On classes
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- 1.) Don’t take “easy” classes. Even if you really need a GPA boost, I wouldn’t take easy classes.
You’re paying thousands of dollars per class to learn something new, to have your mind expanded, and hopefully learn something that will help you during your career.
So why would you drop hundreds, if not several thousand, dollars on a class that will boost your GPA minimally and mostly give you information that you could have found with an Internet search?
- 2.) Don’t take classes with “easy” professors. Okay, so now you’re thinking, “I’ll just take something difficult, like O-Chem, with an easy professor. That way I won’t kill my GPA and I’l learn learn something!”
Still, don’t do it. It’s one thing if your professor tries to make things enjoyable and give you quirky assignments to reinforce the material.
It’s entirely another if the professor has a reputation for doling out B+’s and A’s like there’s no tomorrow. Grading/making sure that you learn something should not take a back seat to making sure that you have fun.
Not only will you learn very little and not be challenged, but you’ll also have wasted time and money that could have been spent on a class that would have taught you something useful.
You can always check with websites like Rate My Professor to see what others have to say about a teacher.
- 3.) Don’t be late and don’t skip classes unless you absolutely have to do. It’s rude and disrepectful to repeatedly show up late.
You may also miss important information about upcoming assignments or information that could be put on a test. It’s not too hard to leave your dorm or apartment a few minutes early if it means not putting your grades in jeopardy.
- 4.) Don’t goof off in class. You’ll have class 10 to 15 hours a week, and most of what the professors says can’t be founded in a textbook or online lecture.
Put away the distractions (phones, laptops, etc.) and actually listen to what your professor has to say. That’s why you’re paying to be there, after all.
- 5.) Don’t monopolize the conversation. People are paying to hear the professor, not you. By all means, it’s fine to ask questions in class, ask for clarification, and even bring up counterpoints.
But at some point, it’s better to save your questions and debating for after class so that other students can learn what they came to learn.
Besides, the professor may ultimately have a more informative and engaging debate with you if you can do it privately during office hours than in front of an audience.
- 6.) Speak up in class. Don’t be a wallflower.
People say stupid things all of the time, so why should you be worried about doing the same? College is a time to explore, to have your beliefs challenged, and to engage in debates with others, not the time to be self-conscious.
If you have a different perspective or know the answer to a question, just say it. Even if you’re wrong, chances are that no one else will remember it a few weeks from now.
And what if you say something really stupid that your teacher repeats to classes years and years after graduating? So what, you’re famous, and something you said is being used to teach others. It’s a win-win.
On internships, jobs, and your professional reputation
- 1.) Have a personal and professional social media presence. According to a 2017 survey by Career Builder,will screen a candidate using social before hiring them, and to interview a job seeker who they can’t find online.
So basically, you need to have a professional social media presence, and not just a LinkedIn profile that you update every 6 months. Be active on social media, network with others, and post content that’s helpful to others in your field.
If you use social media for personal purposes, make sure that you double check the privacy settings.
- 2.) Network, network, network. I truly didn’t understand the importance of networking during undergrad. I thought that if I cold emailed a handful of people to “pick their brain” (Note: never use that terms, it’s cliche), they would want to open doors for me and I would land a job with little effort.
That’s not how networking works. First of all, cold emails can work, but in my opinion aren’t as effective as other means.
Networking also doesn’t mean wearing awkward business clothes and “my name is” nametags and having vapid introductory small talk with strangers.
Go to Meetup .com and look for events to go to, ideally those in your field. Talk to people, take an interest in them, hand out your business card, and keep in touch.
Maintain relationships with your professor ever after taking their class.
Answer questions for people on Quora or Reddit or Medium. Leave meaningful comments on people’s blogs and social media accounts.
Create a YouTube series or blog talking about your field.
Attend conferences and professional develop workshops where you can meet working professionals in your field.
Intern. Start freelancing.
Basically, force yourself out there, meet people, and try to make a meaningful connection with some of them.
Also, make sure that you have a strong social media presence so that they can learn more about you and keep in touch.
And finally, read and .
3.) No seriously, network. College is not the time to be a brooding, pensive loner. Having a job means working with other people in some way or another, even if you’re a freelancer, so get out there and meet the people who can help make your career successful.
4.) Are you listening to me? You really need to etwork.
It doesn’t matter if you went to a fancy school or have a “hot” degree. If you don’t get out there and build meaningful professional contacts, the odds really are stacked against you when it comes to getting your dream job.
Why make things unnecessarily harder for yourself?
- 5.) Don’t take an unpaid internship. There are a lot of people there who give good reasons why you should take an unpaid internship.
But I still don’t think you should take one. Here’s why:
You’re a professional. You have skills. They wouldn’t have brought you on as an intern if they didn’t see you as being useful to the company. So even if they make you shred paper or get coffee, they need to pay you for your services. Do you really want to work with a company that doesn’t respect your skills enough to pay you?
If the internship tells you that the experience will more than pay for itself, politely withdraw your application. No internship is so valuable that what you will learn so much that itcompensates for not earning cash money. Money will pay down your enormous student loan debt and let you eat something other than ramen. Last time I heard, student loan lenders won’t let you pay them in experience.
It’s quite easy to justify giving you grunt work or make you the coffee boy since you’re unpaid. But aren’t you in the internships so you can learn something and get real-world experience? If they pay you, however, they may give you better assignments in order to have a return on their investment.
It’s easy to dismiss your skills and potential as an employee since you’re unpaid
If the company gives you grunt work, it’s easy for them to justify not giving you a mentor to guide you since they need to work on the “serious things”
Even if the company likes your work and wants to hire you, not having some a salary means that you have nothing to negotiate from when they do hire you, which means that they may pay you less than you deserve. The same applies if you had an unpaid internship and then worked at another company. After all, why should they pay you what you asked for when you were happy being paid nothing before?
Instead of being an unpaid intern, you could be a paid intern elsewhere or freelancing (and probably learning and networking more than in your unpaid internship)
Many CS and engineering majors land paid internships. So why is it okay to not pay interns who aren’t in CS or engineering?
- 6.) Actively network at internships, and ask to be included on exciting projects. So even if do land a paid internships, there’s still a good chance that they won’t give you exciting or meaningful work. In fact, they may not even have a mentor there to make sure that you get something out of the experience.
After completing your assigned tasks, asks to work on new projects, and occasionally ask out those you work with for coffee or lunch to talk more about the field.
- 7.) Don’t extend your internship unless they will pay you. This goes back to Point #5 above. If they really want you, they need to pay you. If you need the job experience, you’ll probably be better served by working elsewhere to learn new skills or doing freelancing.
Don’t ever feel like this internships is the best that you can get, especially if they won’t hire you or give you a paid internship.
- 8.) Start a blog, YouTube series, or something where you can build your credibility. The workforce is full of people who have the same credentials as you, if not from more impressive schools.
So instead of trying to impress employers with fancy degrees, start gaining recognition and credibility by styling yourself as someone knowledgeable in your field. You could do this by providing valuable content by:
Creating a blog (your website, Quora, Medium, etc.)
Creating a YouTube channel
Having a personal website
Answering questions in your field on Quora/Reddit
Hosting Meetups related to your field
On social life
- 1.) Don’t do stupid stuff — your life, health, and reputation are invaluable. Don’t eat Tide Pods. Don’t get black-out drunk. Don’t join a sorority or fraternity that hazes you. Don’t do anything that puts your health and well-being, or that of others, on the line.
It’s simply not worth it.
- 2.) Go out of your comfort zone. You’ll probably never have access to as many fascinating people and opportunities as you will in college.
Talk to people or go to events that you wouldn’t normally go to, which challenge the way you think or at least give you a new perspective to consider.
Take classes on niche topics outside of your major. Go to art galleries even though you’re not an art aficionado.
Talk to events hosted by the various student political groups. Push yourself to visit your professor during office hours even though you’re shy and afraid of looking foolish.
You’re never going to grow as a person or professional if you only ever do things that you like and unquestioningly want to do.
- 3.) Try to make some friends, or at least good acquaintances. College is not the time to be a pensive brooding academic, despite what teen movies tell you.
Four years is a long time, and good friends and acquaintances can give you advice, help you through difficult times, and celebrate accomplishments with you.
And as I’ve mentioned earlier, they may very well be important members of your professional network as well.
- 4.) Don’t study 24/7. College isn’t just about reading textbooks and writing papers. Make sure that you set aside enough time to enjoy your fellow students and professors, as well as all of the services that you can receive for a steep discount as a student.
Other
1.) Work during your studies. It will make you appreciate the value of hardwork, money, and a college education all the more. It also gives you important people skills, time management skills, and much-needed money.
2.) Start paying off your student loans while in college. You’ll be surprised at how much you end up boring after four years.
Do yourself and you wallet a favor by making regular payments on your loans throughout your undergraduate studies, even if it’s just $20 per month.
- 3.) Take care of your health. Take advantage of your university’s gym. It’s probably nicer than what you’ll be able to afford for a few years after graduating. Eat as much healthy food as possible, and try to get at least eight hours of sleep.
All of those bad health habits will begin to catch up with you and could derail your studies if you’re not careful.