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.
Having visited a place and feeling transformed is not something that’s easy to record on paper for a hiring committee or grad school admissions board. Many people travel. Many people claim transformation. So how do you make sure studying abroad is something you can claim and celebrate in your ‘on paper’ future?
Read MoreAn Alternative Spring Break is a great idea. It’s a particularly good fit for students who place a high value on service learning and volunteering their time, and who want to pair those impulses with travel and/or augment what they can commit to while classes are in session.
Read MoreYou are majoring in STEM, and you finish your degree with good grades. Now a job should come naturally...right?
A lot of people seem to think that a job will just appear after you graduate from your degree, but there is a difference in just having a job after your finish your bachelor's degree, and having the career you desire. The thing that every person in STEM should do before they graduate is make sure they have an internship (typically summer) or co-op (where you take a semester or year off of school to work). This will show companies that you have work experience, and this will help you determine what type of company you would like to work for in the future.
Read MoreCollege is all about figuring out who you are and what you want to do. That’s a big deal, and while classes are an important part of the college experience, I would argue that taking advantage of the opportunities to get involved on campus is equally important. To back up this argument, I’ve created a list to help back up why student activities and branching out of your comfort zone are both a valuable part of the college experience...
Read MoreThe idea here is that there might be reason to hurry through college and then into a conventional job. But maybe there isn’t any hurry. Maybe, if balanced by some common sense and overarching goal awareness, it would be better and more beneficial to consider some alternatives.
Read MoreExperience shows what you are capable of, it shows your interests, and gives the employer a sense of your personality. But most importantly, experience can be the most useful when it comes to interviews...
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 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 MoreNetworking is generally touted as a sure-fire method for getting a job. But the exact process to kick-start this mythical solution is often murky at best. The easiest way to take advantage of a network is to already be part of a well-developed and dynamic community of people who serve as your advocates and mentors, and who help smooth your path to new connections.
You don’t have a community until you already have a network. This is not helpful if you are just getting started.
Read MoreNetworking is about connecting with the people around you on a professional basis. It’s about linking the skills and interests you have with the interests and needs of the people around you. It’s about making connections, and being honest and proactive about what you want to do with your time, and how this can overlap with the goals of those around you.
Read MoreI don’t believe in resolutions for a new year. But I do believe in setting goals, particularly goals that are on a specific timeline and that have achievable stages to completion. And, since January marks the start of a new semester for most students, it’s a good time to make some new goals for the upcoming period of time.
Read MoreMany colleges and universities out there offer course credits for volunteer hours. This system encourages students to put their studies into practice in the “real world” to apply what they have learned, and also provides a structure within the university through which they can put together and undertake volunteer experience.
I see this as a mixed blessing.
If you are searching for an internship, it’s time to expand your horizons. Keep searching in the conventional paths: check out the volunteer/internship resources out there, and be sure to check out “employment” sections of companies or organizations you would like to work for. But there is so much more you can do to create opportunity for yourself.
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.
Professional photography and storytelling services for nonprofits
