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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So, school is coming to an end soon. That’s good, right? Yes…and no. On the one hand, you’re done with paper-writing for a few months. Hollaaaa! On the other hand, you still need to figure out what you’re going to do this summer. Job? Internship? Job and internship?

Yeah, that sounds fun. Not.
The good news is, those aren’t your only options.

What about studying abroad?
Even better, what about studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands?

Yeah, I’m being totally serious. While the rest of your friends are tanning on their front lawns or working at the same CVS they have every summer since high school, YOU could be exploring one of the world’s most biodiversified and beautiful lands known to man! And you can earn 12 college credits while doing it. Not only will you be learning about Latin America and the environment of the Galapagos Islands, you’ll get to surf, snorkel, Scuba dive, hike, bike, horseback ride, and so much more. SO much more. Your summer can’t possibly get any more productive (and awesome) than that. Read More »

The following post is written by Brian Willett from UNC-Chapel Hill, one of our many friends at Uloop, a student powered marketplace. Read more great posts in their blog.

Ask any student what the best part about school is, and you’ll most likely get the same answer – summer vacation. The carefree days of summer make all of the homework and pop quizzes bearable and give students something to look forward to during April showers.

Because summer is so precious to students, making the most of every moment of the two or three month respite is crucial. So when it comes to filling the time between fun and games, a fierce debate rages over which is better – a summer internship or a part-time job. Though many assume the only point of contention is filling one’s resume versus filling one’s wallet, there’s more to the question than that. Read More »

Summer is in full swing and while we’re all busy toiling away at our internships and jobs, it’s hard not to dream about those relaxing and fun summers of our past. Not only did we have zero responsibility back then, but we had all of our friends to chase through sprinklers and get Dairy Queen with. Not anymore. With all of our college friends spread across the country and the dreaded 9-5 gig, summers just aren’t the same anymore.

But they don’t have to be a total bust. It is summer, after all.

When it comes to summer break, there are only 5 friends you need for optimal summertime fun. You keep these peeps around and you’re golden through Labor Day. Read More »

In an effort to beat the winter bulge and get my body back into shape for a weekend of bikini-clad fun come July 4th, I decided to pump up the volume on my workout last night. And now I can’t move. Even typing up this very post is sending shooting pains up my arms and I’ve completely given up on reading this website due to the extreme pain that comes with laughing.

And to top it all off, it’s an ugly, rainy day in Chicago. If I didn’t have the Glee soundtrack blasting from my iTunes right now, I’d fall into a deep funk and claw my way out with a gallon of ice cream. Which, of course, would completely defeat the purpose of my post-workout paralysis.

So in an effort to forget about the fact that I can’t move my legs without crying, I will focus on something else. Like this week’s “Would You Rather….”

Would You Rather have an unpaid summer internship with a boss like Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada or a summer job making bank as a nanny for the brattiest group of triplets you can imagine? 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 »

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?

Everyone knows that one of the worst things about being an intern is actually telling people you’re an intern. I can deal with getting coffee, fetching elaborate lunches in the rain, sending out mail and transcribing interviews for hours, all in the name of trying to get a job. I cannot, however, deal with being treated like sh*t just because some people choose to view me as just the bottom of the job food chain and nothing more than that.

I’m not saying that everyone treats interns like that, because that’s definitely not true. I’ve been extremely lucky to work with intern coordinators who are truly awesome – they listen, they care, they’re nice, and most importantly, they always say thank you. But there are still some people who insist on treating me, and other interns, as only their bitch. And I mean, let’s face it, we kind of are their bitch as interns – but that still doesn’t mean we should be treated like that.

The weird thing is, it’s usually the people you would least expect who are the rudest. When I first started covering events, I was terrified. I thought for sure that not only the celebrities were going to blow me off, but also that the PR girls would take one look at me and figure out I had no idea what I was doing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The PR girls consistently treat me with respect, and did anything they could to help me out. And the celebs? Most of them couldn’t be nicer. Just the other night, I had the chance to interview Emmy Rossum and Bernadette Peters, and both of them were so sweet it was unbelievable. Read More »

We’ve survived another year of  8 A.M. lectures and caffeine addiction. Our drunken immunity has been tested like never before. What is our reward? For most of us, a summer job. And for many of us, a summer job in retail.

I’ve had my fair share of retail gigs and, let me tell you, they’re not all rainbows and awesome discounts. Nope, most of the time, they’re just folding, counting and really bitter customers… with a pretty great discount. If you find yourself behind the register this summer and want to make it out alive, keep these key things in mind:

1. Keep your peace of mind.
I’ve had more crap summer jobs than I can count and I don’t think I made more than 50 cents over minimum wage at any of them. Some money is always better than none, but don’t forget to put a premium on your peace of mind. So many nights I would come home and be totally exhausted from rude people and domineering bosses, but I would keep myself awake for 2 or 3 more hours wondering if I had balanced my register or entered the security code correctly before I locked up. Take it from someone who learned it the hard way: forget about it. This isn’t your career, it’s your summer job. Focus on it  from 9 to 5 and the second that glass door locks behind you, use your time to enjoy your summer. Read More »

Summer used to mean a few things: sleep-away camp, s’mores, arts and crafts, and trying to find a dry Speedo.  Unfortunately, for most of us who aren’t Michael Phelps, finding a dry Speedo and swimming our lives away won’t be very beneficial to our futures. Nor will concocting the perfect s’more, made with the most awesomely browned marshmallow ever.

So now, summer means one thing: interning.

Internships are probably the most important thing you can have on your resume these days and summer is the perfect time to gain that coveted interning experience: you don’t have to work around a class schedule and you can really focus on the job. But there’s more to a summer internship than just showing up. If you’ve landed yourself an internship this summer and you want to make the most of it, there are a few things to remember. I’ve been doin’ the internship thing for a long time, so let me share some of my hard-earned knowledge.

Read More »

Got some college questions? Unsure of a decision? Thinking about dabbling in Adderall? (Don’t!) Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics? We’ve got the girls for you. Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”! They’ve got all the answers you need, no matter who you are.

Question:
I don’t know what to do. So, I’m finishing my junior year and all of my friends have dream internships this summer in New York and L.A. and Chicago…and I’ve got nothing. I know internships are important but I havent gotten any of the ones I applied for. Is it too late to apply for more? Does it look bad applying this late? What about following my friends to one of those cities and just looking for something when I get there? Is that really dumb?

Party Girl:
Been there. Survived. It was May and I needed an internship to graduate. I had been applying since February, but I was still looking at a summer of unemployment. However, I just kept sending out applications until I got a bite. Fortunately, it ended up being exactly what I had dreamed of and I had a great summer! Just keep applying – anything will do. You don’t need a dream internship for the first one (if you get one, that’s awesome, but you’ll be lucky). The second or third internship usually ends up being the experience of which everyone dreams. My plan if I hadn’t gotten lucky was to do exactly as you said – move on out to New York, stay with a friend, and just show up everywhere with samples of my work and a handful of resumes. I’m not sure how well that would have worked out for me, but I’m sure I would have had a great summer either way. Get yourself out there and keep sending out applications. Something will turn up and if it doesn’t…it’ll be much more fun to drink away your misery in N.Y. or L.A.! Read More »