Preparing For Junior Year
Summer can be the perfect time for students to jump-start their junior year by organizing and prioritizing aspects of their college lives.
As coursework and co-curricular involvement demands intensify and the need to focus on resume-boosting initiatives increases, students can feel overwhelmed by juggling too many roles and responsibilities. Before junior and senior year overload sets in, students should do a quick inventory of their college lives - keep what is useful, discard what is expendable and add what is needed.
The following suggestions can help your student get started:
Stay on Track by Continuing to:
-
Fulfill
academic
core
and
major
requirements.
-
Update
your
resume,
curriculum
vitae
and
portfolio.
-
Consider
the
importance
of
summer
school
to
ease
next
year's
course
load
and
fulfill
credit
hours
towards
the
core.
Many
students
also
find
they
can
boost
their
GPAs
by
having
more
time
to
study
in
a
relaxed
manner.
-
Seek
experiential
learning
opportunities,
such
as
internships,
service
learning,
research
initiatives,
independent
studies
and
study
abroad
programs.
- Build leadership skills by assuming positions with greater responsibility in co-curricular and community activities.
Discard Practices that Include:
-
Continuing
to
participate
in
on-
and
off-campus
activities
that
do
not
interest
you
anymore
or
that
do
not
offer
you
opportunities
for
growth,
networking
or
other
personal,
professional
or
social
benefits.
-
Enrolling
in
courses
for
the
sole
purpose
of
being
"schedule
fillers."
Carefully
choose
courses
for
career
relevance,
skill/insight
building,
interest
or
pleasure
-
Relying
on
friends
for
advice
when
picking
courses
or
choosing
professors.
Recognize
that
perspectives
can
differ
among
individuals.
-
Staying
with
familiarity
when
picking
courses,
co-curricular
involvement
and
other
opportunities.
Stepping
out
of
one's
comfort
zone
can
be
a
great
learning
experience.
-
Viewing
summer
as
a
time
away
from
college.
Instead,
consider
it
to
be
a
third
semester
that
allows
you
to
further
build
your
personal,
professional
and
career-focused
insights
and
skills.
- Avoiding campus. Summer is an excellent time to visit the Career Center to meet with an advisor and utilize resources.
Look Ahead By Deciding to:
-
Research
fellowships,
graduate
programs
and
other
scholarly
and
service
opportunities
if
you
do
not
plan
to
look
for
employment
immediately
upon
graduation.
-
Review
study
guides
for
whichever
graduate-level
standardized
exam
(e.g.,
GRE,
GMAT,
GED,
LSAT,
MCAT,
DAT)
you
plan
to
take.
-
Join
a
professional
society
and
read
publications
in
your
career
field
to
identify
and
stay
current
with
issues
impacting
your
intended
profession.
These
also
facilitate
networking
and
becoming
aware
of
internship
and
job
opportunities.
-
Strengthen
your
skills
in
writing,
public
speaking,
leadership,
organizational
management
and
interpersonal
communication
as
a
way
to
impress
potential
employers
and
graduate
school
personnel.
Talk
with
your
academic
advisor
about
courses
and
activities
that
can
help
you
enhance
these
competencies.
- Brainstorm topics for senior thesis/capstone projects, independent studies or research projects. Keep a list you can review at a later date - when the busy school year gets underway and time or ideas may be limited.