I met Andrea Baumgartner the first week of freshman year here at UIUC, in a sports journalism class. Although Andrea did not follow the sports writing path, she’s still accomplishing amazing experiences in the journalism world. With just one semester and some-odd weeks left before graduation, Andrea is sure she’ll be heading back to New York City where she interned at Good Housekeeping magazine this past summer.
HC: How did you get the internship at Good Housekeeping? What was your role there?
AB: I got my internship at Good Housekeeping through an internship program with the American Society of Magazine Editors. Only 30 students from across the country are chosen out of about 400 applicants. I was the only full-time, editorial intern at Good Housekeeping, which was great. I was also paid which is very rare for journalism internships! I worked with every department at Good Housekeeping, but primarily with the digital editions editor, the Good Life editor and Good Company editor. I checked facts, edited, wrote “heds” and “deks,” interviewed sources for some stories and also sat in and contributed story ideas at pitch meetings. I even spent some time at the renowned Good Housekeeping Research Institute and tested products that would be featured in the magazine. It was an incredible experience!
HC: You’ve always been in News-Ed, what are your favorite topics to write about? How was it different writing for Good Housekeeping vs. The Buzz and even class assignments?
AB: Well I am the Arts & Entertainment editor at Buzz, so I of course love covering topics in that arena like art galleries, performances, music etc. But, I especially love to write profiles. I am a people person, and I think it’s such a privilege to delve in and tell the story of someone through a journalistic lens. You can also use a lot of descriptive language and anecdotes that reels in the reader. I was even lucky enough to pitch a feature story idea to Good Housekeeping and develop it. It made it to the final round of pitches (my editor in chief at Good Housekeeping reviewed it), but unfortunately she chose a different story and is holding on to this one for something else. I am truly blessed to have been given this talent. I can’t wait to make a career out of it!
HC: It’s always been a dream of yours to live in NYC? What was your summer like?
AB: My summer was incredible to say the least. Every day I got to take the subway to work from the East Village, where I lived, to Central Park, where I worked. I felt so grown up! Every weekend we would jam-pack our time with as many activities as possible. Since we were all poor college students, a lot of what we did was free. We also did our best to explore areas of NYC outside of where we lived and worked.
HC: You plan to move back to the East Coast. What’s your favorite thing about the city, and what are you looking forward to once you move back?
AB: My favorite part of NYC is that it seriously has everything you could possibly dream of…as well as fun things to do around town. I think the diversity of people, cultures and experiences is what draws me to the city. I am most looking forward to the food when I move back there! Oh my goodness is the food incredible there. A lot of people think it’s expensive to eat out in NYC, and if you aren’t smart, then it absolutely is. But, we found a lot of great hole-in-the-wall places that were affordable and delicious. I’m also looking forward to starting my career at a magazine. I love what I do!
HC: What was the most important thing you learned from the internship?
AB: You absolutely have to be a multi-faceted person to make it in this industry. Every editor had multiple roles at the magazines and balanced a lot of different tasks. You also have to be very, very organized because you are often working on three or four issues at one time, all in different stages of production.
HC: What advice do you want to tell other writers here on campus?
AB: Work your butt off to get published! There are a lot of opportunities at Illini Media and other publications in town, including Her Campus, that will offer you a chance to develop your writing skills and hone in on your voice. Future employers want to see that you took the initiative to pursue stories and then write them. Also, know how to edit! Brush up on your grammar and style skills! And of course, make yourself as diverse as possible. Write about an array of things, learn how to take quality photos and shoot video and then host them on an online platform. You cannot be two-dimensional anymore.
Photo Credits: Andrea received her internship certificate from Ann Shokets, the Editor in Chief of Seventeen Magazine.