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William Clay Cobb IV ’16

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePauw chapter.

Meet this week’s campus cutie, the well deserving, extremely well dressed, William Clay Cobb VI.

Her Campus: Will! I am so glad you graced us with your presence today! This semester has just not been the same without you. During junior year at DePauw University, a majority of the junior class tends to go abroad or do an internship at one point or another. Will has been away this whole spring semester doing an internship, so it is really great to have him back on campus for a few days.

Campus Cutie: What is up, Missmarekanpie! Even though I’ve been away, I’ve kept up on all things DePauw thanks to Jackson Whiting’s weekly “Weapon Wednesday” My Story that he puts up on his Snapchat so it’s like I never left.

HC: Ah, the infamous Jackson Whiting “Weapon Wednesday” never ceases to get old in the Phi Kappa Psi house. So getting started, tell our readings some basics about you before we get into all the internship details!

CC: I’m a junior Economics major from The City (Kansas City) and a proud member of Phi Kappa Psi. I’ve also never read the DePauw Weekly email or been to a Longhorn Steakhouse before.

HC: I like it, and I am sure the readers love the insight they are gaining about who Will Cobb VI is. Let us get to know you a little better, if you had to pick an ice cream flavor that describes you, what would it be?

CC: Hmmm…According to Buzzfeed, I’m a Neapolitan because I have the crowd-pleasing nature of vanilla, the decadent side of chocolate, and the refreshing attitude of strawberry. However, I may have answered the “Fake Summer Romance Novel” question wrong and I’ve never heard the song “Flawless” by Beyoncé, so my answer could change – you never know.

HC: Hey maybe you are the ever changing flavor of the month, keeping readers on their toes. So being in New York, I am sure you were exposed to some great music! Any new bands or artists that you discovered?

CC: I accidentally wound up at a Ne-Yo concert one night, with my dad and not wearing all white or Sean John, so I felt out of place. My good friend Dana Hayes, a former Trevian and frequenter of world renowned nightclub Forza Chicago, wants me to go to an Ariana Grande concert with him this summer but I’m more team Selena so I think I’ll pass.

HC: I am team Selena as well, but I am sure an Ariana Grande concert would be fun! Did you go to any cool shows?

CC:  I never made it to Broadway because Midtown is a bit like The Hub at 11:45, but I have seen the Book of Mormon on a past trip and highly recommend it to anyone.

HC: So tell our readers about your internship with BBDO! What did you do, what were your responsibilities as an intern?

CC: On paper, I worked on the Visa account management team at BBDO, the second largest advertising agency in the world. In actuality, I did a lot of social media stalking and got pretty good at the game “Running Through the 6” on the app store.

HC: Sounds like you dipped your toes into the world of business; you’ve got to start somewhere! What were the highs and lows of your experience?

CC:  The high would have been our all-agency party featuring Santigold, who chose not to sing any original songs but instead opened her performance with a cover of Khia’s “My Neck, My Back”. I saw some things at night that I can’t mention out of NDA issues. A low might have been carrying boards up and down ten flights of stairs, but BBDO was truly a wonderful experience and an incredible agency. Everyone I worked with was greatly talented and had a huge impact on my career development.  

 HC: On the plus side of your low, least you probably got a great workout in carrying those boards up and down the stairs! What was the biggest thing that you took away from your experience, or in other words, what did you learn?

CC:  I learned that Dr. Pepper is a Coke product (PepsiCo is a BBDO client) and I think I learned how to craft an email memo – keeping in mind tone, voice, and audience – but still waiting on feedback. Also, I learned never go to Waffle House four days after getting your wisdom teeth removed.

HC: Waffle House, (ha-ha) I heard that’s where you took a girl on a date one time. Moving on, what advice would you give to future DePauw mofos seeking out internships?

CC:  Be aggressive early on in the interviewing process and take as many interviews as you can. Maybe more importantly, think about the city experience you want to have and the company you want to work for. The company name matters on a resume, but it helps if you can tell a great story about what you did during an internship, too.

HC: So, not only is Will great-looking, but he is a successful go-getting.  I am sure you’ve got some ladies “barking up your tree” in reference to your favorite movie Bridesmaids. Do you have a special lady in your life?

CC:  Those are debatable statements but thanks for the compliments! I am currently single. I’d normally prefer to be in a relationship than not, but I hear summer boat days with the Darien, CT #squad are like Playboy mansion parties so what choice do I really have?

HC: So you didn’t fall in love in NYC?

CC:  Sadly no, I’m a career man now, Marek.

HC: Well, good thing he is still available, right ladies? Okay, final question, did you see any flash mobs over the course of your stay in the Big Apple?

CC:  I walked through Times Square every day to work (unfortunately) so I saw everything from the Naked Cowboy to ten foot long selfie sticks, but somehow no flash mobs!

HC: I am shocked! I thought they planned those out daily, but perhaps I have seen Friends with Benefits one too many times and shouldn’t rely on a movie for my flash mob statistics. Thanks for sitting down with us today Will, you have been a joy to have. Welcome back to campus!