By Koi James, Graduate Assistant
Welcome to a new
school year and semester at the University of Miami! For those of you new to
our orange and green family, the mere thought of entering into a new school,
town, and environment may leave you feeling a bit anxious and nervous, but
those feelings are perfectly normal. It is truly an exciting time, where you
are surrounded by like-minded individuals, who will inspire you to be better,
smarter, and stronger. However, college is not meant to be easy: it is meant to
be the greatest period of personal and professional growth in a relatively
short period of time (yes, those four years pass by very quickly). It is,
therefore, imperative to maximize your time in college, developing your brand,
building a strong network, expanding your horizons, and simply enjoying the moment.
I have put together some helpful advice that I wish I was given as I began my
freshman year, to ensure that you make the most of your time at the U.
Developing Your Brand
Branding is not
solely for the cars we drive or the clothes we wear; each person has his or her
own brand, and we develop it in the way we market ourselves. Our brand has to
do with our social media presence, body language and conduct, and professional documents.
It is critical to be active on social media, as technology has allowed us to be
in direct contact with corporations and employers. With that said, your
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (amongst other) pages should reflect the
ambitious, enterprising individuals you actually are. Employers search for
candidates online, so spend some time creating
a polished online personality.
Another critical
aspect of branding is your professional material, which includes your résumés,
cover letters, and personal statements. These documents are tangible
representations of your academic and professional history, so make sure that
you craft aesthetically pleasing documents that highlight your various
accomplishments. Never written a cover letter or résumé before? Visit HireACane and make an appointment with a member of our team,
or stop in during our walk-in
advising hours and we’re happy to help you.
Building a Strong
Network
Networking goes
beyond your 3,000 Facebook friends; this involves developing meaningful
connections with your peers, academic advisors, professors, and experts within
your field. Even though technology has facilitated communication, nothing is
more effective than a face-to-face meeting with someone, where you explain to
them your passion, projects and future goals. Your enthusiasm will ring true,
and that personal contact will make a much bigger impression than a friend
request online.
Take the time to
meet with your professors, and pick their brains: they are important sources of
wisdom and advice that you should take advantage of while in school. Professor
Office Hours are really underutilized, and is an easy way to make meaningful
connections with your professors. Additionally, Toppel offers several Meet-Ups
during the school year, where you can meet with employers in your respective
fields in an environment conducive to striking up a good conversation. We also
facilitate on-campus recruiting and info-sessions with companies, so keep your
eyes open for those events!
Expanding Your
Horizons
The purpose of
college is to become a well-rounded, educated individual, who is able to go on
and achieve success in the professional world. A major should inspire passion
and interest, but electives should not be discounted or considered irrelevant.
These are the classes that add texture to your collegiate career, and expose
you to material that you would not have otherwise been privy to. Therefore,
take a Public Speaking, Introduction to Jazz or Religious Studies class, as these
classes will equip you with skills that can complement your degree, become
potential minors, or at a minimum provide you with knowledge to sound witty and
intelligent at a cocktail party in the future.
Another key
component to diversify your academic portfolio is school involvement. Join
student organizations or clubs that speak to your passion or interest. Becoming
an active member of an organization requires being cooperative, reliable and
responsible, especially if you are in charge of executing a huge campus event.
You learn to work on teams, create goals and realize a project to completion,
which can be a source of great pride. This involvement can then be added to
your résumé, and act as significant talking points during an interview or a
personal statement. Also, you will meet some cool people, who can possibly
become lifelong friends!
Simply Enjoying the
Moment
The four years of
college pass by very quickly, so even though you should maximize each moment,
it is just as important to relish the experiences and memories created here.
Read a book by the UC pool, lay out on the greens, or sit in front of Starbucks
or the lake and have a meaningful conversation with a friend. Those moments
make up the mental collage that encapsulates your time at the University of
Miami. It may be difficult to find the time to do these things in between
classes and extra-curricular involvement, but these moments rejuvenate your
spirit and teach you lessons that cannot be learnt in the classroom.
Greatness doesn’t
happen overnight, and that’s why the collegiate experience lasts a few years.
To truly succeed at the University of Miami, you must be persistent, willing to
stumble and get back up, and be vulnerable.
The journey will be bumpy, but you are surrounded by fellow students,
advisors, and the Toppel Career Center staff that can help you achieve your
goals and navigate this tricky, but rewarding, experience.
We think you’re
#kindofabigdeal and are here to help whenever you are ready to walk through our
doors with all of the above, so we hope to see you soon!
