Name: Samantha Swantek
Year: Senior
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Major: Editing, Writing and Media
Age: 22
Her Campus (HC): Tell me about being a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) leader for the fall semester in 2016.
Sam Swantek (SS): Being a FIG leader was by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I had the opportunity to teach freshman all of the skills they need to succeed at Florida State through the lens of Editing, Writing and Media. It was really great to be able to offer them advice from my experiences here and introducing them to the major that I love so much.
HC: What was your favorite memory from your FIG leadership experience?
SS: My favorite memory was definitely getting to know all 20 of my amazing students. They were each so unique in their own way; they definitely taught me a thing or two as well. I’ll be watching them closely to see what they accomplish in their college years. They’re already making me so proud!
HC: You scored the internship of a lifetime! I understand you’re finishing your last semester as a senior up in NYC while interning with Cosmopolitan Magazine. What’s the best part about it? What’s the most challenging part?
SS: It’s amazing! NYC is like nothing else. The best part is getting to see how a major magazine works behind the scenes, while having the opportunity to play even a small role in it. My internship is an editorial one with Cosmopolitan.com, so I help out with all things website-related, including social media. It’s super fun to see how readers respond to our content. The most challenging part is definitely staying on your toes and learning how to balance everything. Once you have that down, it’s smooth sailing from there. The editorial business is extremely fast-paced and to make it, you have to be prepared to work quickly, but efficiently.
HC: What’s it like balancing your classes long-distance, your internship and any other senior obligations?
SS: I actually am pretty lucky that I don’t have a ton of stuff going on school-wise, which gives me time to focus on my internship. I carefully planned my schedule so that I would only be working on my Honors thesis this spring, so I would be able to balance a job or internship (if I was able to get one). My thesis is about feminism in pop culture and the media, so Cosmo is the perfect environment for me to work and learn in. However, I will say that balancing school with work and life in general takes a lot of organization and I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t write everything down in my planner.
HC: What advice do you have for those of us students that are going through the rigorous process of searching for internships and applying?
SS: Get as much experience as you can under your belt! It may not seem important now, but when you’re applying for internships and jobs, employers really look for that. Before I got my internship with Cosmopolitan, I wrote and/or edited four online publications and two print publications. Some of them were more major than others, but all of that experience combined is vital for the process. Applying for writing positions can be intimidating, so I would advise to start small and not feel bad about it. You aren’t going to land a huge position your first try. One of my first journalism jobs was writing 50-word food reviews for my local newspaper. When I got it, I was thrilled because it was something I could add to my résumé. Once I had that under my belt, I was able to build up to bigger positions with more responsibility, like becoming the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus FSU and now my job with Cosmo.
HC: Graduation is fast-approaching, congratulations! What are your plans like following the end of the semester?
SS: Thank you! I can’t wait. I am definitely going to stay in New York, since I’m already here! When I graduate, I’ll start searching for a position in the journalism and editorial industry, because that’s what I really love and want to do for the rest of my life.