April 30, 2013

Go Beyond Academics And Learn Real Job Skills In College

Be it a philosophy class or a modern art course, college classes will offer plenty of rich and dense academic material for you to soak up. You’ll probably be surprised how much you can still remember about certain subjects years from now. You’ll come across thousands and thousands of individual facts, dates, places, people, and more that you’re all supposed to commit to memory. In that regard, learning sure sounds like a lot of work. While it is manageable, be sure you move beyond just the facts and learn some practical, job-related skills while in college.

Some jobs will require or even just assume that you’re familiar with a variety of computer programs. Since this is the Information Age and you’ve been using computers probably your whole life, employers aren’t expecting to put you through Computer Skills 101 when you come looking for a job. Common computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint are all staples of not just college life, but job life as well. Knowing these programs well will only help you when you’re on the job market. Since so many jobs require using a computer in some regard, be prepared to learn how to use new programs and adapt to new computer systems. So when you’re working on a paper or preparing a presentation, pay attention to more than just the project itself. Make sure your computer skills are above adequate! There’s no need to get too technical, assuming you’re not a computer science major, but it’s worth keeping in mind. And if you don’t know how to create a quick pie chart to visually display early 19th century Latin American emigration patterns, chances are a fellow student does. So just ask!

Don’t spend all your time holed up and learning computer programs, however, or you’ll miss out on the social aspect of college. Going out and being social can actually be a job-skills booster. Most jobs will have you working with other people, so you’ll need proper communicative skills to not only get your pointacross, but to feel comfortable doing it. And if you dislike group projects, college is just the right time to change your attitude. Working well with others might be first taught in Kindergarten, but it’s a skill you should continue to hone in college. Think your ideas are always better than others’? Work on sharing them constructively and you may persuade others to follow your lead on group assignments. Whether you’re someone who likes taking the lead or prefers to follow orders, group work in college can give you the chance at both positions. You’ll probably end up filling both roles in your working life, so use college as a chance to practice each.

Communicating with others goes well beyond verbal exchanges. You definitely know how to send and receive email, yet since most jobs will have you sending and receiving plenty of emails, how’s your email etiquette and efficiency? Emails, like conversation, can be both formal and informal. If you’re emailing a professor, you can pretend like you’re emailing a future boss. Keep it polite and to the point. Managing your college email also gives a nice lesson on timeliness. Can you respond to important emails quickly, or do you take days? Writing email is different than writing Facebook posts, and you’ll want to keep messages professional, timely, and, focused to practice up for the real world.

Impressing employers can actually be quite simple. It comes down to: what have you done that’s above and beyond? If you skated your way through college and your resume and grades show minimal effort, don’t think employees won’t notice. With the right training, it’s possible to learn the ins and outs of more jobs than you might have even thought yourself qualified for. However, going above your assigned duties will be the best way to impress employers when you’re in the workforce. If your college career shows this effort, you’ll be a much better job candidate and you’ll have proved that you’ve learned one of college’s best lessons.

April 24, 2013

Internships Provide Networking And Job Experience That You Won’t Want To Miss



Internships. Once you get to college this word is going to be stressed regardless of what you decide to study. Internships are your chance to see what a specific job would be like. A lot of people hear the word internship and think of getting coffee for their boss and making copies all day, but those days are pretty much over. Many companies have begun to really take advantage of their interns’ skills and use them to better the company in various ways. 

Internships are crucial, especially if you’re in a broad field. For example, if you’re in nursing school, internships will be beneficial for learning, but when you’re done with school you’re going to become a nurse. In a major like communications you could end up doing a plethora of things upon graduating. An internship at an advertising firm one semester and a magazine during the other will give you a good idea of your likes and dislikes. Internships that turn out great are awesome, but internships that you absolutely hate may be even better because you got a chance to save yourself some trouble after graduation!

So how do you get these internships? If you’re in high school, see if there is an internship class offered. My high school offered a program senior year which allowed you to have a short internship somewhere that may have related to the major you were choosing to study in college. If you’re in college, see if the same type of course is in place. Many colleges will give you course credit for completing an internship, and your department will most likely have a lot of contacts with local professionals in your field. Also, make sure that you network! You never know who someone else knows! The girl you sit next to in class may have a friend who works at the firm you would love to intern for! Don’t be afraid to ask around for professional contacts, but once you get them, remember to return the favor to others down the line.

When you get those internships make sure you are taking advantage of all that they have to offer. Also remember to save everything that you complete while you’re there so that you can have a portfolio of work to take away from this great experience. And again, network! Keep in contact with the people at your internship. Many times your internship supervisor can help you network and get another internship in the area. They may also write you a credible recommendation if you do a good job while interning for them. If you’ve really made a difference at the company they may think of you in the future when a job opens up. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and show off your skills!

- Krista Pilla
Next Step U - NextStepU.com
Read more from Krista at http://nextstepu.wordpress.com

April 17, 2013

Mastering That Personal Essay And Other Personal-Experience-Based Papers

The personal essay can be one of the trickiest parts of the college application. What’s right and what’s wrong and what’s good and what’s bad aren’t as clear cut as bubbling in the correct answer on some sheet. Even if you’ve already submitted all your college apps and wrote an awesome personal essay, it’s still a good topic of discussion. Most colleges require at least one writing course in their undergrad curriculum, and some of those papers will probably require you to talk about yourself. Essentially you’ll have to write an extended personal essay, so bear these tips in mind for your future personal essay or the memoir-like papers you’ll have to write in college.

It can be surprisingly difficult to write about yourself. You know yourself better than anyone, and yet trying to write about a certain earth-shattering personal experience proves tough. Whatever experience it was, your vision and memories of it will be foreign to whomever reads it. That has to be kept in mind, as it relates to one of the most important aspects of the personal essay: keeping it detailed. A lot of essays aren’t as engaging as they could be because they lack details. Don’t just say it was a good or meaningful experience, say why. There’s no need to load your essay so full of descriptive sentences that it stalls up and slows down, however it’s a good idea to bring the reader in with some sharp details. If you’re writing about some sports championship game, write about what you remember seeing and hearing and how you felt. Colleges read hundreds of essays, so one that draws them in will get their attention.

Bringing in some details also relates to the concept of showing versus telling. You’ll keep that essay more engaging if you can show solid examples in your essay. For example, it’s one thing to say you were proud after you won that championship trophy and it’s another to describe how your favorite coach handed you the trophy, as your parents and friends gazed on and you smiled broadly for all the flashing cameras. OK, that was a bit much, but you get the idea. It’s a little scene that shows your were proud without directly saying it. Personal essays that capture this will render a more powerful message than a flat essay that merely lists a bunch of descriptors.

The biggest factor of all will be what you choose to write about. The personal essay is really your chance to shine and to be more than just a list of grades and test scores before a review panel. It’s rather cliched and corny to say, but you’re unique, and you should pick something unique to write about. Really pick a meaningful experience or event to write about. If you just select any old topic, it will be that much harder to write if you don’t have any passion for it. Writing itself can open new ideas about a topic, so you might be surprised what comes to you mind after you start writing.

Most personal essay prompts are very general. For a college application, it might say something like, how will attending this school help you with your educational goals? Of course you could give them a laundry list reasons why. But again, be specific. It’s ok to suck up a bit to a school in a personal essay with a prompt like that. For example, if you plan on majoring in business, mention something great about that college’s business school. Don’t overdo it, but it will show you actually researched the school and, most importantly, that you want to be accepted!

April 9, 2013

Being A Student-Athlete Means Tough Practice Sessions, But Don’t Neglect The Added Benefits



There are some components of college sports that you never really know about until you’re there playing. Some are great, while others aren’t what you would call a pleasant surprise. But I’ll be the first to tell you that the good outweigh the bad when it comes to these extras, I promise! I’ll start with the one major “unpleasant surprise” that comes playing a college sport.

Spring season/Fall ball: These will most likely become your two least favorite set of words for a span of two to three months, whenever your sport has its off season. “Spring season” or “fall ball” is a shortened period of time, when coaches are allowed to hold practice only for a specified amount of days. Depending on your college and division level, there may be a tournament or two to finish off a spring season, but otherwise it’s all practice. For most college athletes this can bring only a few words to mind: running, conditioning, and fitness. It depends on your coaches and what route they chose to take, but oftentimes this is their chance to work on your fitness and basic development. Not exactly the most appealing parts of a sport, but they tend to come with the territory of college sports! No one ever said it would be easy! On the positive side, it gives you a chance to catch up with your teammates, stay physically fit, and continue to play a sport that you love!

Now, as promised, here are some positive extras that you may not have known come along with playing a college sport.

Traveling: You get to travel! Sometimes this may only mean going to another college two hours away that is surrounded only by fields, farms, and a pungent smell. However, other times you may get to travel to some really exciting places. Again this will all be dependent on your team and the league that you play in. Fun trips aren’t just restricted to division one teams either. I’ve had the opportunity at the division three level to take on NYC with my team each year, as we play a team located just outside the city. Most college teams also take fun trips to play games during pre-season or for season openers on the road. You also get to bond with your teammates more when these trips require long bus rides and overnight stays in hotels together! This can prove to be really helpful to a freshman who is new to the team.

Meals: If those trips to fun, exciting places are starting to sound like large dollar signs to you, no need to worry! Coaches have a budget given to them by the athletic department each year. Therefore your meals on these trips are all paid for. Your coach will begin to feel like mom or dad bringing you out to lunch or dinner before and after your games. Pretty cool!

Gear: This one can vary depending on the division level that you play at. Division one and two teams tend to get a lot of free gear, such as sneakers and sweatshirts, because the NCAA allows it. Unfortunately there are rules in place that don’t allow division three teams the same luxury. However, no matter what division, your team will still be likely to order some really cool athletic gear each year sporting your team’s logo. It’s nice to be able to proudly wear your team gear around campus!

These unexpected, added bonuses that come along with college sports are often not largely covered during recruitment trips. So next time you’re visiting a college campus to speak with sports coaches, ask them about these extras. It may give you a better idea of some other things that you may be doing while playing for the team, and it could definitely help in your decision-making process! 

- Krista Pilla
  Next Step U

April 2, 2013

Dorm Rooms Are Not Dumpsters!

* Click those vibrant cans to check out DormCo's Vibrant Mesh Trash Can Squares and watch the YouTube video on the page!

If you watched the short video above, then you saw the Garbage Fairy. As you noticed, he wasn’t the happiest of fairies, and if you don’t keep your dorm room clean, he just might pay you a visit … ok so that fairy was really just a college student with fake wings. But what if he were your roommate? You don’t have to worry about angry fairies, but you do have to worry about angry roommates if you keep your dorm room looking like you’ve been throwing parties every night. And if you have been, hopefully you at least had the decency to invite your roommate!

All kidding aside, keeping your dorm room clean is only fair. If your roommate is neater and cleaner than you, no matter your relationship you owe it to him or to her to keep clean too. If you guys are friends, you don’t want to start any arguments or cause any issues that might taint your friendship. And if you don’t get along very well, keeping a sloppy dorm room while your roommate is clean will only worsen the scenario. Depending on your roommate’s personality, he might not mention the mess, even if it is getting to him. So it’s best to go under the assumption that you roommate would prefer it clean. After all, some people can’t stand messy rooms, but who do you know has a problem with a clean room?

Then again, as shown in the video, maybe both of you just aren’t the tidiest of college students. Does this mean it’s ok to have dirty laundry and food wrappers decorating your dorm room? No! When friends and guests come to visit, they might not appreciate any lingering odors or having to clear a pile of trash just to find a seat … on the floor. Also, if your dorm room is truly in a disgusting state at the end of the year, expect a fine for the extra cleaning that’s needed. Plus, it’s just selfish to keep such a dirty dorm room. Other students will be living in that room when you’re gone. If there’s food ground into the carpet and strange substances growing on the walls, would you want to live there?

The best way to keep your dorm room clean is to never let it get messy. And think of it this way: that’s pretty sad and pathetic if you’re not responsible enough to throw out your trash and wash your clothes when they’re dirty! Perhaps you’re not looking to grow up anytime soon, but hopefully you’re adult enough to keep yourself and your dorm room clean.