Tips for University Students

I'm a fashion student … Really, it's not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. I am now officially in my third year of University, and it kind of scares me how soon I will be shoved into the real world. I guess since I've been at University for a while now I am able to share some valuable experiences and thoughts on what it's like to be a fashion student.

1. The Degree - When I say I am a fashion student, most people get the image of me doing frivolous tasks or instantly want to know if I judge everyones outfits. Yeah that's really not what a career in fashion is about. I've always been interested in fashion and wanted to do something creative, but didn't see myself as a designer. I discovered that through a degree of Creative Industries, with a major in Fashion and a second major in business (public relations for me) I could enjoy the creative side but still had some structure with the business major.

If you are interested in a career in fashion but are unsure of what you want to do exactly, I'd suggest just starting somewhere and seeing where it takes you. I didn't even know what public relations (PR) was when I enrolled, but turns out I really love it and can't wait to make a career out of it.

2. The Expectations - You know in those American movies where everyone in College/University parties 24/7 and makes a heap of friends and oh studying is just so fun.. University is not like that (not here in Australia anyway). In my first year of University, many people I know were really disappointed with their University experience. Don't go to Uni thinking it's going to be this awesome party where you're going to make friends for life, I'm not saying it can't be like that, but if you go to Uni with the simple expectation of learning and coming out with a degree you won't be disappointed. For me, Uni definitely didn't turn out to be a social thing. I drive into Uni for my classes only and can never get out of there fast enough afterwards. My degree is very flexible, so if I make friends in my classes I only really know them for three months and rarely see them again.

3. Should I go to University? - I grew up in South Africa, where University was pretty much a right of passage into the 'grown up' world. So after completing school in Australia, I never gave it much thought, I simply went to University. I've learnt that University isn't for everyone, I know a few people who want to, or have dropped out. And that's okay, because in this century you really don't have to have a bachelor to make a good life for yourself. I'm not saying don't go to University, even though I find going to class dreadful and never look forward to being at Uni, I'm sticking to it because I know what I want to achieve in the end. Really it's all about your personality and what you want to do with your life.

4. I'm at Uni, what now? - My main tip for University would be organisation! The majority of full time students complete four units per semester. And for each unit you would have anywhere between two and four pieces of assessment. All of this within roughly just over three months can get quite intense. I like to go through the assessment for each of my units in the beginning of the semester and keep note in my diary for when everything is due. I would say always go to class, but honestly I've skipped classes many times. I just always make sure that I catch up on what I skip, always watch a lecture online if you've missed it. Once you start falling behind, the whole semester becomes very stressful. It is especially important to stay organised and on track if you are working while at Uni.

Last but not least I just want to state the importance of work experience if you are wanting to go into a creative industry. It is hard to find an entry level job that does not ask for some sort of experience in the field. This is totally unfair but it's just the harsh reality we live in. I'd suggest doing internships and work experience during the holidays. Last year I wrote a post on my interning experience that you can read here.

I hope that my experiences can be valuable to someone out there, if I missed out on something or you have a specific question don't hesitate to ask in the comment section!

My Interning Experience

I've realised that my blog is quickly becoming very beauty orientated - you can see where my passion lies - however I thought it was time to do a post on something that's a little different. Today's post is going to be all about internships and my experiences and advice regarding internships. 

What is an internship

According to Urban Dictionary:

An internship is when (usually a college undergraduate) goes and works for a company who can get away with paying him a very small salary or often nothing because he hasn't graduated yet. 

It's basically just working to make someone rich and getting nothing in return - the modern equivalent of slavery, except nowadays, people are actually willing.

According to me:

An internship is when students (well its mostly students) go to work for a company purely for experience. In Australia, internships are unpaid. The time that you intern for varies on the company. It can be a few days a week for only a few weeks, or one day a week for a year. I think internships can be very beneficial for both parties involved, when carried out right. Although I have also heard many stories about internships gone very wrong. 

How I landed my internship

As I have mentioned I am a fashion and PR major, University student. I am very eager to learn and often send emails inquiring about work experience opportunities. In the city where I live, there are only a few PR companies specialising in fashion, beauty and lifestyle. This makes these internships hard to come by, so I started looking at other industries, from which I can still learn skills relevant to PR. 

In my first year of Uni I went for an interview at the Creative Industry faculty at my Uni. Unfortunately I did not get the internship that year. However, in the beginning of this year, I received an email from that faculty - a spot for an intern has become available. So I went for an interview and got the internship as assistant intern curator of Public Programs Fashion, where I am still currently interning. 

My experience

What I am doing at my internship is called curating. In the office where I intern there are many other interns working on art projects, however I requested to be solely fashion focused.

I co-ordinate and plan public programs related to Fashion as well as research potential programs we can host. For instance we recently had the buyer for David Jones present a talk on his experience. Although this is not PR, I am still gaining a lot of valuable skills from this internship which I will eventually be able to utilise in a PR position. My advice - try different companies and different industries. If you are offered an internship that is not exactly what you want to do, why not give it a try, it is still experience.

I wasn't completely happy at this internship but didn't know what to do. I felt that I was just the intern, who cares what I'm feeling. I started getting really stressed and miserable and decided it was time to speak up. My supervisor was very kind and understanding and we agreed on changes to be made. We will see how everything goes now, but what I am trying to get at is that you should not be scared to speak up.  You are giving up your time to work for free, and although you might think 'oh but I'm just the intern', I promise you are a valuable asset.

Advice

1. Apply everywhere, send people emails, phone them - the worst they can do is say no. 
2. Speak up - You are giving up your time to work for free, if something is not right, don't be afraid to discuss it with your supervisor.
3. Try and try again - if you find you are not happy at your current internship, leave and find a new opportunity. You have not signed any contracts and are not getting paid - you have to do what is best for you. If you are scared about what the company will say, don't worry about it. Even if they decide not to give you a reference, they can't take the experience you have gained away from you.
4. Fake it 'till you make it - sometimes you might feel like you have no idea what you are doing, by just faking the confidence & presenting yourself in a confident manner you will soon start feeling much better about yourself.
5. Presentation & manners - it is very important to ensure you are always presenting yourself in a professional way. This is practice for the real thing one day, plus you never know who you might meet (you want to create a lasting impression for the right reasons!).
6. Network - I can't stress how important this is. Especially if you are interested in the PR or fashion industry. Create a LinkedIn account to stay acquainted with people you meet, they might be very helpful in your career in the future.
7. ENJOY - Lastly, just enjoy what you are doing. 

Hopefully this post is helpful, feel free to comment if you have any questions or suggestions. Or if you just want to share your experience.