Category Archives: Isabella

New Year, New Possibilities

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So its the new year, students have returned back to this lovely campus, the stillness is happily disrupted by the sound of the pencils on paper as you furiously take notes, the laughs and joys coming from your hallway at the joyous reunion of friends, and the delicious and satisfying taste of fresh Scripps cookies!

What better way to bring in the lovely 2015 with great internship tips, career related advice, and wonderful pictures of cats?!

Don't be scared young grasshopper! This kitty hasn't read Beyond the Elms yet!

Meow, meow, meow. This kitty hasn’t read Beyond the Elms yet! Photo via Pets Advisor.

Now I know what you might be thinking…yeah the new year has arrived, but that means I have to actually figure out what I am doing this summer *insert scary emotions and anxiousness here*. But not to worry, we won’t leave you behind and unlike this adorable yet poor cat, there’s really no need to fear!

Since the summer is approaching it would be a great idea to make a game-plan. When you begin to think about why you may be worried about internships, it may be due to the fact that you haven’t really explored all your options yet or you haven’t actually applied to all the places you want to gain experience from yet.

So let’s start with a deep breath and an organize ourselves. Create an excel file of all the internships or volunteer opportunities that you are interested in. Make sure to note their due dates, application requirements, and any other helpful tips like what city are they located in or who you should contact for further questions. Now this may sound tedious but trust me, its a lifesaver. Having all your application information in one place makes you feel all put together and squared away (even if only for a little bit!)

See this cat already feels better after getting its internship list organized!

See… this cat already feels better after getting its internship list organized! Photo via Animal Fair.

The next step is applying…dun dun dun. What even are cover letters? Resumes? You mean I actually have to rewrite these every time I apply to another internship? Hate to break it to ya champ, but you must! But that’s okay, stay tuned for magnificent, practical, and efficient advice on how to tackle the metaphorical beast of internships!

Fear not my fellow internship seekers and stay tuned for career and internship help as we navigate the waters of Spring Semester! Oh and of course more pictures of adorable animals!

Welcome back everyone!

Isabella

P.S. Have adorable cat videos you want to send my or questions about internships and online applications? Please send them my way! I would love to help!

And In the End…

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In awe of the semester ending (which is blowing my mind) I thought, “What better way to seek advice and expertise from one of the best bands of allllllllllll time?!”

So naturally The Beatles came up and I’ll let you marvel in this great musical creation. So besides their awesomeness, what can we learn from this song. Let’s take a gander at the lyrics that end the song in a warmest and fuzziest of ways.

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

So this phrase seems to be true across many spectrums of thought, right? What you put into something or someone is what you may get out of it. Now the same can be said in regards to schoolwork, our classes, and you guessed it, even internships!! (mwhahah)

But its soooo true! The amount of time, attention, and care you put in developing yourself, which then gets translated into your internship applications is crucial to gaining new experiential opportunities. Internships allow you to test the fields of potential career paths and you want to make yourself seem different from all the other thousands or hundreds of applicants.

What’s the best way to do this you ask, well….do all those outlandish things that you always thought were cool that college students like you have access to!

Examples include:

  1. Find a fun sport that is awesome like ultimate frisbee, fencing, rock climbing, surfing, inner tube waterpolo etc, etc.
  2. Write a book (although this sounds daunting, its extremely do-able! Check out this link. It’s a creative and effective way to spend your winter or summer breaks and looks AHMAZING on a resume! Seriously, how many college students do you know that have a published book? So be the first! Become an expert in something you love and show off all your impressive knowledge. Also this tip comes straight from the Smithsonian Director of Internships, so listen up y’all!)
  3. Join clubs you’re passionate about and try out for leadership positions
  4. Be involved in your community (relating to work in your major/internship passions so that you can say you already have experience in this field

Now that you’re a dynamic individual on paper, make sure to communicate your eclectic nature to those you want to work with. Email them, ask questions, connect on linkedIn. Do anything to show you’re passionate and interested in learning from (insert potential internship opportunity here).

So in regards to the lyric above, replace love with just about anything in life and it applies. It’s karma folks! If you put the right amount of effort, time, and attention into something and just try your best, the universe will take care of the rest. Just apply to all the possible internships you can and something will turn up! (that’s how it worked for me, so you can do it too!) Now I know we are all in finals mode, so same principle applies, study hard, one thing at a time, and you’ll be smooth sailing in a few short days!

GO GET ‘EM!

Have any questions about other internship tips? Talk to meh!

Good luck with finals folks!!!! Until next semester!

Isabella 

Cheerio!

 

Pro-tips: Navigating Real World Internships

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Countless times since starting school at Scripps, I have heard this town and our consortium being referred to as the “Claremont Bubble.” In a way, this isolated collegiate and academic sphere really does exist. I mean it takes me a reallllly long time to even remember that I can drive places once I go home or that I can’t use my ID card to get everything I need, including essentials such as the invaluable Ben & Jerry’s Red Velvet Ice cream (now that stuff is beautiful folks, if you haven’t tried it, I recommend it 100%).

Anyways…attending college can often take you out of the real word, even though it trains us to enter into it once we graduate. The difference between college and the “real world” is often so different, making internships so crucial in gaining experience in the fields that we hope to be working in (or even just to test the waters and see if our interests are actually worth pursuing).

Test the waters like this adorable Hippo he he he

Test the waters like this adorable Hippo he he he. Photo via Team 358.

During my internship last summer at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. I was fortunate enough to have this exact experience. Entering into the professional world gives you a clearer image than any online article (or blog post can- which is why y’all should start those internship applications now!), but here are some trade secrets that I have learned along the way that may help you out in your future!

1. Although the internship experience is very much about you and your interests, this is a great time to learn from others, so do everything you can do help others (always lend a hand to help your co-workers, they’ll really appreciate it!)

2. Show up early and stay late (although you should explore the city/surrounding area you’re in, don’t forget this work opportunity is the real reason you are here, show you care about it!

3. Better to dress up and look overdressed than underdressed (so yeah wear those high heels or fancy dress and own it!)

4. Learn everything you can about your future co-workers before you arrive at your internship (connect on LinkedIn, see the work they’ve published, created, or learn about the projects they’re working on). It’s a great conversation starter!

5. Keep in touch (both before your internship and afterwards). This is just a great way to enhance your relationship, either for future recommendations or staying connected with this line of work.

6. Try to as positive as possible. Enthusiasm and passion are noticed, especially in the workplace with few other co-workers. They may not remember all the little tasks you did, but they will remember your attitude while doing them!

7. Don’t sell your soul… this one sounds a little strange, but let me explain. While you do want to be professional (of course don’t be immature/rude) but don’t be afraid to show these people your silliness in a good way if the relationship permits. Personality traits/demeanor will be one of the ways your being evaluated and remembered, so once you get comfortable, still get working, but show them the bright beautiful person you are and shineeeeee! (#sorrynotsorry for the cheesiness).

So place those jitters aside and conquer this fun and exciting learning opportunity! Believe in yourself friends, you got this!

Toodles,

Isabella

The World is Your Oyster

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I’m sure at one point or another, we have all heard this phrase,”the world is your oyster.” To those not too familiar with shellfish or the metaphor, let’s dig deep into the land of endless unknown possibilities that lie ahead of us after our collegiate journey.

Best believe it! Photo via Cutest Blog

Best believe it! Photo via Cutest Blog

While growing up, you often hear other kids say, “I want to be the President” or “I want to be a firefighter,” and even “I want to be an astronaut.” Kids with their delightful sense of innocence don’t limit their career opportunities. They dream with their eyes open, thinking of professions that excite them and make them happy.

Now as we grow up, we tend to shed those beliefs and even subject them to criticism, claiming that they are overly optimistic and land in the territory of impossible childhood dreams. But I think there is a lot to be said about an imaginative, creative, and hopeful childlike perspective to career searching.

Now on the other side of the coin, I agree that in the current job market and in every job market one must be practical. Jobs aren’t going to find themselves and you must be efficient, strategic, and persistent in pursuing your ideal work environment. But should this mature and “adult like” strategy cost us our simple childhood dream-like-perspective? Well… simply put, no. We can actually learn about our current selves from our past selves.

Throughout the years, I have heard many stories from different mentors in my life including internship advisers, professors, and my boss that what you study in college and pursue in an undergraduate world of academia is not a buy-all end-all product. Why limit the possibilities of our potential career path when we know this little unpredictable thing called life somehow always gets in the way?

You make plans, they change, and as a result you follow the curve ball that gets thrown at you. So listen up folks, don’t take yourselves too seriously. Be focused, deliberate, practical, and strategic while in college. By all means have a 2 year plan or heck have a 6 year plan and try to stick to it. Be intentional when picking a major. Think, “what kinds of opportunities could this track lead me down? Is this realistic for the life that I have envisioned for myself? Does this provide meaning and satisfaction in my life? Does this make me happy?”

But when life picks you up, drops you down, and puts you in an unfamiliar position. Ya get back up and you go with the flow; you’ve got no other choice. So channel that inner child within you and keep dreaming, because who knows maybe that one dream writing job is waiting for you but you’re too busy complaining about your current job to even notice. After all imagination is key, don’t believe me, well you must believe my dear friend Albert.

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You can’t argue with the one the only Albert Einstein! Photo via Picture Quotes

Now “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!” So as we move forward, let’s not only imagine all the people living life in peace but also all the people loving their jobs because they trusted themselves and their dreams enough to get them there!

Imagine. Photo via John Lennon Facts

Imagine. Photo via John Lennon Facts

Peace out folks,

Isabella

Doubting Yourself? Don’t.

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Most of us college students can share that one fateful moment when we get our papers or exams back and just want to curl into a ball and sulk for days on end about our less than perfect score.

Well you’re right… that feeling definitely is not the best one and I can say personally that I have been more than tempted to do just that with loads of sugary sweets by my side. But today I was reminded of the importance of not letting a number define me.

While visiting my professor in office hours and feeling a tad defeated, I was asking her about the questions that I had answered incorrectly and she assuaged my bits of sadness. She told me to never let a test grade define my self worth.

Let’s have that settle for a second. Ready *breathe in* *breathe out*

Ahhhh. Okay so starting to feel a little relieved and I was a little more hopeful but still had those doubts in the back of my mind. Lets expand the zoom on our lives, shall we?

In five years, heck, in two years, no employer will/can see your exam and have any reason to act differently based on a couple of test scores way back when! Yes, while GPA does matter, your grade is *hopefully* not based on one single exam. Take a breather, realize your future is still just as bright and beautiful, and don’t let a number lessen your self-worth.

Remember: you are more than a number, and if you don’t believe me just believe my professor because she know more things than I could ever fathom, mmkay?

http://i.lvme.me/q1h3s1.jpg

So use your experiences to help you create work you are proud of, and remember “success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

So get busy, get studying, and stop worrying. You are in control of your life and a few lower numbers in the scheme of the universe won’t change that. YOU can do this you wonderfully inspired citizen of the world, don’t doubt yourself.

Until then, smile lots, study until your brains fall out, and drink lots and lots of tea!

And don’t forget to…

KEEP CALM AND EXPECTO PATRONUM.

Over and out folks, happy last full week before break!

Stay positive,

Isabella