanities elective). Create a spreadsheet to organize where and when you applied, what position and the location of the job.
6. KEEP UP
Let’s be honest, you mentally checked out of college as soon as winter break started. But skipping class and missing homework assignments won’t help you graduate. Buy a planner and stay up to date with all your deadlines. Each assignment you turn in leaves you one step closer to graduation.
7. NETWORKING NEVER FELT SO GOOD
By this point you should know what exactly you want to get into, and the only way to get into it is by making those connections. Keep in touch with your old internship supervisor and network whenever you can—these are going to be useful relationships to have. Mingle like you’re desperate, but in this case, for a job, not for a relationship.
8. CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
You know that picture of you holding a red cup in your bathing suit during spring break? It’s got to go. Potential employers are going to be checking your Facebook and other social media sites during the hiring process. The last thing you want is to not get a job because you were photographed doing something inappropriate!
9. DO IT ALL
Now is not the time to be afraid of what you want. You’ve made it this far and the only thing stopping you from reaching your goals are your fears. You can do anything you set your mind too…times ticking!
10. ENJOY IT
After all is said and done, this is your last year of college. You’re not going to have the free time you have now once you sell your soul to the real world. Stay out ‘til 4 a.m., or go on a spontaneous adventure. These however many years won’t happen again!
xx
Mariano
How do I fit in and make as an International Student?!
Hello my fellow international students!
As an international students myself, I found it quite hard to make friends and feel integrated when I started studying at FIT. American students intimidated me, they spoke so fast and I was afraid that I wouldn’t understand them or they wouldn’t understand me. Every time I met a student from abroad or someone that spoke the same language, it felt like such a relief, like I wasn’t the only one facing these crazy fears. But as an introvert I found it quite hard to go up to people or force myself to start a conversation. Here are some tips that helped me throughout the semesters.
Interacting with students in your major. I know what most of you think… But don’t let it intimidate you, most students (even American) feel exactly the same way. Don’t be afraid to talk to them, at least you have something in common that you can talk about, which won’t make you feel going in completely blind. Group projects too are a great way to make friends and start becoming more social, I know they can be annoying, but they give you more time to talk with them. That’s how I met my best friend at FIT.
Become part a group. Clubs are a great way to make friends, feeling integrated and part of a team. You see the same people every week at the meetings, but also outside during events, fundraising etc. What’s great about clubs, is that you are with people who have the same interests you do, so it will make it so much easier to find similar interests and things to talk about. What I found really helped me was being accepted in the presidential scholars program, it was a much smaller group of people, which made it less intimidating to go up to people. Also most of us were there for the same reasons. Something I really liked about the honors program was that I didn’t only have one class with them, but I would see them on a regular basis at the colloquiums and various event throughout the semesters, which made us get closer without even trying.
Attend events. FIT has so many social events throughout the semesters, just go to one and see how you feel. It won’t hurt trying. That’s how I met my two first American friends at FIT, was during one of the orientation parties.
Community Service. Sign up for community service. You won’t be around only FIT students, but other people from different schools etc. It’s a nice way to meet people, not just from FIT.
Internships. They not only look great on your resume, but they’re a great way to make friends. Most of the friends I made through my internships are older, but I in a way enjoy it much more, because we have more adult conversations and I feel challenged (in a good way).
Campus Jobs. It’s a cool way to make extra money, but also friends! I loved working as a tutor, because without knowing, there are a lot of international students that worked there, so it felt like a very mixed and diverse group of people, not making it so intimidating.
But remember to be yourself, don’t ever try to be someone you are not!
xoxo
-Z
Credited Internship Application
One of the many things that sets FIT apart from all other schools is its extensive internship connections. FIT’s Career and Internship Center helps students by assigning, structuring, and monitoring their internship process. Credited internships through FIT require both on-site work with the company and class time at FIT.
There are a lot of nitty-gritty details that you have to pay attention to while going through the application process for a credited internship, so I’ll give you all the necessary information to get it all done.
Before you do anything, you will want to go through the Career and Internship Center’s online orientation. This will give you everything you need to know about the entire process from start to finish, including what an internship is, why you should do them, when they are available, and how your career counselor will help you.
To see an overview of how to apply and find out whether you qualify for a credited internship, click here. This page will ask you to fill out a survey to see if you qualify. You will need to log into the “Career Internship Database” to fill this out. A few days after you fill out the survey, they will send you an email confirming that you are qualified and that you can continue with the process.
Once it is confirmed that you qualify for a credited internship, you will want to create and upload a resume and a letter of introduction to your Career Internship Database profile. If you need help writing these, don’t worry. FIT offers a guide on how to write these, including template layout and even words and phrases to use. If you need more than that, feel free to use FIT’s Writing Studio services.
A few days after you upload BOTH your resume and letter of introduction, you will receive an email assigning you to a specific career counselor. This is who you will see to practice interviews, revise your resume and letter of introduction, and go over the database that contains all of FIT’s internship options. You will need to schedule an hour meeting with your career counselor through the Career and Internship’s Symplicity database (where you logged in at the very beginning).
From there on out, it’s up to find companies of interest, either through their database or on your own, and let your counselor know you want to apply to them. They will give you important contact information for the company, and help you customize your resume and letter of introduction to best fit those companies.
There are countless benefits to having a credited internship, whether it’s a requirement within your major, or you just want some more experience. FIT has lots of ways it can help.