Colleges NOT Worth Their Tuition (PHOTOS)

How much is your college education really worth? Are you taking advantage of what you paid (or are paying, or will pay) for?

According to a return on investment report from salary data site PayScale, the sticker price of some American schools outweighs the benefits of its degree. Sure, some recent graduates leave college with a handle on Rousseau and microeconomics, but they aren’t necessarily making back what they spent on those four (five, or six) years. PayScale’s data reinforces that notion: Out of the 800-plus schools the site surveyed, some of the priciest institutions produce more graduates whose 30-year earnings hardly measure up to the price of four years of tuition. According to a report in BusinessWeek, schools that cost approximately $190,000 often have a 30-year net return on investment below $280,000.

In the following slideshow, based on BusinessWeek’s list of the 20 institutions of higher education with the highest tuition and lowest ROI, are ten of the schools with the smallest payoffs. See BusinessWeek’s full list here — and check out PayScale’s complete ROI database.

Willamette University

Average cost, 2009: $197,100
30-year return on investment: $153,000
National return on investment rank: 717

Lesley University

Average cost, 2009: $191,000
30-year ROI: $195,000
National ROI rank: 636

Rollins College

Average cost, 2009: $223,100
30-year ROI: $246,000
National ROI rank: 588

Whittier College

Average cost, 2009: $199,100
30-year ROI: $271,000
National ROI rank: 497

Roger Williams University

Average cost, 2009: $185,200
30-year ROI: $296,000
National ROI rank: 463

Skidmore College

Average cost, 2009: $191,000
30-year ROI: $325,700
National ROI rank: 424

Salve Regina University

Average cost, 2009: $196,300
30-year ROI: $345,500
National ROI rank: 392

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Average cost, 2009: $208,700
30-year ROI: $350,000
National ROI rank: 383

Loyola University of Chicago

Average cost, 2009: $190,900
30-year ROI: $378,100
National ROI rank: 341

Philadelphia University

Average cost, 2009: $180,700
30-year ROI: $218,000
National ROI rank: 588

via Colleges NOT Worth Their Tuition (PHOTOS).

How to Put Together Your First (or Second) Resume | Her Campus

How to Put Together Your First (or Second) Resume

Friday, April 23, 2010

By Jessica Stringer

As your year winds down, you can breathe a sigh of relief that you’re not a senior frantically e-mailing out resumes and searching for jobs. But before you know it, you’ll need a flawless resume of your own to impress potential employers when it comes time to apply for something or look for an internship. Even if you’re a sophomore or junior who has a resume, you may benefit from starting fresh and making sure you haven’t missed anything. Before you sit down in front of that blank Microsoft Word document, you need to know some resume basics.

Length
Sharon Jones, assistant director of career services at UNC-Chapel Hill, says that resumes should not be longer than a page in length. This is a must! If you are feeling stressed about even being able to fill a half a page at this point, don’t worry about it. Jones says you’ll be able to fill in the blanks with high school activities.

Formatting
Start with a simple, easy to read font of at least 10 point. Laura Lane, assistant director of career services at UNC-Chapel Hill, said it is OK to reduce your margins from 1.5” or 1.0” down to 0.5”. This will let you fit more and stick to one page.

The basic sections for most resumes include your name and contact information (including email), education, honors, experience, skills, and activities. Use resume one, two and even a sample internship resume  as your guide when setting up your resume. Monster has sample resumes specific to industries and even Microsoft Word can help you out. Open a new document and then under “Templates” choose “Resumes and CVs”.

Education
If your graduation date is more than a year away, don’t mention your expected degree. Writing something like “B.A. expected May 2013” means that potential employers have to do mental math to calculate your year. Instead you should list yourself as a “first year” or  “sophomore.” Jones says that this is a simple and quick way for employers to know what year you are. She also advises to write your university or college’s full name out on your resume. For example, instead of UNC-CH or UNC-Chapel Hill, you should have University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This looks formal and avoids any confusion as to whether you attend the USC in South Carolina or Southern California, for example.

College Activities
If you’re not president of your sorority or the editor of the school paper as a first year or a sophomore, don’t sweat it. Jones says that employers know that as an underclassman you just got to college and are just beginning to get involved with activities. The most important thing to remember about your current activities is that they should be listed above any high school activities. Remember to explain any clubs or activities that may not be obvious. For example, Jones says that a popular club at UNC-Chapel Hill such as “Carolina Fever” (a club that encourages athletic attendance) would not be clear to someone outside your University, so make sure to include a (brief) description.

High School Activities
As long as you are still an underclassman, Jones says it is OK to list your accomplishments from high school. She says a general rule of thumb to remember is that each year of college, you should drop a year of high school from your resume. You probably were involved with a billion different things in high school, so choose wisely what to list. It is likely that most people at your university were in National Honor Society, so it’s no big deal. Instead, focus on achievements, awards and leadership positions. For example, Jones says if you planned an event for 500 people, you should list that. If you earned your Girl Scout Gold Award, were a part of an award-winning yearbook staff or were a varsity athlete for three years, you should list those as well.

Other Activities
You may be tempted to list your babysitting job on your resume, but be careful. Jones says for privacy reasons, you should not list personal information of the family. Instead of “Smith Family, Carrboro, N.C., 3 kids…” you should say you were a “childcare provider for three children, ages X, Y and Z.” You can also list the activities you may have organized for the children such as tutoring or field trips. Additionally, if you completed missionary work in high school, you should list this under your volunteer activities. Jones says to write this as “Volunteer, XYZ church, ABC country” and then a description of what you did such as “completed 2 week construction project and acted in skits.”

Religious or Political Activities
Be smart about listing anything that could be divisive. Lane says if you were involved in College Republicans and you’re applying for an internship with the NRA, that’s OK. If you’re a Young Democrat trying to get a job with NOW, that’s probably OK also. In those cases, being involved with a like-minded organization might boost your chances of getting a job. But she also says to consider whether you would even want to work for an organization that might not hire you because of your viewpoints. In general, with every activity that you list, think about the value it is adding to your resume and whether it is relevant to the position.

Foreign Language
This area of your resume is a place to shine if you know another language well. Jones says an increasing number of students are bilingual and this can be a huge plus to employers. If you started speaking a language at a young age or speak a different language at home, don’t discredit yourself and say “fluent” when “bilingual” is a stronger word.

Skills
All those term papers this semester meant plenty of practice with Microsoft Word and internet searches. If you can find your way around Excel, PowerPoint or Photoshop, add those as well to your skills section. Jones says you probably have way more skills than you realize—you’ve been gaining social and new media skills from Twitter, WordPress, Blogger and even Facebook.

Sample Resume

Still unsure of what exactly you’re resume should look like? Take a look at our sample (and yes, this all fits on one page!):

Her Campus
hcampus@gmail.com
COLLEGE ADDRESS (UNTIL MAY 20xx)                                                  PERMANENT ADDRESS
100 COUNTRY CLUB RD.                                                                            25 MAIN ST.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514                                                                             BOSTON, MA 02101

Education               University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sophomore
GPA 3.4

Sweet Valley High School, Charlotte, NC, 2004-08
GPA 3.9

Honors Dean’s List – 1 semester
XYZ Scholarship
Most Outstanding Student (in the Senior Class)

Study Abroad in French,
University of Paris, France.  Summer 2009

Related Coursework:
Corporate Health                               Abnormal Psychology
British Literature                               Sports Psychology

Experience              Member, ABC Sorority, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, 2009 – present

• Completed 15 hours of community service
• Designed event t-shirts
• Painted banners for 5K

President, French Honor Society, Sweet Valley High School,
2007-08

• Presided over meetings of club with 50 members
• Organized after school tutoring
• Contacted speakers

Life Guard, Wet and Wild Swim Club, Greenville, NC
Summers 2007-08.

• Maintained pool and supervised activities of members
• Taught swimming lessons to children, ages 4-9
• Opened and closed pool

Sales Clerk, Abercrombie and Fitch, Charlotte, NC
Summer 2006

• Sold teenage clothing
• Opened and closed store
• Operated cash register
• Open 25 new credit card accounts

Skills Experienced using Microsoft Office, WordPress, HTML,
fluent in French

Sources

Sharon Jones, Assistant Director, UCS at UNC- CH

Laura Lane, Assistant Director, UCS at UNC-CH

University Career Services, http://careers.unc.edu/

via How to Put Together Your First (or Second) Resume | Her Campus.

U.S. Losing Ground In College Graduation Race : NPR

U.S. Losing Ground In College Graduation Race

by Claudio Sanchez

A new report warns that the United States is falling farther and farther behind other countries in the proportion of adults with a college education. Researchers say the decline could have devastating economic and social consequences for the country.

According to the College Completion Agenda, no more than 40 percent of the U.S. adult population has a college degree, and even though most high school graduates enroll in college, only 56 percent earn an undergraduate degree in six years or less. The completion rate drops even more in community colleges, where only 28 percent earn a degree in three years or less.

“It’s a very serious problem. People like never before in the United States understand how critical it is to get an education,” says Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, which commissioned the study. He says the U.S. is losing its competitive advantage in the world because it’s not producing nearly enough people with the level of education necessary to keep high-paying jobs from leaving the country.

The study doesn’t single out any one cause, in part because there are so many, but it does cite students’ transition from high school to college as a major issue. For example, the commission found that more than a quarter of college students require remedial classes in reading, writing and math. Community colleges know this all too well.

“If you want to have a good job and a good income, you have to get a better education, and people are deeply concerned about this.”

- College Board President Gaston Caperton

At Northern Virginia Community College this time of year, counselors are booked solid advising students about fall courses and services available to them. Mark Mannheimer, academic guidance counselor at the school, says it’s not academics. There are other reasons students struggle. The cost of college keeps climbing and many students just can’t juggle school, family and work.

“Work can’t certainly be the thing that suffers because that’s what’s generating the money, so it ends up being academics that falls off. The grades suffer and as soon as students start getting lower marks we see them losing faith quickly and eventually they just stop enrolling,” Mannheimer says.

Every year students’ needs get more expensive and more complex, says financial aid counselor Samaritan Johnson.

“From teenagers to single moms, people who just lost their jobs that are coming back to try and get a degree, so we deal with a lot of students,” Johnson says.

Caperton says he agrees the counselors’ concerns are real. But, Caperton says, the main reason the U.S. now ranks 12th in college completion among 36 developed nations is because from kindergarten to high school, students are not getting a quality education and even if they do make it to college, they lack focus.

“Too many students go to community college because they don’t know what else to do,” Caperton says.

The study makes 10 recommendations that Caperton says could help repair the education pipeline, including expanding pre-school, making K-12 education more rigorous, raising the quality of teachers and making college more accessible and affordable.

Caperton says the consensus now is that this nation’s education deficit is no less urgent or threatening than the economic crisis we’re in.

“If you want to have a good job and a good income, you have to get a better education, and people are deeply concerned about this,” Caperton says.

Which is not to say that this can’t become one more study gathering dust on a shelf somewhere, says Caperton. But he’s betting it won’t.

via U.S. Losing Ground In College Graduation Race : NPR.

Brian Harke Ed.D.: High School to College Transition, Part Three: Social Challenges

High School to College Transition, Part Three: Social Challenges

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Brian Harke Ed.D.

Associate Dean, University of Southern California

Posted: July 27, 2010 03:34 PM

In Part One of this series, (read it here), I examined the freshman myth, which refers to the overly optimistic and confident mindset that many high school seniors hold about their ability to manage the challenges they will encounter at college. Part two of this series (read it here) discussed some of the common unrealistic academic expectations that contribute to the freshman myth. This article will examine some of the social challenges that contribute to the freshman myth.

When it is time to apply, many students and parents select a college based on its ranking, available majors, acceptance rates, tuition, alumni, etc. After working so hard just to get accepted to college, few students have thought seriously about the new social structure until they’ve arrived on campus.

In a recent study of high school seniors, nearly 74% of high school seniors did not site the social adjustments related to college as a major concern. Who can blame them? For the past 12 years of their life most high school seniors belonged to a ready-made social community. As a result, students naturally participated in the high school social community because it was part of the academic plan and experience. Most of the community structure was developed and supported by teachers, administrators, and parents. It has always been there for them and has become an expected part of their academic experience. As such, it is easy to see why high school seniors may be overly optimistic about the social challenges of college.

As I stated in previous articles, according to the U.S. Census and American College Testing Program, nearly 34% of new college students dropped out in the first year because they were over confident, underprepared and lacked realistic expectations about college. It is fair to say that over 70% of these students left because they were not prepared to adjust to their new social environment.

Being overly optimistic and underprepared, many new college students come to campus without much thought about how to enter into college culture and society successfully. The differences between high school and college social environments are significant, so I’d recommend that students develop a plan on how to connect to the new college society. Thinking about and discussing the particulars may allow new students to adapt more quickly to their new social environment. I’ll guarantee that students who do will find friends faster and feel more comfortable with the change in their social setting than those who don’t.

A plan should include (a) an understanding of the structure and rules of the new society, (b) a strategy for how to become part of the new social structure, and (c) a vision for what role they will play and/or how they will fit into the new college society.

If you are ready to develop a plan to address the social challenges ahead, I suggest reviewing these points:

Understand the new social structure at college. The best advice that I can give you is to explore, get involved, and take some risks. I’m sure others have said this to you, but here is what I mean specifically.

I want you to explore by discovering everything possible about the college to which you are applying or to which have been accepted. Use the internet to check out student clubs and organizations, read about your faculty (don’t be afraid to shoot them an email), read about the history of the college, join Facebook groups, visit the campus and find out what kind of services are offered. Talk to current students (tip: most admissions offices have student ambassadors). Get to know the layout of the campus and surrounding community. Figure out little things like where you’d get your haircut, where is the nearest pizza place, or how close is the grocery store? Find out where people go if they want to get off campus. Is there a shopping mall and movie theater near by? Getting to know the larger college community and its surroundings will help you feel more at home and start to develop a connection to the college’s social environment.

The next step is a big one: you need to make every attempt to get involved and take some risks to meet new people. Most new students entering college haven’t had to work at making new friends for many years. Start with Facebook before you arrive on campus. Most colleges have Facebook pages, and if you search you will find other students from your major, areas of interest, or maybe even a potential roommate. Check out student clubs and organizations and shoot the leaders an email. Start making friends before you get to campus.

When you arrive on campus the first two to three weeks of college is like a free pass for making new friends and getting involved in the college community. This may be the only time in college when complete strangers won’t look at you like you’re crazy if you sit down at their lunch table and strike up a conversation. The same goes for activities, events, classes, etc.

Most new college students are “campus friendless” and they need to make friends just like you do. But someone needs to take the risk and initiate first contact. Why not you? Do some simple things like smile and say hi, introduce yourself, leave your door open when you’re hanging out in your dorm room (don’t shut people out). Make sure to go to Welcome Week events sponsored by your college. Make sure not to sit in the same seat in class each session. If you do, you’ll only meet the people on your left and right. Look for volunteer groups; it is an instant way to get involved and start to become part of your new social structure.

Whatever you do… DO NOT BECOME TRAPPED BEHIND THE ELECTRONIC CURTAIN! Don’t spend your free time hiding behind your computer chatting with high school friends on Facebook or playing video games. If you are spending more time in your room with your computer than with people, you will never become part of your college community. It’s OK to stay in touch with old friends, just try limiting it to less than an hour a day. Most importantly, it is OK to feel lonely. It is OK to feel uncomfortable — I promise you that you are not the only one feeling this way and it will get better. Really!

Understand the structure and rules of the new society. The social structures of high school and college are completely different. In high school it was hard for many students to go unnoticed. You followed someone else’s rules and structure. But in college, it is up to you to set the rules for how you fit into the social structure.

In a recent study, 76% of high school seniors thought that they would be treated like a number at college… that they would be anonymous. If you understand that you set the rules for how you interact with the social structure at college, you should also understand that you’ll be treated like a number only if you let that happen. If you sit in a classroom and never meet the instructor, you will be a number. If you never join an organization, play recreational sports, or volunteer, you will be a number. The first rule of college culture and/or society is that your experience depends on how much you put yourself out there. If you want to be part of the college community, make yourself a part of it. Remember that no one is going to do it for you.

Social pressure is a big part of the social structure at colleges. It is why there are so many cases of students drinking too much and doing things that are personally or academically destructive. Many students end up doing things they never thought they would.

So here’s a college social truth: you will most likely do something as a result of social pressure. It’s a reality of college and part of trying to fit in. You have to decide how often you are going to let this happen and how badly you really want to fit into a group that applies so much pressure. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. Remember, the college social scene is a lot bigger than high school, which means there are many more ways to fit in socially. If you get stuck in a rut, change your routine.

As one student told me “I got tired of being hung over every Friday morning because I ended up partying every Thursday night. I wanted to fit in and it seemed like the parties on Thursday nights were all that people talked about.” “Once I stopped going out on Thursday nights, I realized there was a whole other world of people to chill with… who didn’t feel like crap on Friday.”

Decide what role you want to play and how you will fit into the new college society.
First and foremost, don’t believe that it will or has to be the same as it was in high school. You are starting all over. Who you were in high school no longer matters. The best part of this is that there is less pressure to fit in and be someone you’re not.

In college you get to dictate your role and how you fit in. Before you get to college, think about who you are and what you like. Look at your personal and academic goals. Think about your core values and beliefs. Go to college with the plan that embraces these things and then be patient. If you stay true to yourself, you will find that others with the same ideals will be as drawn to you as you are to them.

The social structure of a college and how you fit into it is a complicated topic. You’ll never be fully prepared for what may come your way. Go into it expecting the unexpected and be comfortable knowing that you will make mistakes and things may be difficult at times. However, if you start a plan and have some understanding before you hit campus, you’ll fit in quicker, have more fun and end up with new friends even before you arrive.

I suggest that you think about the questions below when putting together a plan to find your place in the college social community:

1. Have you identified two academic, social, or volunteer organizations that you want to check out when you arrive on campus? Have you emailed the leaders of the group? Most clubs and organizations have events over the summer.

2. What are your personal and academic goals for college? What social or co-curricular activities will help you reach these goals? Are these activities available at your college?

3. What are your core values and beliefs? These often change as we are exposed to new things, but list them out and then look for people and activities that exemplify them.

4. What things did you do in high school that you really liked? Are these things available at college? Have you researched them and found out how to get involved?

5. Have you used Facebook to try to make friends with other incoming students? If not, get online.

6. Have you checked out the surrounding community of your college? Remember, you don’t need to stay on campus 24/7. Find off campus places that make you feel comfortable.

Follow Brian Harke Ed.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Brianharke

• College Admissions
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via Brian Harke Ed.D.: High School to College Transition, Part Three: Social Challenges.

Loren Wearsch: Underemployed One Year

Underemployed One Year

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Loren Wearsch

NYU graduate

Posted: July 21, 2010 07:57 AM

I was recently denied an unpaid internship position to which I had applied. I could probably just leave it at that — a sentence that sums up my self-worth, which has been severely damaged in the year since I graduated college.

Normally, I would have accepted defeat, disguised as a considerately worded e-mail, which stated that I “was not a good fit” for the organization. But I couldn’t. I’m not sure if it was my outbox stuffed full of cover letters and resumes from a yearlong search for work. This was one rejection I was unable to process. Why had years of over-achieving translated into unemployment?

I abandoned my passivity and responded to the e-mail. I asked why I was denied a position for which I was clearly qualified given my photocopying prowess; all I saw was an opportunity that required the minimal effort of ten hours a week.

Surprisingly, I received an e-mail back that same day, openly explaining why they chose another candidate. It turns out I was not only a terrible fit for them; it was also apparent that I had not thoroughly researched the organization before applying. My contact at the organization was polite and even offered to distribute my resume for projects that were more aligned with my career and education goals.

After approximately thirty seconds, it dawned on me that I wasn’t any closer to having that elusive post-graduate job, despite my aggressive emailing. And then I experienced an epiphany, though not a necessarily unique one: work plus education no longer equals a better life.

In today’s world, one must add connections to this formula to be successful. As a small-town girl from Ohio, I was consumed by the original version of it, the one that supposedly
had proven results. Without believing in that formula, I wonder if I would have cared as
deeply as I did about becoming my high school salutatorian or graduating from college with honors — a flurry of academic achievements that I was told would end in triumph with a great job, propelling me toward my real life, whatever that means.

via Loren Wearsch: Underemployed One Year.

College Students Hide Hunger, Homelessness : NPR

College Students Hide Hunger, Homelessness

by Gloria Hillard

July 27, 2010

For many college students and their families, rising tuition costs and a tough economy are presenting new challenges as college bills come in.

This has led to a little-known but growing population of financially stressed students, who are facing hunger and sometimes even homelessness.

UCLA has created an Economic Crisis Response Team to try to identify financially strapped students and help keep them in school.

‘Some Sense Of Being Clean’

Diego Sepulveda, a 22-year-old political science major who transferred to UCLA from a community college last fall, is the first in his family to attend college.

“Students who come to UCLA want to fit the norm here, so they’re not going to tell you they’re homeless, or they’re not going to tell you they’re hungry.”

- Antonio Sandoval, head of UCLA’s Community Programs Office

“That’s why it’s so surreal for me to be here, and that’s why my parents are so proud,” he says.

Sepulveda comes from a blue-collar, working-class family and has always had a job — sometimes holding down two to help pay for his education.

“You’re always thinking, ‘How am I going to pay for next quarter? How am I going to get through the rest of the days here at UCLA?’ ” he says.

His full-time Subway job wasn’t quite cutting it, and then he lost that job. That’s when he turned to the campus library and friends.

“I would sit at these tables and basically try to do my work,” he says.

Nearby sofas offered a few hours of sleep. Sepulveda would rotate — a night at the library, the next two nights on friends’ couches. His other part-time home was the Student Activities Center, where there’s a pool, a locker room and showers.

“I would shower, and it would give me at least some sense of being clean,” he says.

‘God Bless You All’

The university first started hearing stories like Sepulveda’s in the fall of 2008 — a student who lost a job, or a family that used to be middle class and now their parents don’t have a job, homes being lost.

Antonio Sandoval, head of UCLA’s Community Programs Office, says he doesn’t have the exact number of students experiencing the day-to-day hardship of food and shelter because they often keep it hidden.

“It’s very affluent here, it’s Westwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills,” Sandoval says. “Students who come to UCLA want to fit the norm here, so they’re not going to tell you they’re homeless, or they’re not going to tell you they’re hungry.

Just down the hall from Sandoval’s office is an unmarked door. Inside is a converted utility closet filled with food. There’s a refrigerator stocked with fruit cups, yogurt, juices and milk. Next to the fridge is a pantry.

“It has a lot of soups and main meals you can cook like macaroni and cheese,” explains Abdallah Jadallah, a 22-year-old engineering student.

Jadallah says he got the idea for the food closet after noticing a number of students were going hungry. All of the food is donated, and sometimes students leave comments in a notebook for Jadallah to read:

Thank you so much for the food and small items like soap and shampoo. It really does make a difference in my life. God bless you all.

More Students Struggling

There’s a definite increase in the number of homeless students nationwide, according to the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. But nobody has firm numbers.

“What we’re hearing from the college presidents and leadership [is] that more and more students are struggling,” says Michelle Asha-Cooper, of the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C.

“Some are taking out pretty large amounts of student loans to finance their education as well as their living costs. Some are enrolling part-time, some are even dropping out.”

Diego Sepulveda has another year before he graduates.

“Nothing is going to stop me,” he says. “I’m going to reach my goals no matter what people say.”

Friends recently offered him a place to stay. His parents help as much as they are able, and he’s looking for a part-time job.

via College Students Hide Hunger, Homelessness : NPR.

5 Steps to Land a Summer Internship | Her Campus

5 Steps to Land a Summer Internship

Friday, January 1, 2010

By Gennifer Delman

You may be snuggling up in an over-sized cardigan and sipping eggnog when you read this, dear HC reader, but trust me- the temperature will be increasing and the trees will be returning to their usual gorgeous green hue sooner than you think! Until then, being productive during your winter break (which totally includes watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia reruns, by the way) is your chance to secure a productive and fantastic summer. It’s time to apply for summer internships, and HC has 5 steps to help you land one for 2010!

Step One: Get Familiar with Your School’s Internship Policies

Every university and college out there has different rules for applying for internships. Internships are typically open to college students during summer, fall, winter, and spring. Most companies only accept applicants who can receive the internship for credit, especially if it’s unpaid, so make sure to speak with your department advisor or dean to figure this out before you go on the hunt. Your best bet is to send him or her a friendly email after the holidays inquiring.

Looking for something to do when you’re stuck in the house due to the six feet of snow outside? Spend some time looking at your major department’s website or your school’s career center online; you may find internship advice you weren’t aware of! Depending on your major, you may be able to take more than one internship for credit, so look out for this so you can use this to your advantage!

Step Two: Soul-Search and Set Goals

Your major may give you the freedom to intern for all sorts of positions, and you don’t need to intern in something related to your major if you don’t want to! Really explore your interests and major to pinpoint what your aspirations are. Try to focus your concentration on a specific aspect of your field, what you like about it, and what you’re good at.

Once you have an idea of what kind of internship you want to land, it’s time to research some companies. Make a list of some of your favorite businesses that you hope to intern for at some point in your career and Google them. Ask yourself: What is my dream job? What is my dream company? It is not common to land an internship at a major company your first try so stay positive and think reasonably. Most successful people have started out at smaller companies to then climb the ladder to some bigger names. Having an ultimate goal in sight will help guide you on the path to get there!

Step Three: Utilize Internship Websites

There are some incredible resources out there for finding out about internships. While you’re uploading holiday photos onto Facebook, head over to http://InternQueen.com. Lauren Berger is a nationally acclaimed resource for applying for internships. She posts openings in a plethora of industries like advertising, accounting, pre-med, fashion, and music production. You can search through her site and for a reasonable fee of $3.00 an application, Lauren will personally forward your materials. She also consistently posts advice and tips on her YouTube channel and Twitter page, so be sure to subscribe and follow those sites!

“Lauren gives the greatest advice on how to act professionally during internships. I’m in the process of applying for a marine biology internship and she’s been a great help to me so far,” said University of Rhode Island Sophomore and Marine Biology major, Nicole Leporacci.

Here are some more great resources for internships:

• General Site: http://InternshipPrograms.com
• Accounting: http://jobsinfinance.org/s/find-summer-2010-accounting-internship-jobs-i…
• Art History: http://arthistory.about.com/od/jobs_events_networking/l/bl_ahjintern.htm
• Biology: http://biology.csusb.edu/internships/
• Engineering: http://www.engcen.com/
• Fashion: http://www.freefashioninternships.com/
• Magazine Journalism: http://Ed2010.com
• Marine Biology: http://www.bios.edu/education/summer_courses.html
• Music: http://www.creativejobscentral.com/music-internships/employment/Production
• Pharmacy: http://careers.pharmacytimes.com/articles/B66094EC.asp or any chain pharmacy site like Target.com.
• Political Science: http://www.apsanet.org/content_11599.cfm
• Pre-Med: http://www.aamc.org/members/great/summerlinks.htm
• Public Relations: http://www.prssa.org/

Step Four: Create/Revise Your Résumé and Cover Letter

You’ve utilized these sites and have found a posting for an internship you are interested in applying for. Fantastic! Make sure that you meet the qualifications listed (some companies like applicants to be a junior/senior only, have prior experience, etc.). If you meet the qualifications, it’s time to apply. Pause It’s Always Sunny and devote some time to improving ‘Resume.doc’. For some great résumé advice, you can check out HC writer Cara Sprunk’s previous article!

Ellen Gordon Reeves, author of Ed2010 favorite “Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?” recommends having multiple résumés. For instance, I have a résumé specifically for internships that highlight my journalism experience, as well as one that focuses on employment for when I apply for part-time jobs. Personalizing your résumé shows that you care about what you’re applying for, and can pay attention to detail. Otherwise, it may just look like you’re sending out one résumé like a lame mass text. Know it by-heart, and triple check for any spelling mistakes.

Your cover letter is also so important. I like to start my cover letters by drawing on some sort of personal connection to the company or internship. Format-wise, Reeves recommends you:

• Be short but sweet- three small paragraphs. Remember, whoever reading your cover letter doesn’t have all the time in the world to sit and read it.
• Use proper formatting- size twelve, Times New Roman font with proper margins will do.
• Don’t ever address your letter to “To Whom It May Concern.” This is incredibly impersonal, so be sure to find someone to address it to with an accompanying address, and spell their name correctly!

TIP: Ed2010.com accepts résumés and cover letters for critiquing! Use this to your advantage; these ladies know a thing or two about hiring interns!

Step Five: Press ‘Send’

Gather your materials and attach them to an email. Prepare a short introductory sentence in the email, and press send! Cross your fingers, and be prepared for the best and the worst. Enjoy the rest of your break and good luck!
Have an interesting internship search story to share? Leave a comment!

Sources:

http://Ed2010.com

http://InternQueen.com

The Hofstra University Career Center

Nicole Leporacci, URI sophomore and marine biology major

“Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job”, Ellen Gordon Reeves

via 5 Steps to Land a Summer Internship | Her Campus.

How to Get the Perfect Recommendation Letter | Her Campus

How to Get the Perfect Recommendation Letter

Friday, February 12, 2010

By Gennifer Delman

Whether you’ve completed HC’s steps to land a summer internship , are looking into a part-time job at the mall, or are thinking about graduate school, it’s likely that you will need a letter of recommendation to complete your application. Figuring out who to ask and how to go about it may not be as simple as deciding whether or not you should splurge on a new Anthropologie skirt, (easy answer: YES!), but HC has got your back! Here’s everything you need to know about how to get that perfect letter of recommendation:

Deciding Who to Ask

Who to ask for a recommendation depends on two things: what the recommendation is for and the relationship you have with the person you plan on asking.

If you are applying for an academic venture like graduate or law school, asking for all professor recommendations may be the best route. “In that context, professors carry much more weight,” says Fred Burke, executive director of the Hofstra University Career Center. “You should be asking people who can speak to your credentials and have observed your performance.” Though you may be tempted to get the flashy titles of the Dean of your major or the President of your university, these people likely don’t know enough about you or haven’t witnessed your work ethic and charisma. So go for a professor you formed a bond with from a smaller, recent course that you excelled in. Burke also says that you can ask a TA or GA for a letter as long as he/she knows you well and can speak to your work.

Hofstra University Sophomore and Broadcast Journalism Major Melanie Yates chose to ask a professor who taught a class similar to the theme of a scholarship she was applying for. “I picked a professor whose class I enjoyed and I knew would be able to say a couple of nice things about me,” she says. “It also helped that my scholarship tied into the class she taught.”

You may run into an issue if you have to ask a professor who teaches a large lecture, in which case it can be tough to form a very personal relationship with that professor. If that’s the case, Burke suggests that you start making relationships with your professors early-on in your career, like in freshman and sophomore year. If you’ve found a professor who teaches one of your major classes enjoyable, make an impression! Be active in class and ask questions one-on-one to help him remember you. Once the class is over, keep in touch with occasional office visits or polite emails.

If you’re applying for a job, this is your chance to ask a past internship supervisor, mentor or employer. Burke says that this is a great opportunity to mix up your references, so use one from each internship or job if possible, to show that everyone has great things to say about you.

Make sure you ask someone who you made a connection with or left a lasting impression on. To stay in contact with past superiors, the experts at Ed2010 recommend that you send thank-you cards and occasional polite check-in emails. As mentioned earlier, this etiquette extends to past professors as well.

Ed says, “With anyone you feel you’ve hit it off with, you should feel free to send occasional emails. Since the content of a check-in e-mail can be obnoxious, it’s important to show you’re not JUST interested in getting a job; you’re also interested in them!” If you’ve done any of these things already, you’ve found yourself a sufficient person to ask for a recommendation!

Asking

Burke recommends that you ask 2-3 weeks before the application deadline. Be prepared with adequate materials including an explanation of what you’re applying for, a résumé and cover letter, as well as a pre-stamped addressed envelope. Be polite by asking if they would feel comfortable writing you a letter; this way it will alleviate any awkward tension. For example:

Lastly, be understanding if someone says no—a good recommendation takes time (especially if it’s personalized) and people might be busy. Thank them anyway, and take some time to find someone else to ask. It’s a good idea to have a list of people who could write for you in mind, so that you’re not stumped when the first person you ask turns you down.

Once you’ve found someone to say yes, it will likely be a bit of a waiting game. Don’t be afraid to give them a friendly reminder if you don’t receive it within two weeks, but be careful so you don’t overwhelm them! Make sure to clearly let them know when the recommendation is due from the get-go, and then check in as that deadline approaches.

Follow-up

Depending on the recommender’s preference, you will have either a confidential or non-confidential letter. A confidential letter is one that you will never see, and Burke says that these letters carry more weight. Once your letter is complete, immediately send a thank you email. “I prefer email for thank you notes, they’re very professional,” he says. Also make sure you’re using a professional address, not “sekzskiixbabe@aol.com” from seventh grade!

Sending a handwritten thank you note via snail mail may also do the trick. “Always write a handwritten thank you note to that person thanking them for their time,” Benson advises. If it’s possible to do both without over-doing it, then go for it.

Networking and learning proper etiquette with your superiors is a critical tool to have in today’s workplace. It shows that you are not only courteous, but gracious as well. Good luck with your application!

Sources:

Fred Burke, Executive Director of the Hofstra University Career Center

Kristin Benson, Intern Coordinator for The National Society of Leadership and Success

Melanie Yates, Sophomore Hofstra University Broadcast Journalism major

Ed2010.com, http://www.ed2010.com/2009/08/top-5-things-do-after-internship and http://www.ed2010.com/advice/asked/2007/11/how-do-i-keep-touch-editors

via How to Get the Perfect Recommendation Letter | Her Campus.

Getting the Most Out of Your Internship: How to Have an Informational Meeting with Your Boss or Coworkers | Her Campus

Getting the Most Out of Your Internship: How to Have an Informational Meeting with Your Boss or Coworkers

Friday, July 16, 2010

By Sophie Jasinski

You’re finishing up your first month of your internship, and whether it’s at a law firm, fashion company, or newspaper, you’re craving to know the inside scoop from your boss or co-workers on how to go further in your industry.  Your colleagues have been in your field way longer than you have, so their information has the potential to be gold and well worth the anxiety.  Her Campus and Fred Burke, an Executive Director of The Career Center at Hofstra University, have the inside scoop on how to tackle the intimidating informational meeting.

Don’t Be Nervous
Talking to your boss or coworkers can be intimidating. But it’s also really important. “When you’re doing an internship you want to find people who are going to advance your career,” says Burke. “Take advantage of every opportunity and take an interest in your field by meeting with your boss and coworkers.” So don’t let your nerves get to you. Plan out what you’re going to say. If it helps, write your plan on paper and practice in front of the mirror.   Make sure that you stay calm and collected while you’re talking to your boss. Simply ask if you can sit down and talk to your boss about what experiences she’s had in the field and how she got to this position. From personal experience, your boss will likely be supportive because she wants you to succeed.

Talk To Your Boss At a Convenient Time
Make sure that you’re not interrupting your boss during a conference call, meeting, or conversation with another coworker to ask about scheduling a meeting with her. The end or beginning of the workday is the best time to talk to your boss or other coworkers, or you can send them an email. You will also get to know your other coworkers’ schedules as your internship goes on, making it easier to initiate the informational meeting.  Maybe it would be most convenient to meet over lunch, or, if your boss usually eats lunch at her desk, suggest chatting at the end of the day instead.

Preparing for the Meeting
You don’t want to come into the meeting empty-handed, so prepare a list of questions beforehand. Ask your boss about her position now and how she got here.  Below, Burke provides sample questions to help you get started.

Sample Questions:
How do you spend a typical day or week? What tasks do you perform?
How much variety/routine is there in your job?
How did you get into this line of work? Was yours a typical career path?
What do you think are the most important skills/qualifications for someone in this job?
What are the most/least interesting aspects of your work?
What type of environment is this to work in? How would you describe others in this field?
What kind of work schedule does this career require? (Overtime, weekends, freelancing, travel, 9-5, etc.)
What is a typical entry-level position?
Can you think of other jobs that would enable me to combine my skills in _____ and interests in _____?
What professional organizations are active in this field?
What trade or professional journals do you read?
What advancement opportunities exist beyond entry level?
What advice would you have for me if I chose to pursue a career in this area?

At the Meeting
Of course, ask your questions. But this is also a great opportunity to explain what you hope to accomplish in the future, and hear what personal advice your boss or coworker has for you. The most important career lessons can be the lessons you learn from your boss and other coworkers, and asking for advice also shows a genuine interest in the work that they’ve done.  Tell her about yourself and ask for her feedback on your career trajectory.  If it feels appropriate, bring a notebook and jot down some things she says; if not (like if you’re meeting over lunch), then write down some notes about your meeting when you get back to your desk.

Always Write a Thank You Note
Writing a thank you note is an almost foolproof way to make a stellar impression. Make sure to thank your boss after your meeting in person but also to write a formal thank you note as soon as possible. Burke says “If you contact the person in 2-3 days the person will remember you and it will give a good impression. You also have to remain in contact in order to leave a lasting impression.” A written thank you note is always the most memorable.   Just make sure that it’s personal and avoid generic pre-made thank you notes.

Don’t be afraid to ask to meet with your boss or other coworkers for an informational meeting.  Your boss wants to see you succeed, and her advice and information is priceless. Stay calm and follow these rules and you’ll make a fabulous impression, and get a ton of information that will help you down the road.

Sources
CNN, Asking for – and maximizing – the informational interview
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/04/07/cb.informational.interview.asking/index.html

Fred Burke, Executive Director of the Career Center at Hofstra University

via Getting the Most Out of Your Internship: How to Have an Informational Meeting with Your Boss or Coworkers | Her Campus.

Zumba Turns Dancers Into Entrepreneurs

Zumba Turns Dancers Into Entrepreneurs

The founders of the dance fitness craze teach their trainers how to turn a passion into a thriving business.

By Issie Lapowsky |  May 26, 2010

From left to right: Alberto Perlman, Zumba CEO and co-founder; Alberto “Beto” Perez, Zumba creator; Alberto Aghion, Zumba COO and co-founder

Last year, Tanya Owens Nuchols was living in Washington D.C, working as a graphic designer when, like so many others, she was laid off. She had three kids to support, and zero job opportunities lined up.

Now, Nuchols says losing her job was “a blessing in disguise.”

Just a few years before, in an effort to lose some baby weight, Nuchols had started attending her gym’s Zumba Fitness classes, a dance fitness program that began in Colombia. By 2006 she became a certified Zumba trainer.

“At that point I was just teaching Zumba on the side,” Nuchols, 34, says, “and for the longest time I’d been telling myself I wish I could dance full time. I wish I didn’t have to be chained to a desk, so when I got laid off, at first I was scared about not having a job, but the Zumba job offers just started pouring in.”

Now, she’s making a comparable salary teaching Zumba to everyone from federal employees to disadvantaged youths. Nuchols’ story is not entirely unique, though. Between early 2008 and 2009, the number of Zumba instructors around the world tripled. Now, the classes are taught in 105 countries across 60,000 locations with 7.5 million attendees showing up every week to practice a range of dance styles, from salsa to African, from hip-hop to belly dancing.

Co-founder and CEO Alberto Perlman says the company’s ability to grow during the recession has been contingent on the strength of its trainers, which is why helping instructors get off the ground is now Zumba’s No. 1 mission.

“We create a platform to allow other people to be successful doing what they love,” Perlman says, “whether being successful means that you’re losing weight or being successful means that you’re making money. “

Perlman was also out of a job when he discovered the dance craze originated by Colombian fitness guru Alberto “Beto” Perez. Perlman had founded an internet business incubator for Latin Americans in 1998, but many of the business owners he was working with were still in the early stages of funding when the dotcom bubble burst. One by one, Perlman’s investors pulled out of the project.

“I was basically 24 and out of a job, but I had already run my own company,” Perlman, 33, says. He was looking for his next gig when his mother mentioned having taken Perez’s class at a gym in Miami. “She said, ‘Why don’t you meet with Beto and maybe you can start a gym or something?’” Perlman remembers. “I said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to start a gym, but I’ll meet with him.’”

Perez, 40, had founded Zumba by accident after he forgot to bring his music to an aerobics class he was teaching in Colombia. Instead, he grabbed whatever music he had in his car, mostly Latin tunes, and improvised the class through dance. The demand grew so quickly that Perez moved to Miami hoping to spread the gospel of Zumba to the U.S.

During his time in Miami, Perez met with two investors who were willing to throw millions of dollars into the project, but he never felt right about their vision for Zumba; then he met Perlman. After college, Perlman spent time researching infomercials for a consulting agency, and he wanted to cash in on that knowledge by creating a lucrative infomercial business. He thought Zumba could be his first product.

Perez remembers, “I met with Alberto in Starbucks, and he asked me, ‘Do you have money?’ I said, ‘No.’ Then I said, ‘Do you have money?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Okay. Let’s do this.’”

Perlman agrees, “We thought, let’s work for this, not just invest a bunch of money in it.”

Together, they teamed up with co-founder and COO Alberto Aghion, Perlman’s childhood friend, who had also known Perez during his early years as a dance instructor in Bogota.

Perez continued to teach classes, and with the money they made, the team produced a demo reel, which caught the eye of the Ohio-based company Fitness Quest.

“We licensed the name and the concept to them to create an infomercial and home videos,” Perlman says. By 2002, they had sold hundreds of thousands of Zumba videos and were ready to look for their next product when calls started coming in.

“People started calling us to say, ‘I’m a fitness instructor, I bought this tape, I love it so much that I want to become certified in this. Do you guys offer certification?’” Perlman says. “We’re like, ‘Yeah of course we have a certification.’ Meanwhile, I’m thinking we’d better come up with some sort of training for instructors, because there’s market demand here.”

They held their first training session at a hotel in Miami, where 150 people turned out and paid a small fee to get certified. Though they never intended to be a training-intensive business (their main source of revenue was still generated by home videos), Perlman, Perez and Aghion soon realized that these trainers were becoming the ambassadors for their brand.

“We decided at that moment that our business was going to be about helping instructors become successful,” Perlman says.

They launched a web platform called the Zumba Instructor Network aimed at helping the growing number of trainers with marketing, choreography and networking. For a fee, instructors pay for these services as well as Zumba merchandise, including clothing they can buy wholesale and sell to students. “We suddenly were helping them and creating entrepreneurs,” Perlman says.

Then, in 2008, the Zumba team was bracing itself for the adverse effects of the recession, expecting their revenue to plummet. “Instead, we saw an inflow of new instructors that was tremendous,” Perlman says, “and we realized that a lot of people were losing their jobs, who knew how to dance or liked fitness. It provided a source of income for families during this difficult period.”

Nuchols, for one, is grateful that Zumba’s business model places such importance on supporting its trainers.  “Had it not been for Zumba, I don’t know what I’d be doing. I might have an entry level job in my field or be doing free internship work, when I was at a senior level before,” she says. “I’m a good designer, but dancing is definitely where my passion is, so in addition to saving me financially, I felt like I’m doing now what I’m meant to be doing.”

via Zumba Turns Dancers Into Entrepreneurs.