No one would ever walk up to a friend on financial aid and accuse her parents of being lazy, good-for-nothing, bad parents for not making enough money to send her to college. Yet people feel completely comfortable going up to a friend with an unpaid internship and accusing her of being a spoiled brat because she’s fortunate enough to be able to afford spending a summer making no money.

Don’t think that’s true? Just read the comments on almost any internship post on this site (like this one or this one).

I had two unpaid internships in NYC and I can’t even count the number of times people told me “it’s ridiculous that your parents are just letting you live in the city and make no money.” But was it ridiculous? In today’s world you’re expected to graduate with internship experience and if my parents decided to spend their hard-earned money paying for me to live in NYC and reach my dreams, was it wrong for me to take that opportunity? Should I have spent my summer waitressing instead? I don’t want to come off like a whiny bitch, but I want some answers on why I should feel bad that my family can afford this. Isn’t complaining about unpaid internships the same as complaining to a friend when her family goes on a week long resort vacation?

Read More »

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[For most college students, summer means one thing: an unpaid internship. We’ve been there and we feel your pain. Whether you’re making copies, making coffee runs, or just trying to make your mark on the industry of your dreams, it’s much easier to get through it all with a little help from your (CollegeCandy) friends. So come back every week to listen/sympathize with/vent with our anonymous intern as she does her thang at a big time magazine in New York City. Because, let’s be honest, what else do you have to do in that cubicle all day?]

Some days at my internship I get to do so many fun things – like a random lunch with Kendra Wilkinson or Edie Falco, or doing a video interview of an all-male a capella group (OK, that one was a little strange…). Some days, I’m just kept busy doing any number of things, whether it’s searching for the perfect ice cream cake at Ben & Jerry’s, researching celebrities who have said they want to renew their marriages (a real project, and I swear it took up most of my afternoon), or helping out in the fashion closet (a personal fav).

But truthfully, most of the time, I am sitting in front of my computer with absolutely. nothing. to. do. And don’t think that Facebook or Twitter can keep me busy. You can only read so many mindless status updates before it makes you want to de-friend all of your friends. One day, I literally had NOTHING to do for 8 hours. It was painfully boring, but I’ve unfortunately gotten used to it. Especially this summer, since there are so many interns who need to be given tasks to do, and my intern coordinator is very fair.

So, for the other interns out there who I know know exactly what I’m talking about, here are some of my ways to make your mark and pass the time.

1. Try to get to know the other people in your office. If your intern supervisor has nothing to do, you can take it upon yourself to ask around the office if anyone else needs some help. Sometimes, people don’t ask because they forget interns are there, or they assume they’re too busy. This is a great way to do a little networking and really figure out what the office is about. Plus, you’ll look like an awesomely hard worker and everyone will appreciate it.

2. Organize and clean wherever you can. Offices are usually messy, and sometimes disorganized. At least, any magazine I’ve ever worked at is. Even if no one notices that you’ve cleaned, it’ll make YOUR job easier. File magazines away and throw out papers that you know no one needs anymore. It’s an easy way to stand out from the other interns, especially if you’re never asked to do this. Read More »

[For most college students, summer means one thing: an unpaid internship. We’ve been there and we feel your pain. Whether you’re making copies, making coffee runs, or just trying to make your mark on the industry of your dreams, it’s much easier to get through it all with a little help from your (CollegeCandy) friends. So come back every week to listen/sympathize with/vent with our anonymous intern as she does her thang at a big time magazine in New York City. Because, let’s be honest, what else do you have to do in that cubicle all day?]

Sometimes interning in a Big City is really exciting- the celebrity events, the high-profile bosses…even the extra-complicated coffee orders can be fascinating at first.  Other times, like last week, it was completely overwhelming.  Between the oppressive heat wave (hello triple digits) and feeling like something in my brain just wasn’t connecting, I was left in need of a night off to regroup and have some fun.

Trouble is, when you’re one in eight million, the process of finding a kindred soul to cry into your martini with can be daunting.  Of all those people, it’s impossible to narrow the field down to the ones who want to come together in commiseration over receiving little (to no) pay over performing the tasks few employees want to do.  Or so I thought.

Welcome to the age of Intern Parties.  A little bird slipped me the website’s link in an email and just like that I had plans for Friday.  Let me tell you, if you’re a novice to New York nightlife, as I clearly am, Intern Parties will save your social status by bringing interns together every night of the week in trendy New York City bars with zero cover.  Zero. Plus, drink discounts! Read More »

[You got a big, bad internship this summer? Living in a big, bad city? Not a clue what to do? CollegeCandy's got you covered. We've got ladies in all pockets of the U.S.A. and we're gonna be your private guides to the biggest internship destination cities around: New York, Chicago, D.C. and Los Angeles. If you're looking for the best place for a deal, the best weekend excursion, or best bars to drink (with a fake), stick with us.]

Welcome to Washington, D.C.! It’s a truly awesome, magical, fulfilling place to live for a summer (or, if you’re like me, you come for the summer and end up staying indefinitely…) D.C. is packed with fabulous food, great bars, and tons of free activities. So when you’re not interning, studying, stalking the White House hoping for a glance of Michelle, or (particularly if you spend any time on Capitol Hill) swooning over the guys in suits doing their best to channel Don Draper, check out this guide to our nation’s capital.

Cure That Sweet Tooth – If you’re a cupcake whore like me, you must try Hello Cupcake. It’s located right next to the Dupont Circle metro (red line). Their lemon cupcake is TO DIE FOR and for a limited time, they have a strawberry cupcake that will change your life. Curbside Cupcakes is a mobile cupcake truck that you can catch all over the city (and they accept credit cards!)

And if you’re totes over cupcakes, D.C. does a great donut. I know, donuts are not particularly fashionable these days, but in Silver Spring (red line), there is an adorable, unassuming store called Fractured Prune that has the absolute best donuts I’ve ever tasted (Krispy Kreme, what?). Their donuts are totally gourmet, made-to-order pieces of perfection with flavors ranging from lemonade to strawberry shortcake to chocolate cherry. You can also create and customize your own, selecting your glaze, type of sugar, and toppings. Read More »

This morning I was dangerously close to missing my train into NYC for my internship. So late, in fact, that I had to sprint from my car, up the stairs, and onto the train platform to hurl myself through the train doors about a second before they closed behind me, leaving me panting and sweating in front of a group of polished businessmen. (Always a good way to start the day.) It wasn’t because I had pressed snooze one too many times, or because I had lost track of time. No, I was late because of something much more important:

I was searching for the perfect outfit.

I wish I could say this was the first time my fashion situation put me well behind schedule, but that wouldn’t even be close to true. It’s more like it happens about once a week, and on at least two occasions per month I actually DO miss my train. And this is because when it comes to my internship, almost nothing is more important than wearing something cute. Yes, I get more stressed about what I’m wearing than I do about the actual work and reporting I have to do.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m serious about doing a good job at work. But honestly, if I don’t like my outfit, I am a LOT less motivated to be at my internship. It may sound slightly pathetic to some people, but looking good really is extremely important when you work in one of the fashion capitals of the world, and that’s even more true when you work in the magazine industry. Magazines are usually more casual than your typical office, which is a nice perk, but also opens you up to endless wardrobe possibilities. My office is particularly casual, with editors wearing anything from tight dresses and sky-high heels to jeans and a sweatshirt. And while those options are nice to have, who really wants to wear a sweatshirt to work in NYC? I don’t, especially when practically every girl I see walk by me on Sixth Avenue looks like they’ve just stepped out of the pages of Vogue. Read More »

No one would ever walk up to a friend on financial aid and accuse her parents of being lazy, good-for-nothing, bad parents for not making enough money to send her to college. Yet people feel completely comfortable going up to a friend with an unpaid internship and accusing her of being a spoiled brat because she’s fortunate enough to be able to afford spending a summer making no money.

Don’t think that’s true? Just read the comments on almost any internship post on this site (like this one or this one).

I had two unpaid internships in NYC and I can’t even count the number of times people told me “it’s ridiculous that your parents are just letting you live in the city and make no money.” But was it ridiculous? In today’s world you’re expected to graduate with internship experience and if my parents decided to spend their hard-earned money paying for me to live in NYC and reach my dreams, was it wrong for me to take that opportunity? Should I have spent my summer waitressing instead? I don’t want to come off like a whiny bitch, but I want some answers on why I should feel bad that my family can afford this. Isn’t complaining about unpaid internships the same as complaining to a friend when her family goes on a week long resort vacation? Read More »

[F or most college students, summer means one thing: an unpaid internship. We’ve been there and we feel your pain. Whether you’re making copies, making coffee runs, or just trying to make your mark on the industry of your dreams, it’s much easier to get through it all with a little help from your (CollegeCandy) friends. So come back every week to listen/sympathize with/vent with our anonymous intern as she does her thang at a big time magazine in New York City. Because, let’s be honest, what else do you have to do in that cubicle all day?]

It’s no secret that interning can be a dull job. In fact, sometimes internships get such a bad rep that we forgot that they can also have some pretty amazing perks. In the field of journalism and magazine writing, one of those perks is being given the opportunity to cover red carpet events. At my internship, it’s hands down everyone’s favorite thing to do and for obvious reasons. I mean, free alcohol, free finger foods, a chance to meet celebrities AND reporting credit? What could be better?

I’ve met tons of other over-eager interns out there while I’m working the carpet and while some of them try to act all cool and casual, when it comes down to it, we’re all super excited to have a chance to talk to some of our favorite celebs, especially when it’s someone we love. (When me and another intern met Ashley Olsen the other night, we were both squealing like 12-year-olds at a Justin Bieber concert). Read More »

Before I started college I would spend literally weeks fantasizing about summer. The perfect summer camp, summer job, summer fling, summer barbecues (mmmm cole slaw), whatever. Daydreaming about all the fun I was to have in the summer days ahead was the only way I managed to keep my eyes open during those high school classes that miserably lasted through June.

Now, things couldn’t be more different.

College has opened me up to a whole new world that allows you to be basically as lazy, drunk, and independent as you please, whenever you please. I know not everyone will agree with me about all this, but real life back at home with real responsibilities just seems so much more dull than simply having to cram for an exam every once in a while. But that’s not all. I’m yearning to be back on campus because, well:

1. You don’t have to drive anywhere.
What’s a bigger buzz kill than fighting with your friends over who’s going to be DD for the night? Life is way more fun when everyone gets to enjoy some cocktails and your biggest issue is whether or not it’s safe to take off your pumps and walk home barefoot.

2. Your friends are willing to go out roughly Monday through Saturday.
Although everyone has the friend who could care less about showing up hungover to their summer internship, wasn’t it just so much more fun when no one cared about showing up hungover to their classes? Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like the plus size movement! ) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

The last few months a bunch of people (mostly employed people who don’t actually have a stake in the matter, I must note. *Suck it, employed people!*) have made a big deal out of internships - Are they fair? Are they worth it? Are they even legal? Since summer is basically the official season of internships and since we’re really the ones who have a stake in the matter, I think it’s about time we had our say in the matter.

Now, internships vary from profession to profession but there are a few things that have pretty much become standard – you work (usually the bitch grunt work no one else wants to do) and in return you learn skills and get experience in your field to beef up your resume. Like the mythical unicorn, paid internships do exist (so I’ve heard, anyway) but by and large, nowadays you work an internship for free and just accept that it’s an investment in your future. These are the two big aspects that people seem to have a problem with since it ultimately means that you’re doing a crap job and not getting paid for it. Read More »