Students blog

I’ve always been told that ‘your college experience is what you make of it.’ I never truly understood what that meant until this past year. I am a senior at Penn State University and I just completed my first year at the main campus, University Park. To go from a small branch campus that’s only two hours away from home to attend a large ‘typical college style’ campus that is a five-hour trip away is a big change that I had to mentally prepare myself for. 

Walking into junior year, I realized that I only have two years at the main campus to experience and accomplish everything that I wanted to, which is an endless list in reality. Thankfully, time management and decision making weren’t my weaknesses, but these were two of my skills that were constantly tested. I had an unfaltering positive attitude and an ambitious drive walking into junior year, which is a big part of how I accomplished so much and still managed to keep calm throughout.

I had multiple things on my plate which included my classes, my job with Pearson, dance team, and being a director for a student organization. Other things on my schedule that didn’t occur weekly included meetings for the national honor society that I’m a part of, attending TA office hours, group projects, and social events. Personally, I like to stay busy and limit my free time because that’s what helps me sustain a productive lifestyle. With so much on my plate, here are a few tools that I use to stay organized and manage my time.

Everyone hears about study abroad options when in college, but did you know that you can intern abroad, too? As someone who loves to travel, I wanted to study abroad in my college career. However, I realized that I was too involved in my extracurricular activities to take a full semester off. Also, the thought of being gone for four months made me nervous. 

Luckily, a friend told me about a summer internship abroad program through her school. I was intrigued and decided to look into some programs that were available at my school. Since my school didn’t offer a program in the city I wanted to be in, I applied to a program from a different school as an autonomous student. 

After applying, I received an acceptance email along with the details of the program. I was excited for this opportunity; however, I knew this wouldn’t be the cheapest way to spend a summer. Most internships abroad are unpaid. Fortunately, my parents were excited and pushed me to take it for the professional and personal experience. I was officially participating in an eight-week program based in Barcelona working a global business internship for university credit. 

Now, several months after I returned, I can say it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was lucky to have parents who supported me, adventurous friends who inspire me to take risks, and the opportunity to do something like this for my career and personal growth. I recommend this type of program to any business student that wants to get work experience and see the world over a summer vacation. Check out the intern programs that your university offers and see if there is a fit. If there isn’t a perfect program, don’t get discouraged. Check out online programs and other universities to find your match!