The room was buzzing at the Friday night kick-off of the second annual Fashion Campus NYC. The program, which over 200 interns attended, featured a series of discussions and meet-and-greets allowing interns access to tons of experts in different fields of the fashion industry. Held at Parsons The New School for Design in conjunction with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), it’s one of the programs Mayor Bloomberg launched as part of his FashionNYC2020 plan to sustain and grow the fashion industry in New York. As an intern (I just started a summer internship here at Fashionista!), I was excited to pick the brains of designer Chris Benz and executives from Moda Operandi, Fendi, Armani Exchange, Saks Fifth Avenue and more.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The combination of free food and fast friendships made it fun, but it was the advice I got that made it truly memorable. Fashion internships are a necessary part of breaking into the fashion industry, so once you land one, how do you make sure it goes well? Luckily we had a roomful of experts who wanted to share their secrets. Read on for the five lessons I learned about how to get the most out of your internship.