Making the best of college
Making the best of college: majors, study abroad, internships, jobs, roommates, study tips, thesis writing, and more. For high school graduates and university students.
Your major does not doom you to a lifetime in one career track. I think that’s a good thing. I see employment statistics for comparative literature majors and I think “I don’t fit the concept.”
Read MoreThe transition from high school to college is certainly different now than it was 20-30 years ago and thus represents an evolutionary process. While the high school experience has probably not changed much in the last 100 years, the college experience is now different in new and fundamental ways, and most incoming freshmen are unprepared to deal with this new way of life and new mode of educational performance. By far the biggest of the transitions is the realization that now you, the college freshmen, are suddenly personally responsible for your own successes and failures.
Read MoreIf you’re dorming or living off-campus away from your parents, there will be plenty to consider before you even step foot in the classroom. Where will you live? Will you need roommates? And finally, what will you bring?
Read MoreNo matter how hard we try and what we do to make things happen, there is an awful lot that’s beyond our control in this world. Expectation control theoretically helps lessen the blow when things don’t go your way.
Read MorePublic speaking will always be a nerve-wracking task. With good preparation, practice, and a smart plan of attack, however, you will be able to succeed, presenting a strong, authoritative, clear and convincing voice to your audience.
Read MoreI was careful to pick books that I think are a good fit for the pre-college mind. These may not be the most comprehensive or challenging offerings from their respective genres, but they all have the potential to strike the balance between accessibility and depth that is crucial before launching a college career.
Read MorePart of success is luck: happening to cross paths with the kinds of people you want to work with and learn from. But a considerable aspect of that “luck” is also doing the work and being prepared: taking initiative to follow up on the opportunities around you.
Read MoreWorried about being prepared for college? I was. In fact, I wrote an email to a professor during the summer before my freshman year, requesting a list of books to be read before I showed up for the first day of class.
This is my list of suggested readings for incoming college students, regardless of their major or interests. This represents a well-rounded and ambitious list...
Read MoreI maintain my “Future Plan B” options with full daydreaming passion. But I also cultivate them as possible stepping-stones to the future, if my Plan A should ever change course or stop being viable.
My "Plan B" list has to do with skills to be gained and experiences to be had. They are ideas I love in the manic, dreamer side of my personality, and also satisfy my more methodical, practical self.
Read MoreA while ago, I wrote a post titled “Inventing an Internship,” in which I discussed the process and benefits of creating a personalized and self-driven internship. The basic message: if you put yourself out there and take the initiative, you can find people willing to take advantage of your energy and developing skills in exchange for your professional development while building your resume and network.
This post is a personal story of how this worked for me in working with photojournalist Paul Jeffrey
Read MoreAs much as possible, consider your thesis defense an opportunity.
The exact process and requirements for theses vary from school to school. But here’s some basic advice that will mostly likely help anyone prepare...
Read MoreI credit my AP History and Literature classes not only with my current employment, but also with the successful completion of my undergraduate and master’s theses; several internships; my ability to multi-task while in college; my growing success in fiction writing; and the creation of this blog.
Read MoreCollege-level classes will help you prepare for what you’ll be expected to learn once you arrive on campus. And the credits you earn before you arrive on campus will increase your freedom in coursework, flexibility in travel, and your overall opportunity to take advantage of the full breadth of the college experiences available to you.
Read MoreTest scores are just one piece of the college admissions puzzle - if you are a strong athlete and your favorite school has a program that could use you, then great, that works in your favor! But test scores ARE something that you can control and prepare for, unlike some of the more subjective parts of the evaluation process. So start early, and study hard.
Read MoreAdvice for college and university students. Roommates, majors, study abroad, travel, essay writing, study tips, admissions, professors, internships, and mentoring. Make college an amazing experience.
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