It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 19

Goodbye first year of grad school. Hello summer internship!

Finals week has come and gone. I closed my monstrous building, moved to a new apartment, cleaned out my office, finished up paperwork, wrote a bunch of reports, said goodbye to my friends, and boarded a plane to Florida. After three months of waiting, I was finally on my way to my summer internship.

I was so excited but nervous. How in the world was I going to help run orientation for a university I don’t even attend? What would my student staff think of me? What if my professional staff didn’t like me? What was I going to do without a car? Would I make any friends?

Someone came to pick me up from the airport and we waited together for the other NODA intern. When he arrived, he flashed a bright smile and I knew right away that I was going to like him. My roommate was already home when I showed up at the on-campus apartment we’re sharing for the summer. We have a mutual friend (Student Affairs really is a small world after all) and had already connected on Facebook. She gave me a hug and I knew right away we were going to be friends, too. About fifteen minutes later, I heard loud cheering coming from the hallway outside of our apartment. A bunch of the Orientation Leaders came to welcome me with a cheer in the hallway and all twenty of them came into my apartment to say hello. So far, everything was looking great. This is when I typically expect everything to take a turn for the worse. Wrong.

Sure, it took me several days to adjust to being in a new environment. I missed my friends and my boyfriend. For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous and reserved in a large, energetic group. Now, three weeks into the internship, I already feel like I belong here.

This is the third time I’ve had a summer internship and by far the best experience I’ve had. My supervisor has given me trust and responsibility and I cannot thank her enough for that. The office staff and students have been incredibly welcoming and even after a 19-hour orientation day, I’m in a good mood. I’m still trying to be more comfortable and build stronger relationships with my students but I think this will come with time.

I’m disappointed that my university doesn’t encourage many of the grad students to look for internships. Only about half of my cohort is completing internships but I think everyone can benefit from a good (or bad) experience in a new place. Besides, no matter how much you love a place it can be refreshing to spend a summer somewhere else.

There are quite a few interns working here this summer including several grad interns in other offices who work at universities with well-renowned graduate programs but do not seem professional or well prepared. I’m not saying that these programs are necessarily better or worse than any others, but it is nice to know that you do not have to attend Harvard or College Park to have a great experience and find wonderful mentors. So much of the job in this field depends on attitude, effort, and as cliché as it sounds, fit. I truly believe that the type of university and the personalities of the people and students there can effect your job performance, success, and happiness. I’m so happy to have an internship at a university that is a great fit for me.