Regardless of whether it's your first trip or last trip off to college this year, it's coming quickly and I'm sure you still have Back to School shopping to do. Walmart has a lot of great items for dorm rooms and apartments. Each year there are sets of colors they use for all of the major Back to School items. The colors are generally suited to guys and girls, so it's easy to find something you like. The only bad thing about these cool colors is that they change every Back to School season, so don't count on being able to find replacement towels or additional storage containers in the same colors as you already have. Walmart was definitely my favorite place to shop for Back to School items. Target is known for having a comprehensive Back to School packing / supplies list, but there are generally a lot more extravagent items on it, as well as items that may not even be allowed in most dorms. One thing about places like Target and Ikea is that they seem to be more apartment focused than dorm room focused.
You'll never really figure out what all you do and don't need for school. Though La Roche doesn't have a Walmart in the immediate area, there are other nearby stores and there's always Cranberry in a pinch. There's no secret master list of items to bring to school, but there are a lot of base idea lists out there. Because your needs will probably change throughout your 4 years in college, you will likely always be needing different supplies. So best of luck in your shopping endeavors!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Social Media
I'm sure you've had a lot of lecturing about social media and representing yourself on the web. As a graphic designer, I can say that it's a good idea to have an online presence. It definitely helps in networking and finding a job. However, it is true that you should control what is out there on the internet about you. If any of your social media profiles are "open," any of your professors and future employers might stumble upon them and then have a less than favorable opinion of you because of a photo your cousin's friend's boyfriend posted and tagged you in. I'm not saying you can't have any fun or post any crazy pictures, but I do think you need to be careful who you allow to see them. Also, keep in mind you need to be careful who and what you complain about because things can be misinterpreted online.
A good idea prior to going off to college or graduating from college is to "clean up" your profiles. Go through and see if there are any incriminating photos of you or swearing from your friends on your profile. These things definitely WON'T help you get a job if your potential employer happens to stumble across them. Of course, like I said earlier, you have less work to do if you just keep everything private. Speaking of keeping things private, there are some things you should keep public. You SHOULD advertise your name, any school or education you have achieved, and perhaps your hometown or current area (which you can generalize). You do want people to be able to find you online because that's what social media is for. Just remember that anything you have set to public should be flattering or used to identify / clarify your online identity without exposing too much personal information. In summation, you don't have to be paranoid about what you put online, but it does pay to be thoughtful about it.
A good idea prior to going off to college or graduating from college is to "clean up" your profiles. Go through and see if there are any incriminating photos of you or swearing from your friends on your profile. These things definitely WON'T help you get a job if your potential employer happens to stumble across them. Of course, like I said earlier, you have less work to do if you just keep everything private. Speaking of keeping things private, there are some things you should keep public. You SHOULD advertise your name, any school or education you have achieved, and perhaps your hometown or current area (which you can generalize). You do want people to be able to find you online because that's what social media is for. Just remember that anything you have set to public should be flattering or used to identify / clarify your online identity without exposing too much personal information. In summation, you don't have to be paranoid about what you put online, but it does pay to be thoughtful about it.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Preparing For an Interview
There are many things to do to ensure you have a successful interview. You can find interview tips everywhere, from books to the Internet to your parents and teachers. The company I am currently working for recently interviewed for a freelance position. We had several candidates come in and that led me to remembering my interview pet peeves.
1. Dress up. Wear your Sunday best for an interview. Girls, wear a nice business suit or blouse and skirt with dress shoes. Guys, wear a suit and tie with dress shoes. You would be surprised at the number of people who can't make this initial impression a good one.
2. Show up before "on time." Take a test drive out to the location of your interview if that's what it takes. Know for a fact how much time it should take you to get there and what kind of traffic there should be at the time you're heading there. Showing up 5 minutes early is better than showing up exactly on time and both are better than showing up even one minute late. Yes, things happen, but you should be responsible enough to take that into account. Twenty minutes early is a good goal to aim for. You don't want your interviewers to be looking at the clock in frustration because you are wasting their time even before you get there. Don't be lazy. Be early.
3. Your chosen career field may have a specific jargon, but remember to gauge your audience as you speak with your interviewers. If they look bored, perhaps you are being too technical and need to tone it down a little. You want to show your expertise, but it's important to know how to relate yourself to your audience.
4. Always follow up. After an interview, ALWAYS write a thank you letter or email to thank your interviewers for taking the time to meet with you. It highly impresses your interviewers and is more than worth the short amount of time you should spend on it.
These four things are guaranteed to leave a good impression with your interviewers and give you a fruitful interview experience. Good luck to everyone!
1. Dress up. Wear your Sunday best for an interview. Girls, wear a nice business suit or blouse and skirt with dress shoes. Guys, wear a suit and tie with dress shoes. You would be surprised at the number of people who can't make this initial impression a good one.
2. Show up before "on time." Take a test drive out to the location of your interview if that's what it takes. Know for a fact how much time it should take you to get there and what kind of traffic there should be at the time you're heading there. Showing up 5 minutes early is better than showing up exactly on time and both are better than showing up even one minute late. Yes, things happen, but you should be responsible enough to take that into account. Twenty minutes early is a good goal to aim for. You don't want your interviewers to be looking at the clock in frustration because you are wasting their time even before you get there. Don't be lazy. Be early.
3. Your chosen career field may have a specific jargon, but remember to gauge your audience as you speak with your interviewers. If they look bored, perhaps you are being too technical and need to tone it down a little. You want to show your expertise, but it's important to know how to relate yourself to your audience.
4. Always follow up. After an interview, ALWAYS write a thank you letter or email to thank your interviewers for taking the time to meet with you. It highly impresses your interviewers and is more than worth the short amount of time you should spend on it.
These four things are guaranteed to leave a good impression with your interviewers and give you a fruitful interview experience. Good luck to everyone!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Who is Your Roommate?
Roommates are a fantastic college experience, whether your friendship with them ends up working out or not. If I recall, it's about time to be getting your rooming information in the mail. This is an exciting time! With the popularity of social media, as soon as you get your rooming information in the mail, you can go on Facebook to learn more about your roommate(s). I would highly recommend getting to know your roommate(s) before you arrive at school in the fall. It's good to learn a little bit about each other so that you can be friendly before you have to live together. Good questions to ask are if the other person is a morning or night person, what time they go to bed, if they're a light sleeper or not, and what their study habits are. If you're planning on rooming with a good friend of yours, always be advised that ALL of the college advice books tell you not to do this. Living with someone gives a different perspective on your relationship with them.
Let's say you are planning on rooming with a good friend or two. It's a natural decision because you know them and are comfortable hanging out with them. You then don't have to worry about not knowing your roommate(s) prior to living together. However, things you may not have known about your best friend:
-Maybe they're a loud snorer and it makes it impossible for you to sleep at night.
-Maybe they refuse to clean or take out the trash.
-Maybe they spend 3 hours in the bathroom each day.
-Maybe they borrow your clothes or shoes without asking.
-Maybe they want their boyfriend or girlfriend to stay over all the time.
The point is, a lot of things can go wrong with roommates whether or not you are best friends and it's always best to keep things civil. Go into each rooming year with some idea of who the person is. Take a genuine interest in them and that will lead to civility if not a new friendship. It's always good to compare what you're planning on bringing to your room in the fall so that roommates don't end up with duplicates. It's also good to come up with a sort of Roommate Agreement or Roommate Contract. This is something you and your roommate(s) can do between yourselves to determine what kinds of things will and won't be tolerated as you live together. Things to include may be a trash schedule or a bathroom cleaning schedule, noise conditions, and even bedtime routines. As long as everyone can agree on what goes into this contract, everyone should be able to follow it and maintain a happy rooming situation. If anything goes awry from this contract, your Resident Assistant can help you sort things out. Most times rooming disputes are fairly easy to handle. If your RA intervenes but it does not help, you can go to Resident Life and they will help you. Sometimes, if a more serious issue is the heart of the roommate problem, the college counselors will be brought in to help you sort through things. If the issue is completely unable to be resolved, you may receive a new roommate or be moved to a new room. La Roche is really good about roommate situations and trying to resolve them to the benefit of everyone involved. The majority of the time, you really do become good friends with your roommates. So good luck with your new roomies this fall!
Let's say you are planning on rooming with a good friend or two. It's a natural decision because you know them and are comfortable hanging out with them. You then don't have to worry about not knowing your roommate(s) prior to living together. However, things you may not have known about your best friend:
-Maybe they're a loud snorer and it makes it impossible for you to sleep at night.
-Maybe they refuse to clean or take out the trash.
-Maybe they spend 3 hours in the bathroom each day.
-Maybe they borrow your clothes or shoes without asking.
-Maybe they want their boyfriend or girlfriend to stay over all the time.
The point is, a lot of things can go wrong with roommates whether or not you are best friends and it's always best to keep things civil. Go into each rooming year with some idea of who the person is. Take a genuine interest in them and that will lead to civility if not a new friendship. It's always good to compare what you're planning on bringing to your room in the fall so that roommates don't end up with duplicates. It's also good to come up with a sort of Roommate Agreement or Roommate Contract. This is something you and your roommate(s) can do between yourselves to determine what kinds of things will and won't be tolerated as you live together. Things to include may be a trash schedule or a bathroom cleaning schedule, noise conditions, and even bedtime routines. As long as everyone can agree on what goes into this contract, everyone should be able to follow it and maintain a happy rooming situation. If anything goes awry from this contract, your Resident Assistant can help you sort things out. Most times rooming disputes are fairly easy to handle. If your RA intervenes but it does not help, you can go to Resident Life and they will help you. Sometimes, if a more serious issue is the heart of the roommate problem, the college counselors will be brought in to help you sort through things. If the issue is completely unable to be resolved, you may receive a new roommate or be moved to a new room. La Roche is really good about roommate situations and trying to resolve them to the benefit of everyone involved. The majority of the time, you really do become good friends with your roommates. So good luck with your new roomies this fall!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Getting Involved
Getting involved is an important thing to do while you're in college. La Roche has many different clubs and activities to help you be involved. La Roche also makes it pretty easy to start your own club based on your own interests. It's almost impossible to get through college at La Roche without being involved in at least one thing.
After college and even during the summers it's harder to stay involved. While you can stay inside all day and play video games, it's not advised. When you have a full-time job, you very well may come home from work and be absolutely exhausted. You might be very inclined to sit down and watch tv all evening after you get home. I'm in this predicament right now. I hate to waste time but at the same time, I'm worn out at the end of a long day. This makes me realize that I need to get involved. There are opportunities everywhere...it's just a matter of finding them. My local library has a program called Chicks With Sticks which is a knitting group. Other places to look for social opportunities are churches, hospitals, soup kitchens, humane societies, nursing homes, girl or boy scouting, Habitat for Humanity and community centers. It can be very rewarding to be involved and it also gives you something to do.
After college and even during the summers it's harder to stay involved. While you can stay inside all day and play video games, it's not advised. When you have a full-time job, you very well may come home from work and be absolutely exhausted. You might be very inclined to sit down and watch tv all evening after you get home. I'm in this predicament right now. I hate to waste time but at the same time, I'm worn out at the end of a long day. This makes me realize that I need to get involved. There are opportunities everywhere...it's just a matter of finding them. My local library has a program called Chicks With Sticks which is a knitting group. Other places to look for social opportunities are churches, hospitals, soup kitchens, humane societies, nursing homes, girl or boy scouting, Habitat for Humanity and community centers. It can be very rewarding to be involved and it also gives you something to do.
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