So, you're headed to DC for the summer for twelve long weeks of interning on (or near) The Hill, gorging on bottomless brunches, imaging that you're networking with senators and top lobbyists and crying over your dwindling bank account. Congratulations! You're in for a fun semester of valuable life experiences and new friendships. You're also in for a lot of surprises. Get prepared for 88' days that feel like 120' and leave you dripping with sweat by the time you're in your office at 8:45am. Start prepping for sore feet that you can barely manage to kick up at the end of a long day. Below is a list of five essentials that you might not think to bring to DC, but you will most definitely need:
Insoles or GREAT walking shoes: I am understating with the word "great." You will be walking around on the weekend to visit the monuments and jogging to the metro in the mornings. No one wants to be the one walking around in heels or stiff dress shoes who's holding all their friends back. But don't be the kid wearing highlighter green Nikes with his navy business suit. I recommend Sperry's or cute sandals with good arch support.
Humidity-Proof Hairspray: There's not much else to say about that. A swampy climate equals a bad hair day. Take care of it.
A Humble Attitude: DC is full of people who graduated at the top of their class, started non-profits at 20 years old, and can recite the Constitution backwards. Sure, we're all big shots at school, but as an unpaid intern in a prestigious city that doesn't really matter. Ask people questions and listen to their story. If you sit down with someone and are genuinely interested in what they have to say and curious about their path, they will be much more interested in hearing about yours and helping you out. Don't try to sell yourself to everyone.
Some Extra Cash: If you still have time before you leave, start saving up now. Having a few hundred dollars in extra cash will save you so many times here. While $75 a week from your parents, scholarship, or part-time job might seem like enough to cover food, you never know when you'll spill coffee on your white suit coat or break your sandal strap and need an extra $40 to buy a new one. Having some backup savings will do wonders in this situation. That said, if you don't have to save up, use a smartphone app or a good, old-fashioned notebook to start a weekly budget. Stick to it, and leave yourself an extra fifteen bucks for an unexpected happy hour meeting with a visiting friend or dinner with your roommates.
A Steamer: There's not much worse to try to get out the door at 8:40 for your 9:00 job and realizing your shirt wrinkled up overnight. Buy a cheap steamer on Amazon so you can take care of it in half the time of ironing.
Metro Etiquette and Some Spring in Your Step: People in DC have places to be, and even if they don't they want you to think they do. If you're walking slow, people will speed by you and roll their eyes, and no one wants to feel like the annoying tourist. Additionally, there's nothing that says "summer intern" like standing on the left side of the escalator. Stand on the right, walk on the left. And don't get in peoples' way.
No you're set to make your way in the crazy pace of DC. Even though you'll want to look like a cool native, remember that very few people are actually DC natives and that (secretly) interns run half this city. And don't be shy about taking your picture at the Washington Monument. Everyone does it at some point.
Leah
Insoles or GREAT walking shoes: I am understating with the word "great." You will be walking around on the weekend to visit the monuments and jogging to the metro in the mornings. No one wants to be the one walking around in heels or stiff dress shoes who's holding all their friends back. But don't be the kid wearing highlighter green Nikes with his navy business suit. I recommend Sperry's or cute sandals with good arch support.
Humidity-Proof Hairspray: There's not much else to say about that. A swampy climate equals a bad hair day. Take care of it.
A Humble Attitude: DC is full of people who graduated at the top of their class, started non-profits at 20 years old, and can recite the Constitution backwards. Sure, we're all big shots at school, but as an unpaid intern in a prestigious city that doesn't really matter. Ask people questions and listen to their story. If you sit down with someone and are genuinely interested in what they have to say and curious about their path, they will be much more interested in hearing about yours and helping you out. Don't try to sell yourself to everyone.
Some Extra Cash: If you still have time before you leave, start saving up now. Having a few hundred dollars in extra cash will save you so many times here. While $75 a week from your parents, scholarship, or part-time job might seem like enough to cover food, you never know when you'll spill coffee on your white suit coat or break your sandal strap and need an extra $40 to buy a new one. Having some backup savings will do wonders in this situation. That said, if you don't have to save up, use a smartphone app or a good, old-fashioned notebook to start a weekly budget. Stick to it, and leave yourself an extra fifteen bucks for an unexpected happy hour meeting with a visiting friend or dinner with your roommates.
A Steamer: There's not much worse to try to get out the door at 8:40 for your 9:00 job and realizing your shirt wrinkled up overnight. Buy a cheap steamer on Amazon so you can take care of it in half the time of ironing.
Metro Etiquette and Some Spring in Your Step: People in DC have places to be, and even if they don't they want you to think they do. If you're walking slow, people will speed by you and roll their eyes, and no one wants to feel like the annoying tourist. Additionally, there's nothing that says "summer intern" like standing on the left side of the escalator. Stand on the right, walk on the left. And don't get in peoples' way.
No you're set to make your way in the crazy pace of DC. Even though you'll want to look like a cool native, remember that very few people are actually DC natives and that (secretly) interns run half this city. And don't be shy about taking your picture at the Washington Monument. Everyone does it at some point.
Leah
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