Go Abroad Like a BA: How I secured an international internship
- Brooke Adams
- May 24, 2020
- 5 min read
As I reflect during this time of quarantine, I can't help but think about what I would be up to if the world wasn't infected by COVID-19. Around the middle of May, I would have been on a plane to Croatia... yes, CROATIA! I had the opportunity to intern abroad for the Summer of 2020, and I was psyched about it. Instead of sulking, I decided I would share my journey to securing this type of position since I know I would've liked to know when I first got started.
At the University of Michigan, it seems that every student plans their life 3 years in advance - at least for summer plans they do. Being only of Sophomore status, I initially had no intentions of preparing for the summer months. In the early fall of 2019, however, I began to notice that my friends were knee deep in internship interviews and research. The panic soon hit me: what was I going to do this summer?
At the time, I had a steady job in Ann Arbor and an apartment that I would have to pay rent on throughout the summer. My plans felt limited from the beginning, but I proceeded nonetheless. My search began even though I had no idea what I was looking for. After all, what are you supposed to do for your Sophomore summer? You aren’t as careless as you were last year, and Junior year is reserved for your big time internship. I considered finding a local/domestic position, yet it didn’t seem worth it. That’s when I stumbled into the abroad mindset.
I had previously disregarded the idea of going abroad for three reasons: I didn’t need any more credits, I had never been across seas, and I couldn’t financially support my endeavor. Lucky for me, these excuses were pushed aside when I found an opportunity to intern abroad.
I first discovered a chance to intern abroad when I attended my career hub’s presentation on “how to find and fund an international internship.” At this point in my application journey, it felt like I was too late. It was getting towards the end of January, and I was losing hope on my ability to find an internship position that fit me. I did a lot of research prior to this presentation on independent program (meaning outside of my school), and study abroad programs through the University. At that presentation, I was introduced to a scholarly group called the Weiser Center for European and Eurasian studies (or WCEE)
WCEE offered an internship initiative program in which they acted as the liaison between their reliable connections abroad and those students who were applying to work for them. The application due date was only a couple days away, so I knew I had to make decisions fast. I found the most appealing position from the list of opportunities (in the beautiful country of Croatia working as a marketing intern for a travel & sports company) and put all my effort into that application. Having never even written a cover letter before, I met with the WCEE advisor to help me out with the process. The advisor was extremely helpful, and I owe her much of my success. Within this short timeline, I sent in my application, received an email from the company, and had a Skype interview in place.
When I tell you I was nervous, I was NERVOUS!! Things started getting real, and the process began to move quickly. I hadn’t had a job interview in over a year (let alone an international one), so I asked as many people as I could to help me prepare. Finally, the interview day arrived, and it went swimmingly.
I can only remember a couple quick takeaways from the interview. The interviewer right off the bat was excited to meet me and established a casual conversation. We chatted a lot about the company’s future projects, and he wanted me to send him a follow-up email with some of my ideas for the summer and my past creative work. He calmed my nerves about the crazy thought of moving across the country for the summer and even encouraged my parents to reach out with any questions/safety concerns. The most memorable part about this interview is that he asked me to sing my favorite song lol!! - I’m still embarrassed…
I worked diligently to deliver the follow up email as I had promised, and I drafted a plan for a summer event. The interviewer responded quickly with his affirmation, and that’s when I got a second interview with more members of the company.
This time around, I wasn’t as nervous. But I still wanted to make a good impression. Like the first interview, these employees were extremely nice and welcoming. I distinctly remember them asking me, “why do you want to come to Croatia?” - followed up with the question - “well do you still want to come? Because we would love to have you."
I was ecstatic. The photo to the right just tells it all, it was taken a couple minutes after I got the news. I FaceTimed my parents right away and basically texted everyone I knew. This was a big step for me. I had never traveled alone, been overseas, or worked in a position as such, but I knew I was ready. It's an indescribable feeling when the work you put in finally gets paid off.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus swept over the globe, and it just wasn’t feasible to go through with travel plans during this time of uncertainty. Luckily, many of the details were not in place by the time my opportunity was cancelled. As devastated as I was, I have now come to terms with my new reality. Quarantine has allowed me to spend more time with my family and grow in other ways than I pictured this summer. I am grateful for the time I spent filling out scholarship applications, the people I met through the journey, and the practice I had to secure the position because I know that this experience will benefit me in the future. There will be other opportunities to travel and potentially still fulfill this position, but for right now, I will continue to be satisfied with the simple blessings in my life.
Some short & sweet advice
Use your resources
Do your research
People actually want to help you
Don’t overthink
Be yourself
Stay organized
Don’t limit your possibilities
Approach the opportunity like a BA
If you are interested in more details, feel free to reach out. I was once in your shoes and would be happy to help!
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