Good news! More companies than ever are investing in virtual internship programs, which means interns can work from home. While still earning class credit. And building your résumé. Possibly without even taking off your make up from the night before and while “glancing” at new episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. If you snagged one this semester, it’s like a college girl’s dream!

…or so you thought. The freedom to “make your own hours” has turned into cramming ten-hours-a-week’s worth of work into the spare minutes between Vegas trips and parties. When you try to work, you can barely even stay awake. And since there’s no intern dress code, you’ve stayed in your pajamas for periods longer than you did during finals week.

However, I warn you: you’re probably receiving very real class credit, so your supervisors deserve very real results. And these little changes will make a big impact on your virtual internship experience:

Stick to a schedule. Set out time each day and each week to get your projects done – online tools like Google Calendar and Toggl help you keep track of your hours – and respect that time. What would your bosses think if they knew you were texting your boyfriend every ten minutes? Would you have a flashing Facebook browser tab open on the company computer? Put your cell phone/TV/distractions on silent, just as you would at a live internship.

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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?

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As the curtain closes on another school year, we embrace the heat of summer. However, for many of us, summer may be short-lived, as we prepare to take on our roles as summer interns. The hard part is over (cover letters and resumes, buhh byee!), and now its time to have some fun and put together a kick-ass internship wardrobe.

Putting together a wardrobe can be intimidating. After all–you are a college student on a college budget. But don’t worry–stores like JCPenney, and Boscov’s offer dress-clothing brands in the Junior’s Department (such as Star City and A. Byer) that are totally affordable! And while building the perfect summer internship wardrobe depends on where you are interning and what the company dress code permits, there are some essentials that every girl should own.

Remember, when it comes to interning, you want to be both professional and practical. Avoid going overboard on the accessories; do you know how annoying it is to type all day with an arm full of bangles? Don’t wear anything that’s gonna keep you pulling and yanking and grabbing all day. And while you want to look good, a full-time internship is not the time to choose fashion over function. Heel blisters are no joke!

Now, get out there and rock the office, girl!

After spending weeks searching Internships.com, writing cover letters and getting a few interviews, you’ve finally managed to land an internship for next semester. Wahoooo! You’re all ready to start – now what the heck do you wear? Dressing for internships can be difficult, especially on the limited college girl wardrobe. You want to look professional, obviously, but you also want to look, well, like you.

How do you create a work wardrobe that doesn’t make you look old and boring?

Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

When you’re dressing for an internship, keep a few things in mind. One, if you’re going to be doing any errand running or anything that involves standing, how comfortable are your shoes? If you can’t walk in heels, don’t wear them to the office no matter how cute they look. Also, if you’re not sure of the office dress code, it’s always better to overdress for your first few days than to under dress. Dress pants, skirts and dresses are the safest and most desirable options. Read More »

To ask Tuffy Luv a question, drop her an email at TuffyLuv@collegecandy.com. And huwhathunot.

Dear Tuffy Luv,

I am an intern this summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, and it is everything I could have asked for in an internship. I love my co-workers, I am always busy, and I feel like I am actually making an impact and not just shuffling paper. Last night, my co-workers and I went to a big group happy hour. I am really close with the team, so they all bought me drinks and had a great time. Unfortunately, I did not eat dinner all night and got a little too drunk by the end of the night – not in a sloppy way at all, but I noticed it myself.

At the end of the night, it was just me and two of my male co-workers, including one guy who I thought had been flirting all night and for the past couple of weeks. I felt so comfortable with him that I think at some point during the night, I started flirting back. We left the bar together, and somehow went on a drunken adventure to attempt to go dancing, and then pizza, and he eventually dropped me off at home. During the car ride, we were laughing and having an amazing time, so much that I did not notice the 10 year age difference between us. I was jokingly punching him, and I remember resting my hand on his face in a very intimate way for too long, and he actually removed my hand from his face. After that incident, it went back to normal and we went back to our conversation and laughing. I cannot tell if he has feelings for me or not, because last night he would keep saying, “You’re 19!” I’m not exactly sure everything we talked about in the car, but I know I was at my drunkest at that point and I’m nervous at what I might have said.

Today at work, it was so awkward and we pretty much avoided each other all day. I don’t want to address it at all, or even acknowledge that the end of last night happened, but I’m not sure where my feelings lie and if he reciprocates them or not. Today, I just feel embarrassed that I let myself get to that point, and that I acted so silly in front of him. What should I do? I know work relationships are inappropriate, especially as an intern, so should I just let everything go and pretend it never happened?

Sincerely,
Not So Happy Hour 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 »

When I first started this internship in December, there were only a handful of other girls with me. We spent most of our days interning together gossiping quietly behind our computer screens, venting angrily about the ridiculous tasks we were asked to do, and showing each other funny YouTube clips to pass the time. For the entire spring semester, we bonded in a way only unpaid jobless college graduates can: we shared tips on how to get jobs and which websites had the best job postings, we discussed the different interviews we had gone on, and made fun of the other editors in the room with us. We became Facebook friends and followed each other on Twitter, and eventually, we started going out for dinner and drinks throughout Manhattan.

And at the end of the semester, when their internships had come to an end and I was the only one left at the magazine, I came to the sad realization that it was time to make new intern friends.

For a little while, I was one of the only interns at the magazine. I missed my friends from before – there wasn’t anyone to go on 5 o’clock coffee runs with – but while I couldn’t wait for the other interns to start, a part of me liked having all the responsibility. The summer interns started to slowly trickle in at the end of May, until suddenly one day I walked in and they were everywhere. 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.]

Ah, Los Angeles. The city where dreams come true; where any long-legged, doe-eyed girl can become an actress; and where you can make it big, REAL big!  Yes, that may be a slight exaggeration, but L.A is a place of delicious food, great culture, and really, really cheap bars. While you may think running into Julia Roberts and George Clooney is like catching a bus (it is – but you try catching a bus in L.A.), celebrities aren’t the only thing that make up this wonderful city. That’s why I’m here to guide you through L.A, like a true Angelino. We all know about the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Grauman Chinese Theatre, but what makes this city so great is the little quirky gems that only locals know (and rarely share).

Put on your sunglasses and get ready, the Cali sun isn’t so forgiving.

Best Cupcakes: Heard of Sprinkles? Yes you probably have. It’s where the West Coast Cupcakes craze originated, right at the heart of it all: Beverly Hills. Their famous red velvet cupcake is, in my opinion, the best piece of heaven you will ever have in your mouth. People have compared these cupcakes to crack, because they are just so damn good. You might wait an hour for 5 cupcakes, but it’s so worth it.

Have Your Hot Dog and your Celebrity Sighting Too: If you watch Entourage, you’ve heard of Pink’s (Hollywood) Hot Dogs. It’s where everyone from the hottest celebs to those D-list go to get their hot dog fix. Right off Melrose Ave, the added bonus of getting your tasty hot dog here is you actually might see a celebrity stuffing their face with a wiener. What a sight. Read More »

Seriously, can you believe it it’s July?! I know, I’m freaking out too. Before we know it, August will come and we’ll all be dragging our butts and our Yaffa Blocks back to school. But fear not, the holiday weekend is here! I don’t know about the rest of you women, but I know I’ll be spending the next 3 days lounging by the pool with a margarita (or two) and a big, juicy hot dog (or three).

But before I start slathering on the sunscreen and packing on the pounds, let’s review the week that was:

- Screw Hollywood and its ageism. These Hollywood Starlets get seriously better with age.

- Ugh all those high school seniors, time to grow up! What’s the deal with having multiple valedictorians?! So unfair.

- Had a bad roommate? Try living with your boyfriend’s MOM. Yeah to be honest, I would just GTFO.

- “Oh, I only eat a salad for dinner and I run everyday!” Seriously? You think your man friends really want to hear that? Get real!

- Some of us are literally melting under the hot sun and still want to look cute. What’s the best way to beat the summer heat?

- Ahhh, teenage celebs. So young and so full of life. And…really, really stupid. Sometimes they should just shut up.

- Eclipse is out and Kristen Stewart is still awkward. What is the obsession with this franchise?! 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 »