LIM College

Part one of our interview with Susan L. Bauer, Senior Director of Experiential Education & Career Management on graduate students and internships.

The pressure is on for MPS students! The summer semester is approaching and students need to look for an internship, since, as you very well know, part of the MPS curriculum requires obtaining an internship that is related to the program.

However, summer in New York City is the most competitive time to look for internships. Aspiring students from across the country (and from all over the world) who want to work in the industry all flock to the fashion capital of the world, but don’t fret grad students!

This semester, the Department of EECM (Experiential Education and Career Management) is offering workshops with honest, valuable, and detailed advice on how students can get ahead of the crowd and be noticed by employers. The MPS Internship GPS: Navigating Your Journey to a Graduate Internship workshops will have four sessions, and the first already took place last month.

We asked the head of the EECM department, Susan Bauer, why they decided to hold these internship sessions now. She explained that last spring, just weeks before the summer term was about to begin, many MPS Grad students did not have internships lined up. Susan says that a lot of the students were not prepared and had no idea how to go about looking for an internship.

It is definitely more difficult for graduate students to get an internship compared to undergraduates, says Susan, due to the fact that MPS students only have a year, wheraas undergrad students have four years. “They didn’t know how hard it was going to be until it was too late.” According to Susan, some students were even unaware that they could ask for help from EECM whenever they wanted—as long as they set an appointment.

One common mistake students make is that they wait too long to secure an internship. “This is a very aggressive industry,” Susan says. “Students should already be applying as early as now and these sessions will guide and instruct them throughout their application process.”

“By attending the seminars, my hope is that they get better internships. It’s also an opportunity for them to network,” she explains. “We don’t have a magic ball that will tell them what’s going happen. We are just sharing our experiences.”

Susan says that it’s important to utilize all the resources the school has to offer. “If you have no idea where you want to intern yet, then you should go to events to network. The upcoming April 14 Career Fair is a great way to explore your options, as well as get some one-on-one time with a representative of a specific company.”

For more tips on landing your dream internship, look for the second part of the interview next week, and come to the second session of the MPS Internship GPS on March 25 at FashionOpolis from 4 to 5:30 pm.

Gabrielle Aranda