As I have probably mentioned in the last couple of posts, I want to start off this week by emphasizing how important self care is!  This past weekend, I was able to go back home and hang out with my family (Random story: a peacock even stumbled across our house and sat in front of our porch for a solid five hours).  Putting the stories aside, I was able to regain my energy to conquer the rather scary amount of work that piles up during the last month of the semester.  So for today’s message, I want to share a couple of tips on how to avoid pulling all nighters and increasing stress.

The first one is: become best friends with your planner.  Personally, I like jotting things down and planning each week.  I have a handy planner with me and I make sure to jot down which assignments I need to get done for the day as well as the activities I have to attend.  This way, nothing comes unexpectedly and it is easier for me to break down bigger projects before the deadline so I’m not freaking out at the last minute.  The feeling of crossing out something is personally relaxing, and makes me more productive.  

Next, it is super important to move around!  These past couple of weeks I felt sluggish and tired, because I would always be glued down to my chair doing work.  Recently, I made a pact to make sure I would exercise for around half an hour every day.  This increases my energy as well as my concentration levels. In addition, having a balanced diet is super important because we college students need the nutrients to conquer the day (although I’m not opposed to Scripps snack, but maybe cutting down the number of trips to get Scripps cookies isn’t so bad).

Finally, know your priorities.  Unfortunately, there isn’t much time until finals come upon us.  If I know I have a lot of tests, essays, or projects to study for, I get a guilty gut feeling that going out for the night before might not be the best idea (but hey, if that helps you take your mind off things, by all means do what you gotta do).  Of course, it is definitely hard to be sitting in your room studying while your friends are going out, but most of the time, I don’t regret spending the extra hours doing work and getting a good night’s rest.  Also, it is even more rewarding to spend a night with friends or going on an adventure after accomplishing that essay or exam.  
Although I know this might not work out for every student, these three pieces have definitely worked for me in the long run.  Not only have I been able to be more productive, but I have become more comfortable with my learning styles and sense of self-discipline.  

First of all, I cannot believe it is almost three weeks until the end of the semester.  Although Claremont has been through a couple days of April showers, the sun came out today and I was able to emerge from my study cave.  But with summer quickly approaching, many of us are probably wondering what to do during break.  As some of you all may know, I am very excited to be spending my summer in New York City interning for ELLE DECOR!  This has always been my dream since I was young.  I’ve always lived in sunny SoCal, so I am anxious but excited to spend a couple of months navigating New York’s concrete jungle by myself. 

Of course, this all sounds very Carrie Bradshaw-esque, but I definitely encountered a lot of obstacles a long the way.  Fortunately enough, I recently was able to receive a generous Internship Grant from CP&R, so my budget is more flexible, but wow, living in New York is definitely more expensive than I thought, especially living expenses.  For a while, I contemplated living in a corner of a living room (yes, that is how expensive rent is).  Having high expenses definitely creates a challenge for someone who is on a college budget, especially living alone in a place I have never been.

However, there are definitely lessons that come along with obstacles.  One of the things I started to be more conscious about is budgeting and saving up for the summer.  Throughout the semester, I became more aware of how I was spending my paychecks and how to come up with ways to make a little more pocket money.  I sold my old clothes, signed up for extra work shifts, and kept myself accountable.

In addition to planning out my budget, I also had to coordinate living arrangements, book plane tickets, as well as balance my studies and activities.  Another tip I found useful was making the most of my planner and writing down important deadlines ahead of time to ensure flexibility.  Since I am pretty comfortable with my working style, it was a matter of coordinating all the tasks I had to do and doing it on a step-by-step basis.  Also, I was fortunate enough to talk with Lily, who previously interned for the publication so she was able to give me very valuable advice (You might have read her previous post on the blog about her experience!). I want to give a quick shout out to Lily for helping me with this internship every step of the way.  Essentially, the lesson is that reaching out to people who have had similar experiences is definitely an advantage, and with the close Claremont community, the extra support is very helpful.

Overall, I cannot contain my excitement for the memories that will come very soon.  I am looking forward to the skills I will gain, experiencing a 9-5 job, and getting a slice of the city (back at it with the cheesy phrases).  It will be the start of a new journey, and I am very thankful for the opportunity as well as the support I have gotten so far!

Hello readers and fellow college students!  First, I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break (although it definitely was not long enough).  This year, I decided to temporarily put aside school work and actually enjoy my spring break, which I usually don’t do because I always have midterms and work to catch up on.  I got to explore LA with my family, eat yummy non-dining hall food, hang out with friends, and even visit San Diego!  The reason behind this mentality?  Two words: Sophomore Slump. 

At first I thought it was a myth, since my friends would describe me as more hard-working and studious, but even for me I feel it draining both my physical and emotional energy.  The symptoms of sophomore slump include: stress, pressure to choose a major, figuring out where to studying abroad, figuring out what to do over the summer, low motivation, slipping grades, and many other side effects.  Enthusiasm from freshman year is slowly dwindling, and there is a overwhelming feeling that we sophomores must try to get our academic lives together before the year ends.  Overall, one of the biggest challenges is actually translating our dreams of what we want to pursue in the future on to paper.  Although I am proudly declared an Econ-Accounting major, I still have no clue on what career I want to pursue.    Maybe the uncertainty of the future is what makes things daunting, but whether it be looking for internships, declaring a major, or even turning in study abroad forms, it can easily leave us feeling stuck. 

Of course, I can’t just present a problem without proposing a solution.  Although we all may find different ways to boost our energy and enthusiasm, what I realized is that I needed to do something to change my daily routine, such as doing an activity I don’t usually do.  This could be finding a new study spot, reading a fun book, flower pressing (a great stress reliever), relaxing at the Scripps pool, or even making a bouquet at the rose garden.  These activities should be calming and relaxing, but if you enjoy doing more rigorous things, do what floats your boat.  As a short comment of solace, I have the uttermost confidence in my fellow hard-working Scrippsies that everything will work out.  To my fellow sophomore comrades out there; we can do it!

To be honest, getting rejected really…sucks (probably not the most eloquent word, but rather the most accurate).  It’s always that cycle of going back and forth of why you weren’t chosen for that one internship, scholarship, or award that you worked hard for and desperately wanted.  I can’t count the thousands of applications I’ve sent and getting no for an answer.  I definitely struggle with taking rejection personally because I have high expectations; it’s something that I’m still working on, but luckily I’ve been improving in terms of moving forward and focusing on the positive people/moments in my life.  The question that always pops into my head is “Why didn’t they/he/she/it choose me?.”  Of course, I’ll probably never know the answer, which makes it even more frustrating.

I’ve decided to focus this post on a more vulnerable subject, because it’s that point of the semester where most of us college kids are probably locking ourselves away in our study caves, figuring out what to do over the summer, and being zombies.  Juggling activities, classes, midterms, and applications all at once is mentally draining and stressful.  Even though some things may work out and some may not, one thing I have come to realize is the importance of self-care.  In college, we’re kind of thrown into this notion that we must be independent and mature, but also saying “I’m not okay” is perfectly fine.  When I was in high school, I grew up in a culture that didn’t have a lot of conversations about self-care and mental health.  Instead, some, if not most of us dealt with our emotions back home before the next school day started.  Of course, when I had hard times I would talk with my loved ones, whether it be family or friends, but I always had the misconception that I had to be doing something productive, quickly suck it up, and move on with my life. 

You are not alone.  It’s okay to take a break, watch Netflix, and eat junk food (although I do this more than occasionally).  I want to give a quick shout out to all of my dear friends that I have made on campus so far who have listened to me complain, cry, and stress about life.  I’ve definitely have been more open with those that I trust about getting rejected and not feeling okay with it.  I am eternally grateful for the immense support system that I have.  The most important piece of advice I have gotten is that getting rejected from something is never a reflection of one’s personal character.  Hard work will pay off in the end.  Sure, we may never truly know the reasons why it didn’t work out, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (as cheesy as it sounds).

Hi lovely readers! This is my first post for Beyond the Elms, and I’m so excited to contribute to the career navigation process. One of the things that I have learned throughout my time at Scripps is to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. My friends would normally describe me as being bubbly and more outgoing, but I definitely get shy with reaching out to people. It took me a while to figure out how to project my voice to potential employers and express my desire to learn in a professional environment. Overall, I think one of the most important things to have while navigating one’s career (also the internship experience) is definitely networking.

Even the word networking just sounds fancy. Whenever I think of networking, I always think of fancy suits, business cards, rooftop gardens, and fancy finger food (probably because I watch too much TV). That first impression was probably the reason why I was scared of the idea. However, with practice comes competence. Although one conversation might not directly lead to a job offer, it definitely makes yourself known to professionals who are potential employers or people who can help you have a better idea of what you are interested in doing as a career. Networking can present itself in different ways. Last month I had the chance to participate in the Emerging Professionals Program at Scripps, and I had the opportunity to meet a lot of professionals in different industries. There was one professional in the accounting industry that I wanted to speak with, so I took a deep breath and sent an email expressing my interest in a telephone conversation. Luckily, the experience went well and I was able to find out more about a certain career. Also, this person expressed that he was impressed with my ability to reach out and take initiative (see, it pays off somehow right?). For starters to the networking process, I definitely recommend telephone conversations if you are more of a person who likes more one-on-one conversations.

Here’s a short video that I found helpful on what kind of questions to ask:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2015/03/04/30-questions-to-ask-in-an-informational-interview/#3a51c3be57c7

There are also plenty of networking events that goes on at the Claremont Colleges. At the end of the EPP Program, we got to travel to Pasadena for a student alumni networking event. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous and my palms were sweating. I have mostly done telephone conversations, so I wasn’t sure how to approach someone in a group setting. I found the same kind of rules apply in terms of what to ask, but if I had to give short advice re: in person networking, it would definitely be:
1) Maintain eye contact and smile
2) Although food is great, it’s definitely not attractive to be talking with a bunch of food in one’s mouth. (speaking from personal mistakes)
3) Be yourself and be confident

Happy Networking!