I <3 the center! The security guards are super nice. Its kinda like living in the dorms here but there is no DC! :( Its also not so social because people tend to do things with their apartment roomies. Other schools who dont have to do as much work as us tend to have TONS of parties and are ALWAYS going out! Im involved in the Resident Advisory Committee. just like those activity planning committees at the dorms. Also every monday there are talks with free food!-People from the area come talk to us about interesting subjects and we eat free yummy food! lol

The Elective classes are actually FUN! You get to go on field trips around DC and learn some interesting stuff you could only learn in DC! Its so awesome having your classes just an elevator ride down!!! They are 3 hours long but its only once a week so its great! and most professors give you a break in between where you can go up to your room and grab a snack. You dont need to take a bus ride home! You dotn even need a backpack!

Im taking History of the modern middle east with professor Gallagher from UCSB. Im taking it for the history credit. The class is pretty simple: do the reading every week and write a 2 page response, no midterm or final. We went on a field-trip to a mosque which was interesting and fun! there is this speech writing class that got to speak to Obama’s speech writer!

There should be scary music playing in the background! lol….

Oh man, the research paper……Coming up with a solid question is hard. Coming up with a possible hypothesis is hard. Even if your coming into the program with an idea/an interest you will still have to struggle with it! Its been hard, im not ganna lie! Ive cried, yelled and wanted to rip my hair out! Ive NEVER in my life written a research paper! Im a history and communication major, I do analytical writing!

Advise: do research on your idea/ topic on google scholar. Think of how you would study such an idea. Do something that really interests you. make sure it can actually be tested and its not just you trying to prove your point of view.

Best advise: Go to your TA’s!!! they are SO incredible useful and so helpful!

As the paper goes on ill post more of my reactions to it.

mood at the moment: :/

So this is the reason we all applied right? lol. The first day was pretty similar to your first day at a new job. Your not really doing anything but sitting around while they tell you what you WILL be doing. Advise: get there early and if you dont know what to wear the first day my advise to you is to over-dress and dress conservatively! its better to be over-dressed than under-dressed, remember this is the FIRST time they will meet you and and they will judge you because of it. If you have to take the metro to work they are not very far from the center. they are just a walk down a street for like 5-10 min. Make sure to check out where your interning BEFORE the day you begin!! you dont want to get lot!

As for my internship…im interning for ABC7/ News Channel 8 in Arlington Virginia. Its great! Ive gotten to do some amazing things here! Ive learned SO much!!! I though I knew what the real world of broadcast reporting was by being in AGTV, but Ive learned WAY MORE. Ive also cleared up many inaccuracies that Ive picked up in AGTV.

Ive gotten to do MOS for two stories and they have gone on air! Ive learned how to write scripts and I learned what it takes to investigate a question and all the calls you have to make to get to the answer!!! My anchor is also looking over my demo reel to give me advise!!! She loves me! lol…she is always saying I am fabulous!!!

So I realize this is a bit late, So I hope you enjoyed a quick recap of the last couple of weeks!

I love it here!!! Its only been two days, but its been a blast! I got here on Monday. Once in the building, we had Mack, who is the residential manager, explain to us how to use our keys and security in the building. We also took ID pictures which were distributed at the general welcome meeting at 7pm. Security at the center is pretty crazy! So you have your key that opens your apartment and your room door. You have your ID that the security at the lobby checks every time you step into the building. Then you have this little device that allows you to use the elevator and get into the building. Without this device you cant get in or the elevator wont work!(ill just stay there even if you push the buttons!!!) The first day I also go to the white house, the Washington monument and the Smithsonian American history museum! I also got a burger at this amazing grill. People are really nice here! And everything is in close walking distance! The grocery stores are SUPER close and just some blocks away. The only thing is that in DC they charge you for using plastic bags so youll need reusable bags for groceries. So today we had a bagel breakfast, general meeting, and a UCD meeting which last 3hrs!! Oh yeah and an awesome UDC picture outside the white house!!! Then I took the metro FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Ok so if you live in the bay area or have been in the bay area and your used to bart, then youll be fine! me? Ive never used bart! The metro is full and crazy! there are people everywhere and trains are coming and going so fast it a bit overwhelming! But overall its easy to understand where the trains are going and I think ill get used to it as Im here longer!

Oh how I loved traveling to DC, NOT! lol.

Packing:

I tend to overpack like crazy, but honestly your going to DC for 3 months and you need to bring blankets and such. So anyways I overpacked and Jetblue charged me like crazy!!! The lady was nice so she let me pass only paying 30 bucks. ADVICE: dont try to overpack a huge luggage bag, rather take two big ones. Also you dont need huge blankets here, well maybe during winter quarter:)

Getting to DC:

oh man!!! Traveling can be hell! Some people have their parents take them to the airport or a friend or etc….But some like me will have to get there in a shuttle. So there is too shuttles: the Davis Air-porter and the Super shuttle. I recommend the Davis Air-porter because its cheap and the people are nice! Your luggage gets so heavy so it sucks carrying your luggage around! Airplane rides are pretty smooth. Once you get there the best way to get to the center is to take the Super-shuttle for $29. It located next to luggage claim and the buses are right outside to your left. Oh interesting fact about airports: they have little trains that take you from the gates to the luggage claim, maybe some of you have experienced it, but i haven’t and it was SO COOL and kinda weird(I was half expexting it to take me somewhere downtown and be like “AHHHHHHHHHH” lol the shuttle takes you right to the center. Its nice and easy and I did it all by myself :)

Applying to the Program:

I applied to the program with only a month to prepare. I had not contacted any professors to write letters of recommendation or written any of the essays. I was a panic mess! But I did it and here I am. Professors are actually really nice even when you go in telling them that they have only 4 weeks to get to know you and write a letter. Don’t be afraid! I went to all their office hours so they would get to know me better and write a better letter :) The application process was rather simple. The Essays I did over a weekend, not too hard but you definitely need to think about them. I actually never did the interview so I wouldn’t know how they are, SORRY! So overall the hardest thing of the application: letters of recommendation and essays.

Application to Internships:

This is the funnest and THE HARDEST part of the whole application process! Writing a resume and cover letter (never having done one and having NOTHING to put on it) can be a BIT intimidating. I was so discouraged because my resume was so small it looked like there was nothing there but my name and college! But what I LOVED about it was that the Washington Program staff are there to help you out and walk with you in this GIANT step! The info you get is invaluable and the help they provide you by reading over your resume and helping you add to it is GREAT! Its like they hold your hand as you become an adult, wonderful! I was able to add related courses and random skills that made my resume much better. ADVICE YOU ASK: go to all the program meeting and they help A TON!

So the first thing you do to look for internships is seriously Google internships and companies. Its kinda hard and intimidating because there are so many steps and because we are in the quarter system you tend to find tons of internships with only semester applications. Do your research and look at what they need from you and GO DO IT! and ***THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU FOR INTERNSHIPS IS: be persistent, call them even if they say no calls, keep emailing them. Don’t get discourages sometimes you get rejected just because your on a quarter system. My internship will be with ABC and I called them and THEY SAID NO at the beginning because I was a quarter system, but they later called me and asked me if I wanted it! They liked that i was persistent! Again I must apologize because I was just offered the internship with no interview, so unfortunately I don’t know how that went :( I l’ll have my roommate post her experience:)

Getting ready TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOO:

So I haven’t started packing yet, so I’ll make sure to write about it later. But one nugget of advise: if you need to get certain things that take a long time to get done do them early! I needed new glasses but waited to the last minute and had to pay a ton! Also show early for business clothes and shoes and all! Its been crazy because I’ll had finals AND getting ready for DC!! AHHHHH :)