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.
TV will not help you with your studies.
It will not build a network.
It will not provide those once-in-a-lifetime stories college years should provide.
All that being said, I still believe that college students should watch TV.
Read MoreI would encourage all college students to think broadly about their job options at college. Consider what interesting things you might witness on the catering team for your university events company. Think boldly about how your skills might apply in various departments on campus—research, IT, writing, organizing, networking, etc. Be careful, of course, to maintain your focus on your academic goals. But get out there and find out just how broad your opportunities are.
Read MoreA gap year, if taken seriously and strategically, could lead to a much better college experience in both intangible and practical ways. The time might leave you feeling more adventurous, confident, and prepared, while also providing a way to stand out from your peers in college. When applying for scholarships, internships, or jobs, this gap year could be an important part of an overall narrative that adds depth and difference to your resume and skills.
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 MoreFor those who truly love reading for pleasure, college can be a bit of a shock to the system as they suddenly have to re-calibrate all the reading they would like to be doing with the reading they have to be doing. Sometimes, of course, these will overlap: some assigned readings have proven to be life-changing texts for me, and ones I have carried with me and re-read over the years.
Read MoreHere's easy advice for attending campus events: go. Go as often and as attentively as possible. Your campus will offer lectures from visiting scholars; academic conferences; book launches; student-led events and speakers; political talks and rallies; and so much more. Never again are you likely to be surrounded by so much action, and for so little cost in anything but your time.
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 MoreWinter break. You’ve been dying to get here for weeks (if not months), and have focused your whole energy on just getting over the finals finish line and getting back home where you can sleep all morning (into the afternoon?) and not read a single bit of assigned text for days and days on end. You have arrived: break is here and it is good.
At least, mostly good.
Read MoreIf 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 MoreWrite down what your wild dreams are on some idle Thursday afternoon, and see if they match up three Tuesdays from then. Pay attention. I'm a committed advocate for writing things down, and this applies in the area of wild adventure planning as well. Let yourself dream... and then remember what you dreamed.
Read MoreI love podcasts. When I first discovered them during my junior year, they completely changed my relationship with “down time.” I had stumbled upon a massive archive of wit, learning, stories, and advice. For free.
This is a list of twelve of my all-time favorite podcasts. Enjoy!
Read MoreColleges exist in larger communities. This is somewhat obvious—of course the campus is in some physical place with other people nearby somewhere, and of course there are all the many ways that the “real world” interacts with the school and the students.
You should do what you can to engage with this broader range of people and opportunities surrounding your college life.
Read MoreI spent over an hour a day commuting to and from school for three years of my time in Eugene. I didn’t own a car, and I have a deep-seated and irrational (and embarrassing) fear of bicycles. So I walked everywhere, and sometimes took the bus.
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
