University of Richmond students participated in the Spiders in Marketing and Communications Road Trip in New York City Jan. 8-9. The trip helped students get an inside look into these industries.
The group visited mcgarrybowen, Hearst Media, NBC Studios, LeadDog Marketing, JWT, Hall & Partners, ANN INC., and Ogilvy, hearing from Richmond alumni currently working in these companies at each stop.
The Spider Road Trip program is a response to career fields students indicate interest in on the Career Interest Survey conducted every other year.
"Marketing and communications is not a field in which companies have a standard internship or job application process across the board. The timeline for these processes differs from the set deadlines you find in some other industries like finance or accounting," said Ashleigh Brock, Westhampton College '05 assistant director at career services.
"This trip helps students recognize what the process for applying to these types of opportunities looks like in marketing and communications, as well as what kinds of skills and abilities they need to be successful," Brock said.
More than 60 students from all different majors applied to the program, the biggest pool of applicants for a Spider Road Trip to date. A committee reviewed each student's application, comprised of an essay, supplemental question and resume and selected 30 students to participate in the program.
"As a journalism student, I wanted to learn more about the marketing and advertising opportunities in New York," said senior Gaby Calabrese, who went on the trip. "I hadn't been exposed to these industries prior to the trip, and ultimately learned a lot from the places we visited and people we spoke with."
Spider Road Trips are open to students of all majors interested in the selected field. Students were especially excited to speak with Richmond alumni who were not all marketing or communications majors.
"All of them were extremely gracious, accomplished and willing to answer any questions we had about their specific careers or industry," Calabrese said.
The alumni component of Spider Road Trips makes them unique and more personalized.
"My favorite part of the trip is that it's Spiders connecting with other Spiders," Brock said. "The trip gives alumni a chance to tell current students their stories and explain [how] they use their UR experiences in their careers."
Spider Road Trips is one of the most popular programs sponsored by the Office of Alumni and Career Services.
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Contact reporter Danielle Schweizer at Danielle Schweizer at daniel.schweizer@richmond.edu
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