The summer is almost finished and with that comes the end of summer internships. Wondering what this experience was like for others? I interviewed three students, each at different points in their college experience and on different career paths to see what they had to say about their time as an intern this summer. Keep reading to see their responses!

Step Up Magazine: What school do you go to? What year are you? What degree are you working towards?

Makenna Katz. I'm a senior at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey! I love my school because I'm only 14 miles from New York City. I'm majoring in Visual Arts with a concentration in Photography and a minor in Business!

Erica Henry: I graduated from Fordham University undergrad in May 2018. I am starting grad school in Fall 2018. I graduated from undergrad with a degree in Political Science and Economics. In grad school, I plan to study Ethics.

Maggie Rothfus: I am currently a junior at Fordham University with a major in English and a minor in Psychology.

SUM: How did you find out about your summer internship?

MK. I'm currently a Photo Intern for American Media Inc. in the teen department. I love my internship because I have the opportunity to do photo research for awesome magazines such as J-14, QuizFest, Girls' World, and more! I found this internship position in a very unusual way. I went on LinkedIn and found out the names of the individuals who work in the photo and editorial department and I sent them an email asking about whether or not their company has a summer internship program. I found the company's email format by searching on Google. I was very fortunate to receive an email back from the Photo Editor asking if I would like to stop by the office for an interview!

EH: I intern at a law firm, so I looked online at different law firm websites and applied through the respective websites.

MR: I found out about this internship through Handshake, a system similar to LinkedIn that Fordham gets access to for their students. Originally I applied for an internship with Davler Media Group, and not long after I got an email from Mommybites, one of Davler’s subdivisions (that’s the right word for it right? lol), and I became one of their interns!

SUM: What was your interview process like?

MK. During my interview, I was asked several questions about my passion for photography, my previous internship experiences (tip: complete as many internships as possible to wow your future employers), and the reason why I am interested in the internship. I sent a thank you letter several hours after I finished the interview and a few days later I found out that I got the position! I am extremely thankful to intern at AMI (previously Bauer Media) because they never had a Photo Intern before and they created the position specifically for me.

EH: The interview process was relatively easy. I received an email that the firm’s Human Resources personnel would like to interview me. I scheduled an appointment for the interview, and heard back in about two weeks that I had received the job.

MR: The interview process, for me at least, was very relaxed, even casual. My boss was the one to interview me, and from the get go she always seemed sincere and kind, which made for a comfortable and positive interview experience, and that’s coming from someone who typically gets stage fright during interviews!

SUM: What is your favorite part about your summer internship?

MK. My favorite part about my internship is that I get to work with individuals who I genuinely enjoy working with. It's so empowering working alongside creative people. I have learned so much from these amazing women and I could not be more appreciative.

EH: My favorite part is attending real estate closings. I learn so much new, useful information when I attend them.

MR: My favorite part about the internship are the constant confidence-boosters and humbling moments. Through all of my tasks, I learn what I’m doing correctly, and it helps my future performance, but I also learn what I could do better, or even tasks I may forget to do. Those also help remind me that I still have so much room for improvement, and that improvement can be made with just some more work from myself and from working as a team with my co-interns and boss.

SUM: Is this your first summer internship?

MK. This is my first summer internship but my overall fifth internship! I saved the best one for last.

EH: No, this is my second internship.

MR: Yes, this is my first summer internship.

SUM: How does this internship differ from your other job experiences?

MK. My current internship is different than my previous ones because I enjoy the working environment way better. The staff at AMI is very easy to connect with and I absolutely love conducting photo research for teen magazines. I have a nostalgic feeling every time I'm at my internship because J-14 was the first magazine I ever read and it's incredible having the opportunity to work on creating the finished product. My 13 year-old self is so proud.

EH: The law firm where I previously interned was much smaller and had less lawyers. Since there are more people at my current internship and so many different sectors of law practiced, I have become more exposed to the variety of fields in law.

MR: For starters, this internship is vastly different from my other jobs because it is all online work that can be done from home. It’s also a much smaller team and has a much more relaxed pace than what I’m used to from working at restaurants.

SUM: Will you be continuing this internship into the fall, or is this a “just for the summer" internship?

MK. Fortunately, I will be continuing this internship into the fall semester! Yay!

EH: This internship is just for the summer.

MR: Fortunately, I get to stay on with my internship for longer than this summer, and I’m super excited about it!

SUM: Do you feel like this internship experience has prepared you for future job opportunities?

MK. This internship has absolutely prepared me for future job opportunities because it has given me a ton of valuable insight and it strengthened my passion for a career in the publishing industry. Now I need to focus on graduating so that I can live my dream!

EH: Yes, this internship has not only taught me more about law, but I have also learned more about the different practices of law and what they entail. When I work at other law firms, I will already be familiar with many of the processes.

MR: Yes, this experience has been completely beneficial, as I’ve learned so much about online publishing, marketing, and more skills that are useful for the editorial industry.

Comment down below to let us know about your summer internship experience!