More Than a Test Score

Students on college campuses around the world are recruited as volunteers.  Their passion, flexible schedules, and convictions often make them valuable members of volunteer teams.  Depending upon where you’re attending college, you may need to accumulate community service hours.  Even if it’s not a requirement to become involved in your college’s community, here are some great reasons to give volunteerism a try:

- Volunteering gives you real world experience. If you’re studying graphic design, volunteer your artistic talents to a non-profit organization in need of a new brochure, or if you intend to study law, offer your services to a legal clinic for indigent individuals.  You’ll learn a lot and gain valuable insight into your chosen profession.

- Volunteering is a great way to network. Volunteering gives you access to people in the community who also believe in the cause.  Supporters are often business owners and professionals who can offer you great career advice and become beneficial references.

- Volunteering can give you a great deal of personal satisfaction.  Working toward a goal with passion can be fulfilling.  You’ll likely mature during your time as a volunteer and learn to empathize with people you might not otherwise consider.

- Volunteering helps others.  When you volunteer, you really do make a difference in the lives of those affected by the cause you support.  Making life better for even one individual is a good feeling and a noteworthy accomplishment that you’ll take pride in for years to come.

-Volunteering keeps you healthy.  Volunteering fosters the social interaction that keeps you mentally healthy and self-confident, and many types of volunteer work also foster physical activity and wellness, all important factors in your daily life as a college student.

Whatever the reason you decide to volunteer, make sure you’re comfortable with the demands of the job and that you’ll enjoy the time you spend at it.  Then, roll up your sleeves and give it all you have.  You’ll reap the benefits of your hard work and so will the cause you’ve chosen to support.

Congratulations to Martese Johnson, our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner for this week! With the summer in our sights there’s just one obstacle between students and break…finals! To help keep you focused and get the creative juices flowing, we asked how you go about preparing for finals. While late-night cramming, flashcards, and hourly coffee runs were popular methods, Martese is going the extra step to make those facts stick.

Here is his winning essay:
I use many techniques to study for finals, but recently my friends and I have been trying something new. Instead of constantly going over boring facts that we can’t retain, we make the facts interesting! We make rap songs about the work and memorize the humorous lyrics instead.

Here is a little bit more about our winner:
I am an African American honors student at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, Illinois. I take senior honors/AP courses, yet I’m only a junior. I’m the Junior Class Vice-President. I’m a student-athlete who plays Varsity Football and Volleyball. My main goal in life is to succeed at anything that comes my way, and any goals I set for myself. I am a social person who loves meeting people, going out, and having fun. I try to live life to its fullest potential and get the most out of every opportunity. My future is bright, and it will remain that way throughout my life.

If you’re a college bound student, the best prepping you can do is getting a jumpstart on paying for tuition. Enter to win our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship for your shot at $1,000. Three sentences for a thousand bucks? You’d be nuts to pass that up!

College life is hectic.  There are lots of classes to balance, along with your social life, work, volunteerism, and the myriad other activities in which you take part on a regular basis.  If you haven’t already done so, add a trip to your college careers office to your to-do list.  It’s a wonderful resource that many students don’t take full advantage of, and it can help you meet your goals as you move toward graduation.

Here are some things that the college careers office at your college or university can do for you:

1. Help you choose a major: If you aren’t sure where you attention should be focused when it comes to your studies, approach your campus careers office to find out about counseling and assessments that they may offer to help you choose a major.

2. Help you network: Campus careers offices often draw upon a pool of successful alumni as well as prominent individuals and companies from the surrounding community.  They can offer introductions that can lead to internships and even job offers after graduation.

3. Help you gain experience: Companies seeking interns and students who are willing to participate in co-op opportunities reach out to college careers offices in their local areas.  If you make yourself known to those at your college careers office, they can pass your information along to these potential mentors and employers.

4. Help you write a resume and cover letter: Counselors from your college careers office know what works when it comes to writing and revising your resume.  Ask for their advice and put it to good use when you begin to apply to internships and professional positions.

5. Offer interview skills:  The interview is the most important — and often the most nerve-wracking — part of finding a position, whether it is an internship or a permanent job after graduation.  Seek out advice from your college careers office about what to do and not to do during your interview.  They will likely be more than happy to coach you can offer mock interviews to help you prepare for the interview experience.

Your college careers office is dedicated to helping you find appropriate internship and employment opportunities and can help you meet your goals when it comes to finding a position within the field you choose.  Don’t pass up an opportunity to spend some time with these on-campus experts who can help make your transition from college student to active employee a successful and meaningful experience.

Ask most college professors today and they will tell you that the new technologies at their disposal make their jobs easier and help them connect better with many of their students.  Here are some of the tools that have helped change college classrooms nationwide recent years and why our favorite educators love them:

1. The Cloud: Using remote servers (affectionately known as a “cloud”) for storage allows students and their teachers to store information that can be accessed via the internet from virtually anywhere. If lesson plans and presentations are stored on a cloud, there’s also much less chance of losing the info due to a computer glitch.

2. Conferencing: Video conferencing allows professors and their students to communicate across the miles as though they were present in the same room.  The platform makes distance education possible for students that might not be able to attend class otherwise. Lectures and presentations can also be stored digitally for later review.

3. Wikis: Though most educators warn against using online wikis for factual information sources — the wiki at its core provides true collaborative editing for group projects.  For example, if a group of eight students working on a project use a wiki, each can make changes and see those posted by his peers without the need for multiple emails and group meetings.

4. Smartboards and Multimedia Presentations: Professors now have the ability to integrate music, video, and internet content into their lectures and the classroom via Smartboards and other Multimedia devices.  Not only does use of these devices capture audience attention, it enhances the learning experience by adding visual and auditory content that might not otherwise be available.

College professors worldwide are welcoming new technologies into their classrooms and believe that their students are better for the experiences that result from them.  Of course, the use of technology in education continues to grow and evolve, promising exciting possibilities for the classrooms and lecture halls of tomorrow.

If you’re about to graduate or have come to the point in your college career where an internship is the next logical step, it may be time to seriously prepare for a professional position. Conventional wisdom about resume creation and job searches has not disappeared, but things are changing, and here are a few things you need to be aware of as you make the transition to an internship or the workforce:

Resumes should be tailored to the position. While paper resumes are still the standard in many industries, online portfolios and resumes are quickly becoming the norm in tech-related and computer based industries including graphic design, programming, and software development.  If you plan to use an online resume and portfolio, make sure to have a hard copy (paper) back up, that it is well-written and professional.

Dress professionally for the interview. While many companies have embraced a casual work environment – and jeans and sweatshirts may be everyday wear in the office – hiring managers still look for employees that want to make a great first impression.  Business dress is usually the expectation at interviews for corporate positions and internships.

Who you know still matters. Always keep in mind family contacts and acquaintances familiar with your chosen industry.  These folks are often great sources of information concerning newly opened positions and can provide solid references.

Interview skills are a must. Study up on the art of the interview.  That includes appropriate grammar, posture, and how to answer the age old interview questions, like  “Why do you want this job?” and “What will you bring to our team?”

Manners still count. Write a thank you letter after the interview, including the high points of the interview itself and your hope to become an excellent employee or intern, should you be hired.  Thank you notes are often overlooked and can be a deciding factor.

Understand this: the marketplace is extremely competitive right now.  The economy is struggling and that means lots of competition.  You must create a persona- through resume and interview- that stand out and impress those hiring.  Be practical, be prepared, and be your best — and you’ll land that ideal internship or job. Good luck!