As college students approach the final years of their time at a university, they tend to search for internships so that they have experience before entering the real world. As a professional writing major, I'd always figured that my internship options would be limited and that I'd be lucky to find anything in such a competitive creative field. My standards were low, and I assumed that somewhere in the Midwest would be my home for whichever internship I got. However, thanks to help and connections from my professor, I was knocked off my original course and instead set to head northeast, to New York City.
The transition from suburban Oklahoma to any sprawling, highly populated city would be a difficult one, yet it is often a change that college students have to endure. Here are some of the ways that I've prepared for the transition that could be helpful to anyone considering taking on a new, bigger city for the sake of a job.
Figure out how to blend in.
Obviously, you'll stand out for the first few weeks no matter what you do, especially if you're unfolding your giant map after you get lost. There's nothing wrong with sticking out as a newbie in a new place, but it'll put you at ease and make you feel less self-conscious if you're dressing and acting somewhat like the locals. The biggest asset for you here will be Pinterest, which you can use to look up the streetwear in different cities. As much as we love them, Nike shorts and oversized t-shirts won't help us fit in on the streets of Manhattan.
Do some research to save money.
No matter which big city you're moving or traveling to, you'll end up spending twice as much as you would in a more suburban area. Budget so that you get to splurge on a few dinners at the trendier restaurants around town, but ensure that your lunch is either homemade or from a cheap place by the office you intern at. If your setup is anything like mine, then you won't have access to any type of kitchen, so you'll want to scope out the most frugal options surrounding your workplace. This can easily be done with a little Google Maps and Urban Spoon.
Know your way around.
It's easy to put navigation at the back of your mind and then just wing it when you get to the big city. However, it'll save you some pain later when it's your first day and you're panicking because you've spent the last hour trying to figure out the subway system and you're already 10 minutes late. Take advantage of your parents or directionally adept friends and map out both walking, subway, and bus routines to your work from where you're staying.
Regardless of any struggles or shortcomings you may have when dealing with a big city atmosphere, push all of your insecurities to the back of your mind. You may get lost or stick out when rocking Chacos down 5th Avenue, but you still have an awesome internship in a city full of opportunity.
