By Emily Neelon, Communication, Class of 2017
- Go to the Career Center. I may be biased because I’ve worked here since the first week of my freshman year, but I can’t tell you how many times the counselors have done me solid, from encouraging me to apply for a job I didn’t think I was qualified for to showing me how to use Linkedin because what do you even do on LinkedIn. Plus everyone is friendly and specifically there to help answer these kinds of questions.
- Study Abroad. You will be a stronger, more resilient person after spending the night in the airport (more times than not) and staying awake for 24 hours straight in a foreign city and sleeping in a shed in some dude’s backyard in outer London that you rented on AirBnB. You will see a kind of beauty you didn’t know existed. You will eat very sketchy noodles in a combination Chinese and pizza restaurant. You will never be physically or emotionally prepared for the weather. You will feel incredibly homesick. But, you will feel incredibly independent. You will see things and feel things and know things you won’t find in a classroom.
- Land an internship. You will learn so much more than just how to make or deliver or drink coffee. I don’t know if there’s anything more disheartening than searching for “internships in Portland” on Google. The Career Center agrees, so they provide us with collegecentral.com. Make an account and search for jobs and internships employers post specifically seeking UP students.
- Go on a Moreau Center Immersion. Immersions range from a few days to a few weeks during our Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks and are a really sweet opportunity to educate yourself about and get physically involved with different social issues.
- Master the art of email. Email is one of many constant adult tasks, like paying your utilities bill, that you can’t avoid forever. It’s super important to know how to send a message that simultaneously says “Please take me seriously,” and “What I have to say is important”.
- Go to office hours. My freshman year, I was completely lost in my Intro to Stats class. Bi-modal curves. Chi-squared tests. Regression analysis. I still can’t tell you what any of these things mean, because I never went to my professor for help. If you have no idea what’s going on in class, it can get so much worse if you don’t meet up with your professor to talk about it.
- Network without networking. The Career Center and other organizations on campus sponsor panel discussions throughout the school year. These events are a great way to meet and ask questions of individuals successfully working in different industries (without having to go to a networking event). Check our calendar for upcoming events.
Bonus tips:
- It’s ok to eat alone in the Commons.
- For every class you hate, there will be two classes you love.
- It’s ok to be unsure, because everyone is unsure.
