The perfect summer

After I was accepted to Global Experiences they guaranteed an internship placement. My first choice interview went well and I got a marketing position in a company I really liked. For the months leading up to the program, they hosted regular interactive webinars and called us individually to help us through the interview and visa application process. Mine went smoothly and I didn't really require much extra help, but it was nice to know it was available.

When I arrived in London at our housing facility, the advisers I had been speaking with the last few months were waiting to help us move in and give us some advice about settling in. We had a orientation session, icebreakers for the people in our groups and two tours that weekend.

During the internship our advisers held office hours, visited us at work, spoke with us about any issues that may have cropped up at work. They also had lots of social events for us from bar crawls to day trips around England. Our adviser was very knowledgeable about life in London and had suggestions from cheap pubs, to free museums and unique cultural events around the city.

The other interns in the program and I quickly became friends. Several months later, some of us are planning a bit of a reunion back in the US.

My actual internship was great. My manager gave me a lot of freedom and a lot of responsibility after proving myself early on. I got experience in the sales and advertising side of marketing and realized which I like best. My work was actually put to good use in the company. At the end I had a great letter of recommendation and a lot more confidence in my decided career path. It was a lot of hardwork, but I definitely grew over the course of the summer.

Night life is obviously fantastic in London. While I hung out with my GE friends a lot, I broke out and made local friends, which really made my experience something special.

A few months back in the US, and I still keep in touch with my GE advisers, former employer and of course my friends I made in London.