Planning Ahead: What to do During the Summer
Hey everyone! Congratulations to all the admitted students of the Class of 2022 reading this, and for prospective Jumbos, good luck with your college visits and applications.
Summer plans are probably what college students stress about the most along with grades. Finding the perfect internship, taking classes, and securing a job are only a few of the ways that college students plan their summers. I'll provide some tips for how to plan ahead while not stressing out too much.
1. Start thinking early. Deadlines for most internships are in March and April and some of the more competitive internships in finance and journalism have deadlines in October, so start looking for opportunities as soon as you can.
2. Use available resources. The Career Center is an excellent place to find out about opportunities, fix up your resume, and connect with alumni across all fields. It is never too early to stop in, so I highly recommend that you do so!
3. Expect to face adversity. You will most likely not get an offer from every company that you apply to intern or work for, and summer class work can be intense since you do a semester's amount of work in half the time. Still keep your head high, though! Your planning, dedication, and hard work will eventually pay off, though not in the ways that you might expect.
4. Know yourself. There's a lot of pressure to have an internship or job planned out for the summer, and while seizing opportunities to gain career experience are important, being yourself is more important. Pursue what you feel will help you to grow and learn the most as a person. Maybe travelling or volunteering satisfies that more than interning, and that's OK! All experiences are valuable, and as long as you can get something out of whatever your summer opportunity may be, then it will be worthwhile and beneficial for you in the long run.