Anymore it is super important for college students to get internship experience. It has become the norm and anyone who does not have some hands-on experience before graduation is definitely at a disadvantage. The problem is that there are so many TERRIBLE internships out there that it's hard to filter through and find the one that will actually give you relevant, useable experience.
Here are my tips for finding the perfect internship:
1) Do some research on your major. What jobs do people with your major typically pursue? What aspect of your general field interest's you the most? Check out http://www.usajobs.gov/ to find job descriptions and salary information.
2) Establish what type of internship you'd like. If you're a business major and decide you'd like to focus on the marketing end of your field, what type of marketing are you interested in? (i.e. television, radio, outdoor, field)
3) Determine what type of time you can allot to your internship. Can you travel out of state for the summer? (This naturally gives you more options) Or can you only complete your internship locally on days off between school and work?
4) Research some of your favorite brands/companies to see if they are hiring. This information can easily be found on the Careers section of their website.
5) Contact your school's career center. They often have internship opportunities that are only available to students at your school.
6) Stalk Craigslist. This is where I found both of my internship opportunities - though it required daily check-ins and probably about 50 rejections before I actually found the right one.
7) Be sure to bookmark all of the internship opportunities that stand out to you if you're finding them on the web. It will be easier to go back and find them later.
8) Physically go to places and ask around. If there is a skyscraper that you happen to know houses a few firms you'd be interested in working for, go in and go to the front desk (and bring your resume...see below). Chances are if anyone is hiring, the front desk man will be able to tell you. He may ask you to leave your resume there with him and he will give it to the appropriate person.
Now that you've found a few internships that you're interested in:
1) Fine tune your resume. This means making sure that your resume is in proper format, HOPEFULLY, it is not longer than a page (as a 20 year old, you probably don't have enough experience to warrant more than 1). If you do have a lot of experience, include the positions you've had that are most relevant to the skills you would need to perform your internship. Limit your description to 3-4 bullets per job.
2) Have someone proofread your resume. Better yet, have the career center at your school proofread your resume (if you can). They know exactly what potential employers are looking for.
3) Write a cover letter. A lot of internships, especially if you found them informally on Craigslist, don't require you to, but it is ALWAYS a good idea. You should write a new cover letter for each job. I used a guide and samples on my school's website, but this one is good as well - http://www.internmatch.com/guides/cover-letter-example-and-template. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS address your cover letter to a person, never "to whom it may concern". Do the work - find out who you will need to send/e-mail this to.
4) Submit all of your materials at once. If the recruiter asks for a cover letter, resume, 3 references, and a writing sample, be sure to submit all of them in their final draft form at the same time.
Now that you've submitted your materials...YOU GET A CALL! YES!
1) Write down your interview time and START PREPARING.
2) Depending on the atmosphere of the place, choose an interview outfit. Never go with anything to glitzy or froo-froo. Black, blue, or grey dress or pant suits are the way to go for females. Same colors for men's suits. Always tuck your blouse or button down in and wear your hair and make-up as natural as possible. It is best to be over-dressed rather than under-dressed. Try your best not to look tacky - I've seen girls go in for interviews wearing mini skirts and dresses, stilettos, tube tops, cropped blazers - this just SCREAMS unprofessional. You are not a teenybopper anymore. Lose the sky high open toe heels and the cleavage and opt for a conservative look. You are going to need a real "big girl" suit in your future anyway, now is the time. Go to a department store or The Limited or LOFT (not H&M) and invest in a nice suit. They can still look cute!
3) Print at least 4 versions of your resume to bring to your interview. Often times, you will be meeting with more than one person for your interview.
4) Go prepared with a few strengths and weakness's, why you are interested in the position, and what you feel you can bring to the table. These are commonly asked question during interviews.
5) Research the company. If the VP of Marketing asks you what you know about the company - you should be able to tell him. It would be helpful to be familiar with trends in the industry as well.
6) FOLLOW UP. This step is crucial. I usually wait 3-4 days before following up with a PHONE CALL. Call and explain who you are, the position that you interviewed for, and you'd like to know whether or not they have reached a decision. Regardless of their answer, thank them for their time.
Even doing all of these things perfectly, you may not get it. BUT do not get discouraged. Have patience, keep looking, and put the same effort into each one and you will be successful.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
How to Register for Classes
I have consistently made Dean's List every semester since I started school. Do I attribute it to my studying skills? HELL NO. I attribute my academic success in my college years to strategically planning my class schedules each semester. Having the right classes at the right time with just the right professor literally makes ALL of the difference - especially if you're a student like me who works as well. Here are some general rules for choosing classes:
1) ALWAYS pick the professor, not the class or time - too often I see my peers choose a 1 o'clock class with a shitty professor instead of a 10 a.m. with a truly great professor. Trust me, it is in your best interested to take the 10 a.m.
2) If you will not wake up to take 8 a.m.'s, don't sign up for 8 a.m.'s. Be realistic - if you are bar tending or waitress at night, you will probably end up skipping early classes and fall behind really quickly.
3) Do not, I repeat, DO NOT rely on your adviser to pick your schedule to suit your best interest's. I have been to 3 universities and it's the same no matter where you go. You are your own advocate. This is also the hardest step to commit to because it will require you to do some research as to what classes you need to take each semester to graduate on time (for example - you need to take certain classes that may seem to you TOTALLY unrelated before you can register for higher level classes.) I literally have a chart of what classes I've taken each semester, what classes need prerequisites, and how many credits each semester I've taken.
4) A few days before registration opens, whether it's online or at the Bursar's, look up your ideal schedule with a few alternatives for classes that you think may fill up quickly. For a few weeks before registration, if not months, you should be able to go online and find out what classes are open that semester and who is teaching them.
5) Use ratemyprofessors.com. I attribute most of my college success to this website. Research your professors. Find out which ones will give you the most bang for your buck because let's be honest, most of them won't. For example, here is a link to one of my favorite professors review page - http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=310232
6) If you are still a high school senior, TAKE SUMMER CLASSES BEFORE FRESHMAN YEAR. You will be ahead of the curve, you will have a realistic idea of what college classes are really like, and you can get a really annoying class out of the way.
7) Do not load up on all of your required courses. It's easy to say "Oh, I'll take Financial Accounting, Calculus, Business Stat, Macroeconomics, and French 3 to get them out of the way". It won't work. I know that I personally struggle with math courses, so I've really tried to balance having 1 math related course, 2 or 3 major requirements, and then a language or gen ed.
8) If online registration begins at 7 a.m. - GET UP. It is worth one day of suffering to get into the classes that will guarantee you a year's worth of success.
9) E-mail your professor prior to the start of class to introduce yourself, find out what book you need, etc. Nothing rubs a professor the wrong way more than you showing up completely unprepared and without a textbook until 3 weeks in. Unfortunately, they often times won't give you credit for assignments you missed in that time period too.
I hope this helps!
1) ALWAYS pick the professor, not the class or time - too often I see my peers choose a 1 o'clock class with a shitty professor instead of a 10 a.m. with a truly great professor. Trust me, it is in your best interested to take the 10 a.m.
2) If you will not wake up to take 8 a.m.'s, don't sign up for 8 a.m.'s. Be realistic - if you are bar tending or waitress at night, you will probably end up skipping early classes and fall behind really quickly.
3) Do not, I repeat, DO NOT rely on your adviser to pick your schedule to suit your best interest's. I have been to 3 universities and it's the same no matter where you go. You are your own advocate. This is also the hardest step to commit to because it will require you to do some research as to what classes you need to take each semester to graduate on time (for example - you need to take certain classes that may seem to you TOTALLY unrelated before you can register for higher level classes.) I literally have a chart of what classes I've taken each semester, what classes need prerequisites, and how many credits each semester I've taken.
4) A few days before registration opens, whether it's online or at the Bursar's, look up your ideal schedule with a few alternatives for classes that you think may fill up quickly. For a few weeks before registration, if not months, you should be able to go online and find out what classes are open that semester and who is teaching them.
5) Use ratemyprofessors.com. I attribute most of my college success to this website. Research your professors. Find out which ones will give you the most bang for your buck because let's be honest, most of them won't. For example, here is a link to one of my favorite professors review page - http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=310232
6) If you are still a high school senior, TAKE SUMMER CLASSES BEFORE FRESHMAN YEAR. You will be ahead of the curve, you will have a realistic idea of what college classes are really like, and you can get a really annoying class out of the way.
7) Do not load up on all of your required courses. It's easy to say "Oh, I'll take Financial Accounting, Calculus, Business Stat, Macroeconomics, and French 3 to get them out of the way". It won't work. I know that I personally struggle with math courses, so I've really tried to balance having 1 math related course, 2 or 3 major requirements, and then a language or gen ed.
8) If online registration begins at 7 a.m. - GET UP. It is worth one day of suffering to get into the classes that will guarantee you a year's worth of success.
9) E-mail your professor prior to the start of class to introduce yourself, find out what book you need, etc. Nothing rubs a professor the wrong way more than you showing up completely unprepared and without a textbook until 3 weeks in. Unfortunately, they often times won't give you credit for assignments you missed in that time period too.
I hope this helps!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Cooking for Students 101: Lemon Meringue Pie (and PEAPOD)
So if you're like me - 21, student, working, living in a studio with no air and no clue - cooking is a skill you likely need some work on. I am someone who instead of quickly throwing together grilled chicken and a salad (which is readily available in my fridge), will eat 3 bowls of frosted flakes for dinner. Now that I'm living with my health conscious boyfriend (and now that I can no longer blame a little extra weight on the freshman 15), I have been making more of an effort to prepare my own meals, plan ahead, and use fresh ingredients. For someone who has never had experience cooking before (or as a general rule of thumb, you're a first-year male student) this task can be extremely daunting. Before I give you my tips on making a DELICIOUS and REFRESHING lemon meringue pie, let me enlighten you on shopping for these ingredients. Frankly, it sucks. Carrying all of that stuff everywhere hurts my arms and since I often have to take a subway and bus to get to the closest Trader Joe's, I've started using a website called Peapod. USE PEAPOD. It is the best thing that's happened to me in my college years. You shop online and they deliver your groceries to you. This makes sense for me because I can't carry all of my groceries on my own but also, the small grocery stores near my apartment in the city are WILDLY expensive and Peapod offers great deals and specials. Check it out.
On to lemon meringue pie. YUM.
The first "homemade" anything I've - successfully - made in my new apartment is a lemon meringue pie. After 6 grueling hours, 2 failed attempts, and 3 trips to the grocery store, I am here to offer you a FULL PROOF lemon meringue pie.
Here is the link to the recipe that I followed:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-lemon-meringue-pie/
PS - There is a very helpful VIDEO you can watch on how to make this that I wish that I had watched BEFORE attempting.
So first things first - stock up on groceries. The groceries are easy and inexpensive. The first mistake I made was buying a graham cracker crust. NO. DO NOT BUY A GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST, it will not work. In the frozen section of the grocery store, a Pillsbury pre-made pie crust will be there. We can try tackling home made pie crust another day. Other than that, get everything else listed on the allrecipes.com ingredient list.
Next, take a trip to your local kitchen supply store or super target or something. If you are not living at home, I guarantee you don't have the supplies needed to make this pie.
You will need:
1) ingredients
2) stainless steel mixing bowl
3) a hand mixer
4) an oven
5) measuring cups
6) a grater
7) a sauce pan
8) serious patience
If you have all of these things, follow the recipe on the site. It is very self explanatory, once you are prepared - that is. Now I just want to offer you nuggets of info. that they don't tell you on allrecipes.com because these people know how to cook.
- You cannot, I repeat CANNOT make meringue in a plastic bowl with a whisk. Neither of those things will yield meringue. And you will develop carpal tunnel. A hand mixer at my local CVS was $14 and the stainless steel mixing bowl was $9.
- BAKE the pie crust. Once you thaw it, you don't just wait to pour the scolding hot filling in. You need to bake the crust simultaneously while you are making the lemon filling.
- Follow the recipe step by step (the video helps). Your filling will be runny if you do not temper your eggs (wait until the lemon mixture is hot, then take a spoonful of the hox mixture and mix it with the eggs, and then return it to the hot mixture).
- Don't forget the butter...I did
- Pour the hot mixture into the crust when it is piping hot.
- Quickly mix up your meringue (you should already have your egg whites separated with sugar on hand). It only takes a few minutes with your hand mixer and your mixing bowl. You will want to add the meringue to the pie when the filling is still very hot.
- Bake the whole pie - even once you put the meringue on top, you still need to bake it about 10 minutes in the oven.
I sincerely hope this helps some poor soul out there. Impress your mom or your girlfriend or boyfriend and make them fresh homemade pie. :)
On to lemon meringue pie. YUM.
The first "homemade" anything I've - successfully - made in my new apartment is a lemon meringue pie. After 6 grueling hours, 2 failed attempts, and 3 trips to the grocery store, I am here to offer you a FULL PROOF lemon meringue pie.
Here is the link to the recipe that I followed:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-lemon-meringue-pie/
PS - There is a very helpful VIDEO you can watch on how to make this that I wish that I had watched BEFORE attempting.
So first things first - stock up on groceries. The groceries are easy and inexpensive. The first mistake I made was buying a graham cracker crust. NO. DO NOT BUY A GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST, it will not work. In the frozen section of the grocery store, a Pillsbury pre-made pie crust will be there. We can try tackling home made pie crust another day. Other than that, get everything else listed on the allrecipes.com ingredient list.
Next, take a trip to your local kitchen supply store or super target or something. If you are not living at home, I guarantee you don't have the supplies needed to make this pie.
You will need:
1) ingredients
2) stainless steel mixing bowl
3) a hand mixer
4) an oven
5) measuring cups
6) a grater
7) a sauce pan
8) serious patience
If you have all of these things, follow the recipe on the site. It is very self explanatory, once you are prepared - that is. Now I just want to offer you nuggets of info. that they don't tell you on allrecipes.com because these people know how to cook.
- You cannot, I repeat CANNOT make meringue in a plastic bowl with a whisk. Neither of those things will yield meringue. And you will develop carpal tunnel. A hand mixer at my local CVS was $14 and the stainless steel mixing bowl was $9.
- BAKE the pie crust. Once you thaw it, you don't just wait to pour the scolding hot filling in. You need to bake the crust simultaneously while you are making the lemon filling.
- Follow the recipe step by step (the video helps). Your filling will be runny if you do not temper your eggs (wait until the lemon mixture is hot, then take a spoonful of the hox mixture and mix it with the eggs, and then return it to the hot mixture).
- Don't forget the butter...I did
- Pour the hot mixture into the crust when it is piping hot.
- Quickly mix up your meringue (you should already have your egg whites separated with sugar on hand). It only takes a few minutes with your hand mixer and your mixing bowl. You will want to add the meringue to the pie when the filling is still very hot.
- Bake the whole pie - even once you put the meringue on top, you still need to bake it about 10 minutes in the oven.
I sincerely hope this helps some poor soul out there. Impress your mom or your girlfriend or boyfriend and make them fresh homemade pie. :)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Quarter Life Crisis (QLC)
A quarter-life crisis isn't really a new concept but the economic climate and job market that the current 20-something generation faces, in my humble opinion, is amplifying the effect and prevalence of QLC's. I began to experience my QLC last summer after I finished my first year at my second university when I found out that I would not be receiving enough financial aid to return to school in the fall...great. On top of that, my boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me...fucking FANTASTIC, right? I started to panic and began asking myself questions like, "will I ever get my degree?" "did I waste my time busting my ass all of these years to get good grades?" "I wonder if I could qualify as an independent?" and then it turned into "WILL I DIE AS A CAT LADY ALL ALONE?!" and "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH MY GRANDPARENTS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!"
I needed a break. So I went to visit some of my good friends in Brooklyn to get my mind off of things. I hadn't laughed that hard in so long. I discovered that 40's of PBR, rooftop party hopping, and shopping at second hand stores distracted me from the problems at hand. In fact, I loved it so much, I moved to Brooklyn the following week and fell even deeper into my QLC. I worked 3 jobs inconsistently, spent all of my money (and a lot of my family's) on clothes and bagels, and did anything that I could to keep my mind off of what I was going to realistically do with my life. 3 months later I was depressed, had no money, pissed off a lot of family that cared about me, hadn't enrolled in school for the following semester, and was still eating Kraft's single cheese because I didn't know how to - and didn't care - to figure out how to cook.
Unfortunately, all of this needed to happen for me before I could get back on my feet again. I am now attending school, live with my new boyfriend, have a job...but I'm still trying to figure all of this out. I'm happy that I fell flat on my face, but now that I've risen again I need to learn how to re-live life independently as a 21 year old. I cook (most of the time), I don't rely on my parent's for my rent or much else for that matter, but EVERYDAY I am faced with new challenges and I'm sure a lot of you are too.
Keep revisiting my blog - I will post when I discover an easy and delicious new recipe or how to dress for different types of interviews, or how to paint and update your childhood bedroom furniture - now that our parents decide to love us from afar, this is where I will put of the stuff that either you can't, or won't, or are too embarrassed to ask for.
Regards,
KTB
I needed a break. So I went to visit some of my good friends in Brooklyn to get my mind off of things. I hadn't laughed that hard in so long. I discovered that 40's of PBR, rooftop party hopping, and shopping at second hand stores distracted me from the problems at hand. In fact, I loved it so much, I moved to Brooklyn the following week and fell even deeper into my QLC. I worked 3 jobs inconsistently, spent all of my money (and a lot of my family's) on clothes and bagels, and did anything that I could to keep my mind off of what I was going to realistically do with my life. 3 months later I was depressed, had no money, pissed off a lot of family that cared about me, hadn't enrolled in school for the following semester, and was still eating Kraft's single cheese because I didn't know how to - and didn't care - to figure out how to cook.
Unfortunately, all of this needed to happen for me before I could get back on my feet again. I am now attending school, live with my new boyfriend, have a job...but I'm still trying to figure all of this out. I'm happy that I fell flat on my face, but now that I've risen again I need to learn how to re-live life independently as a 21 year old. I cook (most of the time), I don't rely on my parent's for my rent or much else for that matter, but EVERYDAY I am faced with new challenges and I'm sure a lot of you are too.
Keep revisiting my blog - I will post when I discover an easy and delicious new recipe or how to dress for different types of interviews, or how to paint and update your childhood bedroom furniture - now that our parents decide to love us from afar, this is where I will put of the stuff that either you can't, or won't, or are too embarrassed to ask for.
Regards,
KTB
Class of 20__
I hope that this blog can serve to save someone some trouble as all of us 20-something's stumble through our quarter-life crisis (QLC). I made this blog because I'm tired of listening to parent's and grandparent's complain about their 401 K's, taxes, having to work until 55, the price of milk, and how our generation doesn't have our shit together. I'm 21, living on my own for the first time (well, kind of - more on that later...) and just like so many other people my age, starting my life with a whole lot of debt, 2 years left of college, an internship AND a job, and not a clue in the world as to what I'm doing. OF COURSE I don't have my shit together. I don't care if you grew up extremely privileged in the suburbs or if you had a rough raising - chances are that if you're in college and/or on your own for the first time, you're probably experiencing a bit of an identity crisis. I consider myself to be a very organized, ambitious, well-rounded, educated individual but sometimes, I just don't know what the FUCK I am doing. Whether it's trying to figure out the best way to study for a foreign language exam, how to cook a homemade lemon meringue pie, how to submit my tax return, how to pick my class schedule just right, how to get a peach juice stain out of my new white pants, the right way to quit a job over e-mail, etc...
Over the next year (and hopefully more), I would like to dedicate myself to sharing my experiences with my quarter-life crisis with you so that we can all navigate this together and make our QLC's just a little bit easier.
Regards,
KTB
Over the next year (and hopefully more), I would like to dedicate myself to sharing my experiences with my quarter-life crisis with you so that we can all navigate this together and make our QLC's just a little bit easier.
Regards,
KTB
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