 By Brittney Prather
Some people know it as New York City or as the Big Apple, but I know it as the amazing city that drained my bank account. Don’t get me wrong, I loved everything about interning in NYC this past summer, but when applying to intern in another city other than your own there are a couple things you might want to consider. Number one, living. If you are not content with living on the street to save money, you will most definitely need to set aside the larger portion of your money towards this if you don’t have family or friends that you are going to be staying with. For me, I stayed at the NYU dorms and although centrally located and a great place to live, it was over $400 a week...now let’s just say you are going to be interning for 2 or 3 months, that adds up. This does not even cover expenses for food and miscellaneous activities. This brings me to number two, although you might think that you are good at saving money, this almost becomes an impossible task when you are surrounded by shopping central and even the most addicting thrift stores you will ever come across. You might be different, but for me there was always some way that I would justify my purchases. For example, I have had millions of milkshakes in my life and when I found out a place named Black Tap was known for having “unique” looking ones, I decided to pay $15 for a shake. It was delicious, but I can’t say it was the best shake of my life nor did leprechauns who would grant me three wishes come popping out of the straw. Also, most of your purchases will become motivated by how many ‘likes’ you’ll get on Instagram more than the actual enjoyment of the product….guilty. Speaking of milkshakes, FOOD is what is going to get you. If you are a big foodie and like to try new things, then beware. In most big cities, the prices are more expensive, but the struggle is real when you are paying for multiple $15 meals each day, it truly does add up and will suck the money right out of your pockets (or purse). As for three, be open to new experiences and new people. Unless you grew up in the city that you are interning, chances are that you are not going to know too many people so really try and push yourself out of your comfort zone, especially within the first couple weeks . Luckily for me, I was additionally taking Kent State Classes in the fashion studio with other students, but even then I wasn’t extremely close with any of them until I pushed myself to hang out with them outside of class along with people I met in my dorms. Even if you don’t like the Bachelor or Bachelorette, go to the watch parties or throw one of your own because chances are, there’s someone who is obsessed or says they hate the show, but still continues to watch it. Lastly, be careful! Although New York is bigger than most cities, you need to be cautious anywhere you go. If you are a girl, carry pepper spray with you at all times and ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings. I am very cautious for the most part, but even that won’t make up for the high levels of sketchy that you come across at all times of the day, especially at night time. If you can, try not to ride the train at night by yourself and if you are, pretend like you are listening to music or try to stay on the phone with someone. Also, when going out to the bars and or clubs, please make sure to go with people who you know will look out for you, this is extremely important. Overall, interning in New York City was a life-changing experience. The company I worked for was Agentry PR, which is a Fashion Public Relations company. There were several tasks that they had us do each day that we would come in and were very connected with Fashion Week so the interns got to go and work closely with the different shows. If you plan on interning in another city other than your own, consider the tips I gave above, and most of all, HAVE FUN! This is an experience that I will never get again, learn from your experience and really try to take the most out of your internship. Make connections and obviously add it to your resume and LinkedIn. Good luck! Brittney Prather is a junior public relations major and is PRSSA Kent's vice president of Membership. Contact her at bprathe2@kent.edu.
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