Why did you choose this program?
I've always wanted to study abroad, though I didn't necessarily have the funds to do so. However, the remote internships gave me the chance to pursue my dreams one step at a time. After doing research through my school and finding out about what the remote internship had to offer, I was more than determined to find a company and get to work! This also gave me the opportunity to work on remote skills that will be useful for any future career.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
My university helped me through the application process and my program provider helped find companies that suited the area of public relations I wanted to intern for. Afterwards, the rest was in my hands to decide what company I was going to choose based on independent research after receiving the company's name and the interview process. I really appreciated the fact that I got to choose the company after interviewing with them instead of being placed in some random company that I knew nothing about.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
While I didn't go overseas, the biggest piece of advice I can give is trust your judgement when working on projects and tasks for your internship. It's completely normal to second guess what you're doing, especially since you can't receive real time feedback being remote, you'll be surprised by how much you actually understand and can accomplish. So don't be afraid to ask questions but overall, trust in your skills and what you can do and you'll go far!
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Since I was remote, my day consisted of checking my email when I woke up to see if my supervisor sent me any new information for the project I was assigned or sent me any feedback. Luckily, I got to make my own schedule which worked out great since I was also doing summer school at the time. I'd spend around three hours, sometimes less sometimes more, working on the project until I reached a solid checkpoint to send in to my supervisor.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I think going into this experience, my biggest fear was honestly time. It's a weird fear, but since I wasn't actively in Barcelona I couldn't keep up with the difference in time zones at the beginning of my internship. When it's day time here, it's night time in Barcelona and vice versa. This made me worry about the deadlines that I had and if there were going to be any meetings, luckily there wasn't. I started to keep track of the time in Barcelona, even added the time to my clock app. I slowly got used to the differences in time but it still made me worry every once in a while. Honestly, this made me more self-conscious of my schedule and caused me to organize my days better.
What's any other advice you would give about the program?
I know I gave advice already, but there's no such thing as too much advice! Being remote means that you'll have to keep track of time not only in your timezone but also for whatever timezone the company you're working for may be in. I cannot stress this enough, make sure to make yourself a schedule, to-do list, anything that'll keep you organized and on top of your task! If you do this on a daily basis, great! If not, start doing so! On whatever you choose make sure to put the task along with the time it's due in terms of your time zone and the company's time zone. It'll save you the stress of deadlines approaching and honestly make life easier!