Now that I’m one month into my WAIP experience, there are a few things I’m realizing I should have been doing this whole time. So you don’t repeat my mistakes:
1) Take Care of Yourself
One of my biggest challenges has been finding the time to get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. I realize that there are a million fun things to do in DC. Between your internship, class, policy salons, study tours, and exploring the city, sometimes you’ll be busy 25 hours a day. It might seem like the easiest thing to cut is sleep, but don’t spread yourself too thin. If you don’t rest, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself anyway, and it’s important to stay healthy and energized so you can do your best work. We talk a lot about saying “yes” (to tasks at work, to new experiences, and so on), but it’s also important to know when to say “no.” Take care of yourself so you can make it through the whole summer!
2) Make a Schedule
Both for school/work and for fun. I want to visit as many museums as I can this summer, but often I wake up on weekends without a plan and I’m overwhelmed with all the possibilities! Making a schedule of different things you want to do around the city on weekends is a good way to avoid this problem and make sure you make the most of your semester in Washington. As for school, the combination of being so busy and having an unusual schedule (class at night, once a week) can make it easy for things like homework assignments to slip your mind. I recommend making a schedule of when things are due (and when you’ll work on them) as well as important tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, etc. It’s not fun to wake up Monday morning and realize you don’t have anything to wear to work, pack for lunch, or turn in in class! This hasn’t happened to me (yet) only because of scheduling and calendar alerts.
3) Make a Budget
WAIP is expensive. Tuition and housing are already a big financial commitment, and on top of that the cost of living in DC is MUCH higher than Columbus. It can be hard to prepare for that, both because it’s difficult to estimate how much you’ll spend on groceries or transportation, and because the temptation to spend money on things like going out to eat, happy hours, museums, concerts and other fun things is constant and difficult to resist. Be realistic about how much money you can afford to spend on these things, and keep track of it. Try not to spend impulsively on things you don’t need: you’ll regret it later when everyone else is going to do something cool and you can’t afford to go with them.
4) Think Things Through
Try to be mature and reasonable when you’re making decisions, and think about how they’ll affect you in the future. In Columbus it may not be a big deal to stay up all night watching Netflix or hanging out with your friends, but if the next day you have a study tour that involves a lot of walking or work and class from 9AM to 9PM, it’s definitely not a good idea. WAIP is about endurance in a lot of ways, and a bad decision like procrastinating, not sleeping, or staying out late can mess up your entire week.
5) Be Flexible
This might seem like the opposite of the rest of my advice, but it’s important to be flexible as well as disciplined and organized. While schedules, budgets, planning, and structure are all very important to a successful WAIP experience, it’s also important to realize that you won’t always be perfect. Sometimes you’re going to have a stressful day at work and cave and get a $7 drink at Starbucks. Sometimes you’re going to go on a nighttime walk exploring the mall with your roommates and accidentally stay up way too late. Sometimes you’re going to accidentally eat ramen four days in a row and wonder why you don’t feel so great. It’s okay! Being willing to change your plans is as important as having them in the first place: being too rigid can cause you to miss out on some amazing experiences. Also important is knowing that it’s okay to ask for help if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
WAIP is hard, but it’s also a lot of fun. Take care of yourself, be smart, and be open to trying new things and you’ll have an amazing semester! Mine is off to a great start.
-Kait Gilioli
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