The Intern Q&A’s
We love our interns! We love their energy and dedication! We love that they get excited about making spreadsheets and hauling video gear as much as we do. And yes, we also love that they consider movies like Billy Madison and Jurrasic Park old.
It was not how we envisioned or hoped our Spring 2020 internships would come to an end, but we’re grateful for the experiences these future account execs, digital strategists, and creatives encountered during their time at Freestyle. Congrats on completing your internship, graduation, your final semester and whatever the future holds!
Freestyle Creative: What’s one thing that surprised you about your internship?
Kelly Rose: When I applied for Freestyle, I was interested in both the account services and social media positions. I decided to apply for each and just see what happened. I was pleasantly surprised that my supervisor was able to combine the two positions for me as I am able to get different experiences in both sectors!
Lauren Szmutko: Coming into this internship, I knew Freestyle had a welcoming atmosphere, but I was not expecting everyone to be as close with each other as they are!
Kait Wilson: One thing that surprised me most about my internship was how hands-on they allowed me to be. I was learning useful skills rather than doing busy work or fetching coffee.
FC: What’s your favorite thing about this internship?
Kelly: My favorite part of this internship is the people I get to work with (almost) every day! The team is so much fun to work with and I look forward to coming to work each day. Everyone is intentional and encouraging. They have given me great career and professional advice, as well as a long list of movies that I “must” watch before my internship is over!
Lauren: My favorite thing about Freestyle is knowing that each day will be different and unexpected, but in the best way.
Kait: My favorite thing about my internship was my administrators and the work environment. Freestyle has a great staff that always made me feel comfortable and included, going above and beyond their responsibilities to help me grow as a student and creator.
FC: What’s the hardest thing about this internship?
Kelly: I think the hardest part of this internship is balancing my internship deadlines, school work deadlines, and extracurricular organization deadlines. My planner is my best friend!
Lauren: The hardest thing about this internship has been learning all of the digital advertising lingo. There are dozens of acronyms, some only differing by a letter, but could mean vastly different things.
Kait: Time management. Sometimes school, work, and an internship are a lot to take on at once.
FC: How is working as an intern different than being in school?
Kelly: This internship has been great in the sense that I get to see the things I learn in a traditional classroom setting come to life in the “real world.” I am also able to take things that I learn at Freestyle back to the organizations I am a part of on campus.
Lauren: In school, you learn most everything in theory. Once in a while, you’ll have the ability for hands-on-experience. With being an intern, you’re learning all of the theoreticals and why’s of something as you’re applying it to real work.
Kait: In my opinion the biggest difference between an internship and being in school is the lack of unnecessary information. In University I often felt some of the courses required weren’t useful to me in the future, or a skill I would need going further. In an internship my tasks were specific and meant to help me improve skills that will help me acquire the types of jobs I am pursuing.
FC: What are five tips you could give the next intern?
Kelly:
- Ask lots of questions
- Get to know the other interns! #friendterns
- Tell your supervisor what you are interested in so you can shadow other positions
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
- Watch the movie “The Waterboy”
Lauren:
- Read, read, read. The more you can read up about your specific realm of the industry, the faster you’ll learn.
- Don’t limit yourself to exclusively working on projects in your area.
- Ask questions about literally anything and everything – related to the industry or more lighthearted like what’s your favorite movie.
- Get to know the other interns!
- Don’t forget your computer charger…
Kait:
- Plan your weekly schedules out ahead of time.
- Plan on being flexible. Shoot dates/ times are subject to change. Be ready to go with the flow.
- Never be scared to ask questions. They truly are there to help you improve, and they’re great at their jobs.
- Bring a snack, and your own coffee creamer.
- Laugh at Deb’s jokes. Even if they’re not funny, laugh for your own good.
FC: What do you want to do after graduation?
Kelly: I have always had a desire to return to the Dallas area as it is the place I grew up loving. I am currently interested in a position in account planning. After jumping into the OU Ad Club, I learned about the professional organizations I could join after graduation, including Ad2OKC. I hope to join the Ad2 organization wherever I end up to continue forming new relationships and developing my professional skills.
Lauren: After graduation, I would like to work in an advertising agency either on the digital or accounts side. Ultimately, I would love to work in a metropolitan city.
Kait: If it’s still waiting on me, given the national crisis, I have a job lined up in Philly where I will be working for a company that runs other companies’ social media, and websites. Ideally one day I would love to work for A24.
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