4 Ways to Balance Work, School and Internships

If you’re anything like me, you’re busy. Between having two jobs on campus, an internship, and classes, it sometimes seems like there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything. I’ve put together my best tips for maintaining a good balance between work and school.

1. Make a to-do list. Although cliché, this is the best way for me to organize my thoughts. I usually include due dates on mine, which is an easy way to create a hierarchy of what needs to be done vs. what we can put off a little longer.
2. Prioritize the “weight” of tasks. I found that this has become extremely important during senior year of college. This is not to say blow off seemingly small projects and assignments, but putting emphasis on finishing internship work first could be imperative to receiving a good recommendation in the long run (and the goal of college is to find a job, right?)
3. Have a non-work related outlet. For me, this means going for a run or hitting the gym. This is a good way to clear your mind before it’s time to really get to work. I like to go after classes, internship hours, and work are over for the day to give myself a mini-break before I know I’ll have to do homework.
4. Get a planner. I consider myself a very organized person, but writing down due dates immediately when tests, projects and deadlines are assigned is important for success. As much as we try to pretend like we’ll remember it later, it’s always better to be safe and write down important dates.

It’s so easy to become overwhelmed at such a stressful but exciting period in our young lives. Implementing these tips now while we're still in school will help us to get in good habits for the rest of our professional lives. 

My First Internship – The Interview Process

When I started my freshman year of college, I had no idea that I would eventually want to be a graphic designer, or live in Rochester, NY after college. However, by the end of sophomore year, I had confirmed both of these ideas. I urged myself to get an internship for the summer of 2014 that would allow me to do two things: live in Rochester, and begin the transition into being a “big girl.”

At Nazareth College, there is no requirement on completing an internship prior to your senior year. But as I attended more and more networking events in the area, everyone had the same advice: you are more likely to get hired with more professional experience. So, I started digging through agency websites and reached out to my professors and told them to send any internship opportunities my way for me to evaluate

In March, I got an email from my professor regarding the inaugural B/T Prep internship program. I had already done an agency tour with a class sophomore year, so I was familiar with the name and the positive feel that came along with it. The kicker? The application was due in one week. The deadline just happened to coincide with the Wednesday of my spring break week. Prior to this, I had no resume, no finalized project PDFs and no physical portfolio. The question became: is it worth it?

I decided that the answer was: absolutely.

So in a matter of 3 days, I called references, racked my brain for contacts and past jobs descriptions and painstakingly outlined the process behind my “favorite project” (a requirement for the Creative Intern application). My resume looked great, my project was the best thing I’d designed yet, and I knew that my professors would not have sent the application my way unless they found me a good fit. So I sent my application in, and waited.

I was selected for an interview. I was pumped. This would be my first (of many) real interviews and I was nervous yet excited. The next problem? I still didn’t have a portfolio printed. I spent the next 3 days running from Michaels to Staples to The Art Store searching for the necessary materials that would help my portfolio look top-notch. I customized the spine of my portfolio with my own personal branding that was the same as my business card and resume as well to make it stand out. $75 and 5 large mochas later, and I had myself a portfolio.

I walked in to my interview 20 minutes early confident and ready to go. I was blessed with the ability to talk to the wall, so awkwardness is very rare for me. My initial interview was awesome. I could tell these were the people I had been looking to work with! The energy was infectious and I instantly felt as though this wasn’t an interview at all, but a conversation to see if we would work together well.

The interview process was a lot less scary than I expected. I realized that I wouldn’t have gotten an interview if they didn’t see some potential in me, and just being myself was the best thing I could do.

Two days post second interview, I got a call from B/T. They told me I was just the fit they were looking for and they wanted me to be a part of the first ever B/T Prep internship program. And the rest is B/T history.

Key Learnings:

1. Get ahead.

Don’t wait to fulfill any internship requirement – get out there as early as you can! Make those connections.

2. Portfolios are worth it.

All of the preparation for that one interview is worth it. As you put together a portfolio – you begin to realize your strengths and weaknesses. This will help in your interview, and to push your future projects to new limits.

3. Build your brand.

What are you like to work with? What is your work like to work with? Be sure that your portfolio stays true to you.

4. Know the company.

Poke around local company sites. What kind of culture are you looking for? If you still don’t know, start asking companies for informational interviews!