Media School students broaden their horizons with internships in London

Students from the six-week Honors Summer in London Program, offered by The Media School at IU Bloomington, are placed in internships with notable British media organizations each summer. Photo courtesy of James Shanahan

Indiana University Bloomington is well-known for providing students with ample opportunities to study abroad, ranking second in the nation in 2023 for midterm study abroad programs and fourth for the total number of students who studied abroad.

Among the study abroad opportunities is the six-week Honors Summer in London Program. Offered by The Media School at IU Bloomington, the program places students in internships with notable British media organizations each summer. It provides a comprehensive curriculum where students work part-time internships, participate in a course about British and European media, and expand their cultural horizons through overseas travel.

IU has offered media students the opportunity to spend the summer in London for more than 20 years, and the current program has been in place since 2008.

Professor James Shanahan, the founding dean of The Media School from 2015 through 2021, and associate professor Minjeong Kang chaperoned students during the recent six-week program in London, which is available for Ernie Pyle Scholars and Media Scholars after their sophomore year and Academic Honors Program students after their junior year.

Students and their faculty chaperones enjoy a meal together in London during The Media School's six-week Honors Summer in London Program. Photo courtesy of Cora Shaw

“For the right kind of student, the program offers the opportunity to mix three things: academic growth, cultural broadening and work experience,” Shanahan said. “Students may value these components in different ratios, but we find that the London experience is a very memorable experience for students as they head into their senior year.”

Cora Shaw, a junior studying media advertising, worked as a creative marketing intern with W Hotels in London this summer, where she developed social media content, helped plan marketing campaigns for Pride Month and conducted industry research.

“It’s been incredibly enriching,” Shaw said. “My career goal is to become a creative director at an advertising agency, a role where I can lead and inspire innovative campaigns. This internship at W Hotels has been instrumental in introducing me to the world of in-house advertising, an area I hadn’t experienced before.”

She said the experience has reinforced her passion for the marketing and advertising industry and broadened her perspective when thinking of potential career paths after graduation.

Shaw worked from the W Hotels offices in Soho, a hub for entertainment in London’s West End. The location provided her and other students with countless excursion opportunities outside the classroom.

“One of the best parts of London for me has been the arts,” she said.

One of Shaw’s favorite activities was visiting the National Gallery, which was a mere three-minute walk from where she worked. She also took in world-class performances of “Moulin Rouge,” “Les Misérables” and “Wicked.”

Jonathan Soco, a junior studying journalism at IU, interned with the International Business Times in London during the six-week study abroad program. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Soco

Students and their chaperones live in apartment-style housing with a shared kitchen and common areas. Living together helps students acclimate to being in a different country, and they often form close friendships and find opportunities to travel outside the city together.

Shaw said she and friends from the program ventured to Oxford, Bath and Brighton. They also spent a week making memories in Dublin.

“There has never been a dull moment,” Shaw said. “This study abroad experience has profoundly impacted my life, making me feel more independent and confident about living and working in a big city. This experience has also boosted my confidence in pursuing my future career, providing me with a strong foundation and a clearer vision of my goals.”

Jonathan Soco, a junior studying journalism, interned with the International Business Times in London. He spent much of the internship — his first — creating content for the Times’ social media accounts, including TikTok and Instagram. He traveled to business conferences to capture interviews and helped create trend-based viral content.

Soco, who aspires to work in print or broadcast journalism, said this internship gave him a sense of future jobs where he can pursue his passion for storytelling.

“I want to use my experience in conducting interviews and writing scripts to bolster my skills in the professional field of journalism,” Soco said. “I am also hoping to use the conferences I’ve attended as potential networking opportunities and a foundation to make strong connections for the future.”