In the Easter term of my second year, a member of the LEAP team contacted me about an internship opportunity at the University of Cambridge Student Services Centre. The newly launched internships spanned mental health to research programmes, and the mMarketing and rRecruitment internship caught my eye. This was a career path I hadn’t considered before, but I decided to give it a shot. Before diving into the internship, LEAP provided a one-on-one skills session, guiding me on how to make the most of my internship. The key takeaways were to be enthusiastic, ask questions, and get involved as much as possible. Following this advice, I was eager to get stuck in.
During my internship, I juggled three projects under the umbrella of marketing and recruitment at the University. One notable project was the 2023 Applicant Webinar Series, where I was involved from the initial planning to delivering some of the webinars. This experience shed light on the extensive planning, effort, and attention to detail required for such projects. I learned to use new software like Gecko for delivering webinars and collaborated with Admissions Tutors and other professionals across the University. Additionally, I took on the role of an administrator for one of the webinars, ensuring the technical aspects ran smoothly.
Another task involved conducting market research on films produced by the University in recent years. I assessed how they measured up to those of other universities and current market trends. Subsequently, I generated new ideas for video content, one of which involved creating a video inspired by Vogue’s ’73 Questions’ series.
I also worked with the global marketing team on a project for alumni. I created resources for international alumni to use in informing students about the University, as well as updating key admissions statistics shared with alumni. I hadn’t quite realised how extensive the alumni networks were and how much time is put into crafting resources that are shared with them.
While these tasks constituted the formal assignments, I made it known that I was open to participating in any additional tasks if my schedule permitted. This led to my involvement in various activities, including filming TikToks for the University account, creating posters for events, and assisting with an event for teachers from state schools helping students with their Cambridge applications. Each day was unique, requiring me to handle and organize tasks as I saw fit.
Working two days in the office out of five, with accommodation provided by LEAP at Pembroke College supported by LEAP , I was always just a stroll away from the Student Services Centre based in the New Museums Site. This proximity allowed me to join in-person meetings, even on days when I worked from home.
Throughout my experience across different teams in the Marketing and Recruitment department, I gained a deep appreciation for the individuals working on various projects that students often take for granted. This internship highlighted the attention to detail required for successful marketing and recruitment at the University and emphasized the fruitful outcomes of such efforts.
