Students blog

For most students, the first three years of college are grueling and long. Constantly trying to bump the GPA, get involved on campus, and make as much of a difference as possible. But once senior year comes around, most people are ready for some relaxing. Whether it be during or after senior year, you should give yourself a bit of time to enjoy yourself before you get into the real world. Personally, I wanted to find a way of enjoying myself during AND after senior year. So, I have done a few things and have a few things planned, but I want to tell you what fun things you can do to make your last true summer unforgettable.

Take that dream vacation

This option, of course, takes a decent bit of financial planning in order to pull off. For me, I have always wanted to hike somewhere that’s so high that it helps me conquer my incredible fear of heights (yeah, don’t ask). So I am taking a trip to Norway for three weeks to hike up some of the most beautiful mountains and fjords. Since you don’t know when exactly your next truly free chunk of time is, fill it with a trip you’ve always dreamed of!

Take time for yourself

I think too many people don’t take enough time for their own personal health and well-being. This summer, make time for yourself – whether that be meditating, reading, listening to music, or just doing something you love by yourself. As someone who’s worked hard on personal health, I can tell you that it helps you be happier and calmer. Also, Netflix and food can be good for you too :).

Try to learn something new

When you have a million things going on, it’s hard to find time to tackle something new. For me, I had always wanted to learn a completely different language and learn to play guitar. I ended up choosing to learn guitar. Because I’ll be learning something that I’ve really wanted to learn, I will be able to stay driven and will be able to sufficiently fill any free time to learn this craft.

Do what you love

You don’t necessarily have to do something new with your extra time in the summer. You can also just do what you love. Whether that be sleeping, running, going to the beach, whatever! Use the time to make yourself happy by sticking with your favorite things. Personally, I’ve played golf my whole life and I plan on playing a LOT this summer!

It’s one of the widest caught illnesses of academic careers – Senioritis. Merriam-Webster’s definition of Senioritis (yep, it’s in the dictionary) is “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades”. Almost every senior can say that they’ve gotten it and it’s very hard to “cure”. Once you start to slack and lose motivation, it takes a lot to get that motivation back.

Even though my senior year has only been two months long, I have experienced a bad case of Senioritis and found my way out. Here are some tips on how you can, too:

Volunteer for something you believe in

Recently, I’ve been volunteering at a local food bank. It has been re-energizing and brought back a bit of drive! I will also be trying to volunteer at the Wake County SPCA soon because who doesn’t love some animals? The point here is that volunteering can help take up time while also filling your heart with a bit of energy and purpose.

Take up a new hobby

Usually Senioritis comes along with less credit hours/easier courses, leading to a decline in care. Filling up your day with things that you like will wake you right up from that Senioritis slumber. For the first three years of college, I didn’t play quite as much golf as I’d have liked. So, when Senioritis hit, I realized that I wanted to put more time into my golf game, which kept me focused and determined on and off the course.

Take a course solely because it interests you

Too many times people get caught up in their list of required courses. Unless you try to have 6 majors and 4 minors, you should have a bit of a credit hour gap towards the end of your college career. Try filling this bit of extra time with a course that seems interesting. Usually to graduate you need some elective courses, so here’s your chance! Basket weaving? Go for it! 1800’s European History? GO FOR IT! Try something out that interests you. I decided to take on a coding-intensive class to learn some basics; it really intrigued me and kept me focused in the classroom.

Get ahead and plan your after-college life

One of things I feel like college students fear is the real world. You may hear “ugh, I wanna get out of this town and live my life,” but how serious are they? Are you ready for taxes? Insurance premiums? Emergency funds? Down payments? Yeah. Very few are. So, now that you have some time in your day, try to tackle some of those big challenges early. Talk to some people and try and understand the finances behind real life so that you can start saving and planning out your budget. My older sister has already graduated and I recently asked her to help me understand how to work my finances so that I can live the life I want to live out of college. Nothing wrong with being prepared!

So, while Senoritis might not have a prescribed cure, there are certainly things you could be doing during your last year of college to be more productive! These are just a few ideas that I have come up with, but I’m sure it’s enough to fill up a bit more of your time!

Securing an internship can be one of the most stressful parts of college life. Each step along the way – the career fairs, the networking events, and the interviews – can overwhelm students. The work doesn’t end there though. Performance in the internship is just as important. As a junior at North Carolina State University, this is my experience through the internship process.

Learn to open doors

As a freshman, I found myself scrambling to create a perfect resume to get my dream internship. My older sister, who was a junior when I was a freshman, was out getting internships left and right. Without studying her strategy, I tried to expose myself to my dream companies thinking that I had what it took to get in the door. Wow, I was wrong! After getting shut down, I asked my sister what I needed to change in order to get recognition in front of these companies. She advised me to learn how to make connections in the areas I was interested in. I also had to learn how to use those connections appropriately to network for available internships. Once I got a handle on that, the internship offers began to materialize.

Tips to Success from Day 1

After building up my resume, attending networking events, and getting interviews, I landed a summer internship my freshman year. From this internship, I learned six key experiences and tips along the way that any incoming intern should know:

1. Come prepared on the first day. Know about the company and what your role will be.
2. Meet as many people in the organization as possible. Linking names and faces will allow you to share experiences with more people, while creating a positive association with your coworkers and superiors.
3. Try new things. Just because you don’t know how something is done doesn’t mean you can’t try! Putting yourself in new situations will allow you to learn new things and become more useful to the organization.
4. Build relationships and connections. Just meeting people won’t be enough to be a good intern. It is important to continue conversations and build relationships with the people around you. This makes the workplace more fun, plus you can receive great recommendations from coworkers.
5. Ask for advice and tips. The people around you would love to give you feedback on your experiences – good and bad. Never hesitate to ask for tips for your future or how to improve. Nobody’s perfect, but learning will make your next internship even better!
6. Stay connected after you leave. Just because the internship is over doesn’t mean the communication has to stop. Some companies would love to have you back for another internship, or stay connected for job opportunities after college. Any connection you make during an internship is an important one, so make sure to keep the connection going forward.

By utilizing these tips, I was able to get a great recommendation from my freshman year internship. That helped me land a Marketing Specialist Intern with Cisco for this summer. By getting the help I needed with my resume building and sales pitch, I got in the door to show off my skills to employers. Remember to be confident and honest throughout the interview and internship process, and you won’t go wrong!

Which one of the tips do you like the most? Any tips you think are worthy? Start the conversation in the comments below!

As a college student, staying healthy is easier said than done. Once the assignments, projects, and exams pile on, it’s hard to find the time to work on one of the most important things – YOU! I can personally say there have been days, even weeks, where I can’t even fathom the idea of working out or going out of my way to get a salad when there’s a pizza joint across the street.

Even when it’s hard, we need to stay on top of the things that keep us going. Eating right and being active keep our brain running and our bodies happy, allowing us to perform well in the classroom and in the workplace. Here are a few tips and tricks to stay on top of your health:

Make a meal plan for the week

Make a detailed list of the things you will eat throughout the week and when you will be able to make time for those meals. Plan grocery store trips early and get the foods you need to stay healthy and ahead!

Set exercise goals ahead of time

While planning out your food choices, also plan your exercise schedule. Whether it be jog two miles each day or do 20 push-ups twice a day, set goals to give yourself something to reach for!

Find friends to keep you honest

Planning the goals is one thing – accomplishing them is something else! Having a few friends to hold you to those goals can make a huge difference! Find a few close friends, express your goals, and tell them to help keep you focused on those goals! Also, sharing your progress on a forum or social media site can help you gain inspiration and motivation!

Movember: A movement to pay attention to

The month of November is well underway, and one of my favorite campaigns is back. The Movember Foundation focuses on men’s health, funding projects to improve men’s health and lower the amount of men dying too young. I encourage everyone to donate a bit of money to this good cause (I have donated) and support the Movember campaign!

What do you do to stay healthy? Share your ideas when you retweet my blog!