College Refocusing: Stay on same track? Change things up? A bit of both?

[WillDaSnail]

So after my successful first semester in college, I looked back to what I did right, and what I did wrong during the semester. But of course, one nagging question that has dogged me during break is "what can I do differently for subsequent semesters and beyond?". In other words, what can I do to make my college experience worthwhile in the short amount of time I have?

Relevant past/current situation: Finished first semester with a 3.54 GPA, which I was very happy about, albeit with a few mishaps that could have been avoided along the way (and end result would have been a 3.6 or a 3.7 GPA, but not going to cry a river over that; what's done has been done). On top of that, I also have junior year standing coming into my second semester of college, which gave me priority for classes (somewhat). I'm currently a history and political science double major, with more emphasis on political science as my future career(s) will be in politics in some shape or form; I'm on track to graduate with those major(s) by May 2014, one year early.

However, in order to earn the GPA I got first semester, I worked my ass off like never before, which meant studying 6 days a week, 4-6, sometimes 7 hours a day on average. I avoided weekend parties, resisting peer pressure to do so, and stayed in my room simply because I didn't want to do anything that could very much screw up the last shot I had at a bright future (and I'm not kidding about this, I was very much on my last legs after screwing up high school pretty badly. Those who know me well know what I'm talking about).

Of course, though, I also wanted to go out there, meet a variety of people, and help out with activities. I joined a number of student organizations, and became part of the student government when I was appointed as a student representative a couple of months back. Lots of fun, and it was a great change of scenery from studying at various times. xD

For second semester, I'm lightening my course load just a bit in anticipation I may get a job or do an internship (but the chances of getting an internship for the upcoming semester has been shot down to 0; more on that later in this post)

To Southperry: Looking into my second semester of college and beyond, what should I do/change that might make college a bit more various/exciting for me? Any general/specific suggestions? I'd like to hear them!

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Now to a second dilemma I have: internships

At this point in time, I have junior-year standing, which means earlier class registration periods (and being ahead of my peers by 2-3 semesters' worth of coursework). If things go the way they are currently, I will be graduating in 3 years (May 2014) with a double major.

With that said, I have a massive dilemma: Getting internships. Being so far ahead, I'm now finding myself having to race against time, and have to start picking up relevant internships/work experience. At this point in time, I don't have any previous (college) internship/work experience to use on my resume. And I may have to dip into my high school experience to cover my ass until then, which might prove to be a huge disadvantage. And sadly, I was not able to get any spring internships simply because I asked way too late (but then again, I was focusing solely on that academics so I could have a solid GPA going into my second semester of college).

My big question is: Being a first-year (now-junior?) college student with little relevant work/internship experience, how should I "sell myself" on my resume when I apply to certain programs and internships? Also, should I take an on-campus job for the upcoming semester? Will that hurt me in any way or form?

[KhainiWest]

It's hard to answer those questions because based on your major's I don't know what would be applicable job's for you in the first place. I would look towards the school, they should have some type of program to help you and even format your resume.

[Yabloki]

I'm no history/poly-sci double major, but I am a psychology major with only one semester left until I get my BA and go onto law school. :). And as far as the internship goes, I think you're thinking about it a little hard. Sure, people want qualified interns, but if my own previous search for an internship has taught me anything, it's that interns are basically free money. You're going to have more hurdles to cross for the more prestigious internships, but at the end of the day, being an unpaid intern sells itself. That said, I think getting an on-campus job will probably ruin your academic streak, without benefiting your internship search at all. I'm actually surprised too that you couldn't find anything. I got my internship a week before school started, and I knew people who didn't get theirs until two weeks after.

It's harder to comment on the general college suggestions, only because I've found myself gifted in life enough to be able to get your GPA without even reading the class book or studying at all for any test, midterm, or final. I don't know what sort of past you had in high school with parties and the like either. The only thing I can really think of though is to not completely smother yourself in school. I don't study for 10 minutes a day, so I can't imagine 5 hours, but I can imagine that you are going to burn out by 2014. :C

[WillDaSnail]

I'm actually surprised too that you couldn't find anything. I got my internship a week before school started, and I knew people who didn't get theirs until two weeks after.

For my career path (notably interning in government agencies, interning in senators and congressman/congressswoman's office, or anything related of that sorts), they require you to apply ahead of time. And since I was focusing hard on my academics in my first semester of college, I was a tad bit too late.

I don't know what sort of past you had in high school with parties and the like either.

Since you asked, I'll give you a tl;dr version of how my high school was:

My high school was incredibly competitive, which translated to many of my peers taking advanced courses (ex: AP courses) and pushing themselves to the max (and beyond, at times) to get excellent grades. There were absolutely no parties of any sorts (the you-know what); if anything, social events mostly consisted of people hanging out together, getting food to eat, chat, have fun, etc. Ya know, just keepin' things chill and simple?

With that said, hopefully you can see how my background influenced the things I do in college.

[Yabloki]

I'm unsure how to interpret what you mean when you say that for your career path, they require you to apply ahead of time. In our psychology internship class, it was certainly encouraged to have your internship ahead of time, but that was to weed out people who were too lazy to get one at all. Anybody who spent five minutes talking to the teacher and explaining their situation got the extension they needed. And I guess I don't see what the academic benefit would be (from the teacher's perspective) to require you to have your internship ahead of time. If you mean the actual internship sites, then I think that you need to have a serious look at the pro/con of expanding your search.

Obviously the most advantageous internship would be something like working for someone in Congress, etc, etc. But there are X number of politicians, and probably more interns than they need. Similarly, I was encouraged to apply to the psych wards of local hospitals in my search, however that's what absolutely everybody else was doing as well. Unless you feel like it's absolutely the academically necessary thing in the world to specifically work for, say, a Senator, I really would encourage you to broaden your horizons a little bit. All that aside even, and call me a pessimist for saying this, nobody in my class benefited from their internship, even the ones who worked in the psych ward and such. It's mostly going through the motions and because you're an undergrad, it leaves you unqualified to do anything hugely important. Most of the people I directly talked to thought the class was a joke. Obviously that's psychology, and you're in poly-sci, but I'd encourage you to take a long hard look on the impact of this whole internship situation and see if, perhaps, you should be committing your resources somewhere else.

Based off your high school experience, I'd really only encourage you more to put yourself out there in the college social life. I'd wager that you're probably meeting a very narrow group of people if you're only participating in things like "student government" and "organizations". And that can be great. They wouldn't exist if they weren't beneficial to people. I can't help but think that you might be missing out on a lot of real world experience though, in your pursuit of academic excellence. The quintessential road trip. The late night beach bonfire. Things like that. Ultimately though, these are all just suggestions. I sort of ninja'ed my way through school personally. It takes me 45 minutes to commute to Cal State Fullerton, so I wasn't really down to spend 90 minutes on the road for a 60 minute club meeting. This whole last semester I'm actually going to take online. :).

[WillDaSnail]

I'm unsure how to interpret what you mean when you say that for your career path, they require you to apply ahead of time. In our psychology internship class, it was certainly encouraged to have your internship ahead of time, but that was to weed out people who were too lazy to get one at all. Anybody who spent five minutes talking to the teacher and explaining their situation got the extension they needed.

Well its just that I had to apply for those internships ahead of time (aka, application deadlines) by filling out whatever they asked for. It was just that I was late in doing so because I put academics as my first priority during my first semester in college, and as a result, didn't have time to apply.

[Yabloki]

Oh! Huh. I'd question whether every available internship worked that way, but, I do understand what you mean now. I got blind-sided applying to my internships too. I just had no idea one way or the other, that you needed to apply super far in advance, so I only started looking for an internship a month in advance. I'm sure you can imagine my shock when my teacher hands me a list of internships with all these, "apply 6 months prior" tag lines on them. :C So I feel for you there. They don't do a very good job of communicating in the California college system I guess.

Knowing what I know now, I'd still suggest you not get a campus job. Even toning down your academics, it sounds like that wouldn't be conducive to a pleasant semester, and I'd wager that it won't give you much of a competitive advantage in anything except college store discounts. If you think you can count on getting your internship class for the fall '12 year, then I say, start applying for those internships now. That should be plenty early and hopefully you'll beat out for competition for the fall '12 internship cycle.

[madanthony]

-Take a leadership role in an organization you are active in and enjoy.
-Explore your surroundings. Literally. Go outside. Nothing made me sad like not discovering the bomb-ass bike trail near my campus until the end of my freshman year.
-Study less. Seriously. Just keep yourself above a 3.0.
-If you've never had a paying job of any sort before, you might want one. The only way it could hurt you is if your time management is truly atrocious. Campus jobs are nice because they accept the fact that your education is more important than them. Bonus if it's relevant to your major. If you can't study less and stay above a 3.0, don't get a job.
-If you're worried about being prepared for an internship hunt, contact your career services people. They're helpful. Resume design, interviewing, and all that.
-Think local for political internships as well. Less competitive, I bet. I've got a psych major friend planning on hitting up law school who had an unpaid internship last semester for a county judge. One thing I know he did was serve Court Summons now and then. Dunno what else was involved. He had connections! His girlfriend's dad knew the judge. Connections are good. Ask around.

[Worthyness]

Try to get an internship at the local mayor's office/ possibly state/City government?

Honestly, Don't burn yourself out. I know you're about to graduate, but since you're taking a lighter course load, aim for less stressful classes and a "fun class" in a subject that you enjoy, but would never think of majoring in (I'm like that with history- I enjoy it a lot and just learning about it is really cool, but I wouldn't major in it). Take a PE class if your school offers one- like a martial art/basketball/tennis what have you. If you enjoy it or want to learn it, then this is your chance. Take a random class that may apply to your future internship (like budgeting/personal finance/ economics, etc.) You want to have a very diverse background if you can. You could also just lighten your workload and take a job at a local joint to make some extra money and get work experience.

[Kurtle]

Working will definitely make you happier, even if it's some silly desk position or working in a cafeteria. You'll meet new people and it will occupy your time. Also, you need to lighten up a little, you're definitely missing the college experience. Go out, have fun, drink, go to a party, seriously. I know you don't want to fall under peer pressure, but you really aren't getting the most out of your university if all you're doing is homework in your dorm room, I had never gone to a party until college and I can say going out with a group of people is a great stress relief. There's a reason a saying on campuses is "Study hard, part hard". If your school organizes study groups, join one, those are great ways to meet people and get homework time in. Clubs are nice, try joining a 1-credit exercise class, you'll have fun, have scheduled fitness time, and most definitely meet someone. I managed a 3.5 with a job, partying, going out, having fun, making friends, etc. I feel college isn't really about the material you're studying but time management. Really crunch down on that and your stress will go away, don't play games or watch TV until your homework for the day, etc. is done. It really helps and then you'll actually find yourself with more free time. Live it up and get out of your dorm room, never be there, ever.

[Moonlapse]

Do you have any plans for graduate or professional school?

[KDrumz]

Chemistry and Biochemistry double degree here.. I plan to virtually quit everything internet related, aside from Scholar and my school sites. I spend way too much time on them.

[WillDaSnail]

-Study less. Seriously. Just keep yourself above a 3.0.

I should've mentioned this in my OP -slaps self- but.....

I do have a merit scholarship at the institution I'm attending. And its worth a LOT of money, and allows me to attend that institution as an out-of-state student (think affordability). Lets say its worth $10,000 a year. And to receive that scholarship, I'm required to maintain at least a 3.2 GPA. Which means laxing on my GPA is a massive no-no.

And tbh I have no intention of repeating the same mistake of getting mediocre GPAs in college.

-If you've never had a paying job of any sort before, you might want one. The only way it could hurt you is if your time management is truly atrocious. Campus jobs are nice because they accept the fact that your education is more important than them. Bonus if it's relevant to your major. If you can't study less and stay above a 3.0, don't get a job.

I was thinking about getting an on-campus job (maybe working in the dining halls) for the semester, but I'm just afraid about the ripple impact it would have on my resume. Though, the scheduling flexibility that comes with on-campus jobs is nice, can't deny that.

-Think local for political internships as well. Less competitive, I bet. I've got a psych major friend planning on hitting up law school who had an unpaid internship last semester for a county judge. One thing I know he did was serve Court Summons now and then. Dunno what else was involved. He had connections! His girlfriend's dad knew the judge. Connections are good. Ask around.

I did ask around for local internships, but they don't seem to be everywhere. Hopefully in the near future I can talk to someone who knows the right people to talk to for those internships

Do you have any plans for graduate or professional school?

Yes I do! I do plan to attend grad school for political science a few years after college, and maybe go for a PhD later down the line, but at the very least, I do plan to earn a masters degree.

[Yabloki]

Just to speak up again about the internship thing. :C If you haven't already, I'd strongly suggest getting in contact with an internship professor. They generally tend to carry around lists over where people applied to in the past. Including contact information. And in some cases, flat out tips.

[Moonlapse]

Yes I do! I do plan to attend grad school for political science a few years after college, and maybe go for a PhD later down the line, but at the very least, I do plan to earn a masters degree.

Ah, good then. 4-6 hours is what you should be studying then. I'd say you're on the right track. Just make sure not to take on too many extracurriculars.

[madanthony]

-Study less. Seriously. Just keep yourself above a 3.2.

Fixed.

Ripple effect? Even if it's unrelated to your field, having a job has never counted against a person on a resume.

[Sardines]

Even if it's unrelated to your field, having a job has never counted against a person on a resume.

Getting fired or "terminated" screws you over pretty badly. Probably the second highest scrutinized variable with incarceration being an automatic rejection from any job position these days.

[FrozNlite]

You asked for my opinions:

-Take a leadership role in an organization you are active in and enjoy.
-Explore your surroundings. Literally. Go outside. Nothing made me sad like not discovering the bomb-ass bike trail near my campus until the end of my freshman year.
-Study less. Seriously. Just keep yourself above a 3.0.
-If you've never had a paying job of any sort before, you might want one. The only way it could hurt you is if your time management is truly atrocious. Campus jobs are nice because they accept the fact that your education is more important than them. Bonus if it's relevant to your major. If you can't study less and stay above a 3.0, don't get a job.
-If you're worried about being prepared for an internship hunt, contact your career services people. They're helpful. Resume design, interviewing, and all that.
-Think local for political internships as well. Less competitive, I bet. I've got a psych major friend planning on hitting up law school who had an unpaid internship last semester for a county judge. One thing I know he did was serve Court Summons now and then. Dunno what else was involved. He had connections! His girlfriend's dad knew the judge. Connections are good. Ask around.

This, completely. I know my academic record these past few semesters may not appear to give me credibility with regards to academic advice, but I didn't get the grades I did because I didn't know my pomegranate, so hopefully you'll still consider what I have to say.

GPA is relevant depending on what you want to do after college, but only to a certain degree. For most jobs, it's not - it's the degree in the first place that matters (hence the phrase I hope no one acts upon, "Cs get degrees"). One of my best friends who graduated this past May and is now working at a great job she really enjoys told me that of the dozens of conversations and interviews she had with prospective employees, maybe once or twice she was asked what her GPA was. Almost 95% of time it doesn't matter.

There's a two-part caveat, however: first, she was applying for jobs in written communications/PR, not grad school, PhD programs, or to Google/Microsoft. All of the latter absolutely care about one's GPA, so it's important to give it due focus if such future paths are on your horizon. Also, the rule of thumb I've always heard is, like madanthony said, keep your GPA above a 3.0. One hiring manager for a prestigious Fortune 500 company said his personal rules are anything above a 3.3 isn't questioned, while for anything below a 3.0 you better have a good explanation. Because you need a 3.2 minimum, I'd say always shoot for a 3.3 - 3.5, and you'll be fine.

But that, again, is just one aspect of the whole package, and you need much more than that to be considered for anything in this world. Hence everything else madanthony said; again, excellent suggestions.

In the end, I completely agree with Kurt: the true test of college lies in time management, in evaluating whether or not you're capable of successfully juggling a myriad of responsibilities while staying calm, healthy, and sane. It's because of time management problems my grades have dropped as of late, and it's because of time management lessons taken to heart that they'll shoot right back up again while I continue to learn how to balance my life. Ultimately that's the key, Will: balance. If you look at this past semester, you and I are great examples of polar opposites: I excelled in extracurricular and social interests, while suffering in academics, and you excelled in academic interests, while suffering in extracurricular and social engagements. Not to say either of us totally failed at one end, but that we've been unbalanced in our approaches to life, and need to regain that in order to achieve. True success comes from a healthy, positive balance of everything.

So yes, I think you need to lighten up. But I of all people know you well, like you know me, and also caution to simply be aware of what you can handle. Take on new jobs/responsibilities, have fun, but only do so when you feel your work has gotten the attention it deserves. Above all, stay on top of everything and you'll be good to go!

[WillDaSnail]

You asked for my opinions:



This, completely. I know my academic record these past few semesters may not appear to give me credibility with regards to academic advice, but I didn't get the grades I did because I didn't know my pomegranate, so hopefully you'll still consider what I have to say.

GPA is relevant depending on what you want to do after college, but only to a certain degree. For most jobs, it's not - it's the degree in the first place that matters (hence the phrase I hope no one acts upon, "Cs get degrees"). One of my best friends who graduated this past May and is now working at a great job she really enjoys told me that of the dozens of conversations and interviews she had with prospective employees, maybe once or twice she was asked what her GPA was. Almost 95% of time it doesn't matter.

There's a two-part caveat, however: first, she was applying for jobs in written communications/PR, not grad school, PhD programs, or to Google/Microsoft. All of the latter absolutely care about one's GPA, so it's important to give it due focus if such future paths are on your horizon. Also, the rule of thumb I've always heard is, like madanthony said, keep your GPA above a 3.0. One hiring manager for a prestigious Fortune 500 company said his personal rules are anything above a 3.3 isn't questioned, while for anything below a 3.0 you better have a good explanation. Because you need a 3.2 minimum, I'd say always shoot for a 3.3 - 3.5, and you'll be fine.

But that, again, is just one aspect of the whole package, and you need much more than that to be considered for anything in this world. Hence everything else madanthony said; again, excellent suggestions.

In the end, I completely agree with Kurt: the true test of college lies in time management, in evaluating whether or not you're capable of successfully juggling a myriad of responsibilities while staying calm, healthy, and sane. It's because of time management problems my grades have dropped as of late, and it's because of time management lessons taken to heart that they'll shoot right back up again while I continue to learn how to balance my life. Ultimately that's the key, Will: balance. If you look at this past semester, you and I are great examples of polar opposites: I excelled in extracurricular and social interests, while suffering in academics, and you excelled in academic interests, while suffering in extracurricular and social engagements. Not to say either of us totally failed at one end, but that we've been unbalanced in our approaches to life, and need to regain that in order to achieve. True success comes from a healthy, positive balance of everything.

So yes, I think you need to lighten up. But I of all people know you well, like you know me, and also caution to simply be aware of what you can handle. Take on new jobs/responsibilities, have fun, but only do so when you feel your work has gotten the attention it deserves. Above all, stay on top of everything and you'll be good to go!

Hey Dan:

First off all, thank you for taking your time to thoughtfully offer your advice. Much appreciated.

Second, no worries about the "damn I have bad grades, my credibility sucks" deal.

After reading everything about what you said, I had plans to relax just a bit this semester, enough to go out and socialize (perhaps to a few parties too, but avoiding the alcohol part). I do want to meet new people and see what my university's campus has to offer.

[VerrKol]

I'm currently working on my B.S. in Phyiscs so I don't know how much of this will be applicable to you, but I have been fortunate enough to to intern for three summers with the last two at SAIC (google it if you must) as a Test Engineer.

From my experience, no one really expects you to have a a great deal of experience because usually it doesn't matter. 90% of whatever they hire you to do is going to job specific and they expect to have to teach you. Based on my coworkers, they usually look forward to the mentorship process in general because they quite simply wouldn't hire an intern if they didn't want one. No one ever needs an intern. It's more of a community service project or at best an investment so they can get first dibs on hiring you when you graduate. The trick to is to try to make yourself useful and only need something explained once.

To get an internship:
Your GPA is excellent, but no one actually cares. If you have 3.0+ 90% of employers probably won't care. GPA is only an issue when it disqualifies you.

My personal recommendation is to apply absolutely everwhere. Get your resume to as many people as possible even if you don't exactly qualify for the job or its not exactly what you're looking for. Since you haven't had an internship or a job (?) before, you first goal should be to get something to put on your resume so that when you graduate you have a reference and proof that you aren't an idiot/social reject who would be utterly unemployable.

Alternatively, you can try volunteering to work on a campaign for a local city official (I've known several people to do this) or maybe at a Courthouse if that interests you. If money is a factor, getting any job (cashier, lifeguard, w/e) shows at least enough responsibility to show up on time for work on a regular basis.

To conclude, don't worry so much. You are more than prepared and qualified for internships, you just need to get your foot in the door and convince someone hiring.

FYI: Getting drunk one night at a party probably won't end your chance of a successful career and happily ever after. But I do give props for taking responsibility for your own future, too many people try to skate by.