APIASF is proud to announce a new component of the blog titled The Professional Corner (right side bar). On a monthly basis, the Professional Corner will highlight advice from both working professionals/leaders of Asian American and/or Pacific Islander (APIA) background and those interested in generating a sustainable academic and leadership pipeline for APIAs. These professionals come from a variety of fields, ranging from non-profits, education, law, and corporate/industry, to name a few.
This month, the professionals will talk about the things they wish they knew in college. There comes a time when one looks back upon one’s collegiate experiences and evaluates the choices that were made. Throughout our professional experiences, we begin to realize there are many things we wished we had known while in college, whether relating to academic, social, leadership, and/or co-curricular experiences. Take a few moments to browse through the invaluable advice these professionals bring to the table with regards to their own collegiate experiences.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
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There are too many things I wish I knew in college; that's why I went. Rather, here is a list of the most useful course I took in college: macro economics, comparative religions, American philosophy, American and British literature. All have served me well in understanding our changing world.
ReplyDeleteRepeat after me. Public Speaking is your friend.
ReplyDeletePractice as much as you can.
In college, I was a pen tapper. I would get nervous and tap my pen on just about any surface available when I spoke. I was able over come this habit with lots of practice, seeking advice from my peers and being opent to change. I am now "tap" free.
I wish I would have known how much I truly would use my public speaking skills following college. Whether I am speaking in a board meeting, a PTO meeting or even asking for directions on vacation, the confidence I have knowing that I can speak well in front of a group is very empowering.
No matter which major you choose, you will have many opportunities to speak in front of both small and large groups. Relish these chances to hone your skills, develop means by which to defuse your nervous habits and learn to enjoy the feeling of a successful speaking engagement.
Everyone gets a little nervous when speaking in front of a group, but it's how we manage that nervous feeling which allows us to excel.
Again, repeat after me. Public Speaking is your friend.
Good Luck!
I wish I had known that I didn't have to have my entire life planned out while I was in college. Don't get me wrong - it's great to plan. That having been said, be flexible enough to go with new opportunities or paths you never expected to go on before.
ReplyDeleteWriting skills is one area where I wish I would have developed my skills more. The fine differentiation of words and phrases, different ways of saying the same things, using clear, concise language and tailoring my message to my audience. I do fairly well now, but only after years of experience - which can be a bumpy road.
ReplyDeleteMy Top 10 List of The Things I Wish I Knew in College(not particularly in order)
ReplyDelete10. Freshman year is the baseline for your GPA. Make sure that you start off academically strong because it is harder to move up since it is based on averages in the subsequent years.
9. Take an elective that does not have anything to do with your major such as art history or religion for business majors. It will balance your right-brain activity.
8. Go to an event that is not of your political leaning (i.e., for Democrats go to a Republican meeting) to learn about the other side. While you may not agree, it will be intellectually stimulating to try to understand the other point of view.
7. Make sure to get to know your professors. They are the ones who will write a letter of recommendation for grad school application. You want them to be able to write about your character (i.e., your intellectual capacity, integrity, work ethic.)
6. If you do ask professors to write letters of recommendation, you can direct them to focus on certain characteristics. Don't be afraid to give them your resume and bulleted points to write from.
5. Credit card companies will target you during freshman year. Make sure that your usage is realistic and within your budget. While it is an excellent way to build credit, you want to make sure that you are not delinquent on your payments because your credit score will reflect your negligence.
4. Go to the career center before your junior year. You do not want to wait last minute especially if you want to be able to do an internship in your junior or senior year to gain some employment experience in your field.
3. Do take advantage of any exchange program whether internationally or domestically. I went to Boston College and enjoyed the Jesuit Volunteer exchange program to Nicaragua and Mexico. I also stayed locally in Boston during one spring break for the Urban Immersion program to learn about urban social justice issues.These experiences ended up being one of the highlights of my college experience.
2. Run for an office. Whether you win or not, the experience will carry you through life. Local politics is one of the most important aspect of our civic life.
1. Get some exercise whether it be an intramural sport, exercise class, or taking the stairs. It's easier to gain the freshman 15 then to lose it.
Whatever you adhere to the list or not, enjoy your time in college. I surely did.
Cheers,
Phitsamay
Things I Wish I Knew
ReplyDeleteOn School:
1. It's easier to just go to class than to make up for it later.
2. Do not register for 8 AM classes that you know you will sleep through, even though in high school you woke up at 6 AM every morning.
3. You may think you have a lot of time until midterms, but you don't.
4. Don't procrastinate! At the very least…plan out your procrastination in advance.
5. Make sure your professor knows your name and who you are. Go to their office hours and meet them even if you don’t even have any questions to ask them. It's easier to fail student X than it is to fail Tommy. This can also be the difference between a D and an F or an A and an A-.
6. Don't be the least bit afraid to tell your professor that you don't understand the material.
7. Find a good study group, they will help you if you have questions but, more so, they may have resources that you might not have. Combine your strengths and come out on top.
8. Buy textbooks online. Wait as long as you can to see if you really need to buy every textbook that they tell you.
9. If you planning to go to graduate school, medical school, law school, dental school... good grades are very important.
10. There isn't enough time to do everything.
Misc Advice
1. You will miss your college experience, so just enjoy it.
2. Get involved in something, fraternity/sorority, clubs, student government, sports, volunteering, etc.
3. Don't waste your summers. Find an internship, co-op position, or conduct research each summer after your freshman year. This is so important in building your resume and helping you find a job. You can look for internships at your University’s Career Services.
4. Learn to cook.
5. Start exercising in order to combat that freshman 15 (this is not a myth).
6. Learn how to manage your finances and stay away from the credit card booths when school starts.
7. Try to meet as many people as possible during the first 3 weeks of school. Make an effort to know everyone in your dorm.
College was one of the best times of my life. If at all possible, try to study abroad for at least one term. The experience I had studying abroad changed my life and my perspective on the world.
ReplyDelete1. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are a lot of people working at the University who are there just to help students! So if you are having problems, do not sit there and think that no one understands or no one cares. Seek the help of your professors, your TAs and in particular, seek the help of staff people in your “student affairs/student development/student activities” areas (type any of those phrases into your college website search engine and you will find more information about these resources).
ReplyDelete2. One bad grade is not the end of the world.
3. Get involved in student organizations – I learned as much from involvement in student organizations as I probably did in my classes.
4. Exercise
5. Run for student government! It's good practice and we need more APIAs in elected office!
6. Take an APIA Studies class (if they are available in your institution). If classes are not available...ask why not!
Going to college and living in a dorm is a living and learning experience. It is probably the only time in your life you will ever live with a community of people with the same interests, goals, and fears.
ReplyDeleteStay in school and do not quit. Perhaps, you are bored now, but wait until you are in a dead end job you cannot stand, but you are afraid to lose. Absolutely finished with your degree will open up additional opportunities than you realize. The lesson learned here is accomplishing what you start by throwing yourself into it fully. Treat your college experience as if you are at the workplace. Arrive on time, complete the homework, study, and treat your learning process as if you were at a real job.
Establish the habit of living within a budget. Could anything be more important to insure you are living below your means? The lesson learned: budgeting is a freeing process, not a limiting timeline.
Learn how to network. Learn to stay in touch with friends from high school and college. Observe how others network and learn the skill of asking for help without apparent asking for help. Remember it is not what you know, it is not even who you know, it is how can you be affective with what and who you know. The lesson learned: stay in touch and make sure your first impression as helpful rather than helpless.
When going to college, think about what you really want and feel. Only you can decide what kind of experience you want, and the experience will be largely what you make of it. You will do better if you stay connected to the people and places you are familiar with, but still branch out and try new things.
I echo a lot of the sentiments already shared. But, I'll reiterate that it is okay not to know what you are going to do with the rest of your life in your first year. People change their major at least 5 times. Instead of changing my major, I changed my minor at least 5 times. That's okay.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to reiterate the importance of visiting the career services office in your first year. Career services isn't just about job placement. It isn't the place to go when you need to find a job. They'll also help you discover your personality type and skill sets, what you've really been called to do, and then get you there.
I also really encourage you to go to campus programs, especially the ones that take place in your residence hall and the ones that your RAs will organize. You'll meet awesome people and do a lot of fun things--mostly for free!
Study hard, but balance having fun and socializing too.
And, take it slow your first year of college. You don't need to go a mile a minute. Take it all in, make some new friends, and ground yourself. You have the rest of the three years to take off and fly.
:) GRae
When I think about what I wish I knew in college, especially in my first year, so many things come to mind. I echo what many folks have mentioned already about visiting career services and not feeling pressure to identify a major right away. Beyond those pointers, here's the list I came up with:
ReplyDelete1. Get involved! Maybe this is through a student organization, residence hall governance, or a program related to a class you enjoy, but find one or two things to spend time on beyond your courses.
2. Strive for balance - the other side of #1. It is easy to get overcommitted and some campuses have a culture of every student being too involved.
3. Take a class that you never would have thought of taking. Some of my most memorable courses were the ones unrelated to my major or my minor.
4. Take advantage of office hours and getting to know your professors and administrators on campus. It took me all of my first year to feel comfortable approaching a faculty member with a question, and I managed to keep in contact with that faculty member throughout my undergraduate years.
5. Take an ethnic studies or multicultural education course if your institution offers it. These are classes that challenged me not just with new facts and knowledge, but with new ways to make meaning of the world around me.
6. Take time for you, with friends, with family, with community.
7. Balance your time with intention. Build in study time and fun time so you don't feel deprived of either one. While it may seem on some campuses that everyone pulls all-nighters or waits until the day before an exam to study, it may not be setting you up to do your best work.
8. Identify mentors. I never realized how important these relationships with other students, RAs, faculty, and administrators would end up being to me.
Sorry I am REALLY late to post on this, but I have a couple of things:
ReplyDelete1. Get to know your professors. Don't be intimidated, they are people, too. :) These people can help you not only learn the material better, but tell you other academic/professional/personal things that will be invaluable in your college career. And, you will need them for recommendations for internships, scholarships, and jobs...so don't wait til you're a senior to meet your professors!
2. Take an Asian American studies class of any kind if you can. This will probably be the only time in your life that you can do this, and it is helpful to get a better understanding about not only your own Asian background, but others as well, and give you a bigger picture view of American history and experiences.
3. Take a class "just for fun," at least one class. College should be a time for professional preparation, yes, but also for exploring and enrichment. Some of my favorite courses and best experiences were in these types of classes and helped me become a more well-rounded individual.
4. Don't get locked into your major too early. A lot of students feel like they have to already know what they want to do by the time they enter college, but that is not the case. Usually you don't need to declare a major until the end of your 2nd year, so if you're not sure, take the time to explore by taking classes in areas that you might be interested in. It's better to take the time to figure it out now than realize you made too hasty a decision and decide 10 years later that you should have chosen something else.
-Corinne Kodama