Category Archives: Theodora

Making the Most of Breaks

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Many of us Scippsies are lucky enough to not have classes on Fridays, making every weekend a three day weekend! This made fall break, for both me and many of my peers, feel like quite a good chunk of time to either rest, travel or get ahead on work. In most cases, I have found that doing a combination of these things is the best way to utilize a break.

1.Rest and Travel:

Over fall break, I visited a friend at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and chose to take the redeye when flying there. I was able to sleep on the plane ride and, although hesitant at first, was glad that I chose to take the redeye. By travelling at night I didn’t feel like I lost the 12 hours that the train ride, bus ride, uber, and plane ride surmounted to. Although not the most comfortable for resting, I did sleep while on the plane. It was rest that I desperately needed from various midterms and essays due right before fall break. I was able to both travel and rest. But most importantly, I was able to rest while travelling, truly making the best use of my time.

2.Travel and Get Ahead on Work:

Two of my friends traveled to Santa Barbara for fall break and utilized the four-hour train ride to get ahead on work. They read their Core reading that was due the week after the break. They were able to make use of the combined eight hours that could have gone to waste. Ultimately, they alieved future potential stress and budgeted time in the future to work on other projects after the break. Travelling does not have to take away from productivity. In fact, it can often facilitate productivity because of the chunks of time that travelling demands you surrender to activities that are easily done while in transport, like reading.

3.Get Ahead on Work and Rest: (and Travel a bit too!)

Another one of my friends chose to make the short commute home and was overjoyed to be sleeping in her own bed for the first time since school began. She rested more deeply than she has so far as a college student and was able to do work in the environment where she had been productive for her whole life: her childhood home and, in particular, her beloved desk. Being at home facilitated her to work more productively than she had in months.

We should remember that it is time’s gift to have no classes on Fridays, or even classes that end early on Fridays. Our weekends, although not as long as fall break, can be utilized in the same way that we utilized fall break. It is a resting time. Travelling is more than possible here at the 5C’s whether it be walking to the farmer’s market in Claremont or renting a Scripps van and visiting LA for the day. Not having morning classes like we often do Monday through Thursday is the perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep for the week ahead. Moreso, doing work to prepare for the week, rather than just for Monday, is immensely helpful in catching those Z’s once the week comes. Resting, travelling, and getting ahead are all attainable on weekends and will make the week ahead much more enjoyable.

The Secret to Standing Out

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When thinking back to your pre-college days, you probably remember college counselors explaining that the most successful college applications project a cohesive image of who you are as a person, not just as a student. In essence, the most successful college applications reveal your passion.

Applying to college and applying for jobs or internships isn’t as different as it may seem.

Both admissions officers and employers hope to accept or hire students with an enthusiasm for a subject that they hope to continue exploring. It is the most passionate people who have what it takes to change the world, or at least one small corner of it.

The message that you projected about yourself on your college application was successful enough to get you here. Now, you can use Scripps’ resources to continue developing your passion through clubs or even the classes you choose to take. When applying to jobs or internships remember the experiences you’ve had that excited you most and added to your growing passion(s).

When I applied for my summer job, I noticed that my soon-to-be manager had titled her notes for our interview not with my name, but with “The Feminist.” This was the identity that my resume had projected. And this was the identity that she was curious to learn about in the interview.

In our interview, my manager asked me about feminism right away. She was intrigued by my passion and my projects. She was excited to explain that the CEO of the company I was interviewing for was a woman. She elaborated and described how the company takes a lot of pride in being a company run by women and selling largely to female consumers.

Here at Scripps, my identity as a feminist is not as uniquely appreciated as it was in my high school or it was in my summer workplace. We are a community of intersectional feminists here at Scripps so it is my other passions, like writing, that are indicative of my identity in my communities here. Even within informal groups, like friendships, our passions can create our identities. When studying at the library, my friends will ask me questions relating to writing because they know I love to analyze literature. My identity has been formed by my passion for prose.

Applying to and becoming a CP&R blogger here at Scripps is a unique bullet point for my resume, as well as a small weekly commitment I enjoy. Together with my other commitments and scholarship related to English, being a CP&R blogger exemplifies my passion for writing. Perhaps at my next job interview, my employer will title their notes for me as “The Writer.”

So, whether you have one passion or five, nurture your interests inside and outside the classroom. You will be able to create a lasting impact on your interviewer and have an array of experiences to choose from when asked about your passion. After all, if a subject is truly your passion, cultivating it and investing in it should be an enjoyable way to develop your career. 🙂

Lessons from Core for the Years Ahead

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One of the hallmarks of the Scripps experience is the three mandatory semesters of Core. Every Scrippsie knows the trials and tribulations that the Core experience puts us through. Yet, the skills learned from our participation in Core can be applied to and help us with our four years at Scripps, as well as beyond the 5C classrooms, in our careers.

1.Life is interdisciplinary:

Core, at its core ;), is interdisciplinary. It is all about the profound connections between different fields of study, and how examining one subject area can enrich our understanding of larger concepts. Identifying and analyzing commonalities is a great skill to have. No matter what field you choose to pursue, interdisciplinary thinking will be an asset. The strongest thinkers are the ones that have a broad scope of the world. They don’t have academic tunnel vision. Instead, they are masters at using their extensive understanding of their discipline to inform and enrich their understandings of other disciplines. Whether it be in your other courses, or in the workplace, it is an advantage to be able to pull outside knowledge to the issue at hand.

2.Collaboration with peers and professors:

In core classes, collaboration is integral, and unavoidable. In the very design of Core I, discussion and lecture collaborate to provide revelations about the texts. In discussion, students collaborate with one another to arrive at conclusions by examining, and sometimes challenging, the texts. The professors’ lectures, ranging in disciplines, serve to illuminate the texts. Often, professors collaborate with students by posing questions for deeper thought in lecture or in smaller discussion. By lecturing, professors are able to explain why community matters to them and to their discipline. Essentially, they are a part of the larger discussion that is Core. Interacting with both our peers and professors about delicate identity issues that often relate to sexual orientation, gender, race, class, or nations prepares us for “the real world” where consciousness of diverse experiences is one of the largest assets in a workplace. Perhaps one of the most important teachings from Core isn’t in the content of the course, but in the skill of good-natured debate and discussion-based collaboration that it demands. Knowing how to present your ideas to peers and employers, both verbally and in writing, is a skill that Core trains us well in.

3.Core makes you a better human being:

Core I’s focus on the concepts of the nation, community, and identity provide great tools for being working members of society. As soon to be college graduates, it is vital that we put into play our newfound understandings of civilization and inequality in our endeavors. This learning can be enriching to our more advanced courses later on at Scripps or in graduate school. This learning can also enhance our pursuits in our careers, perhaps by aiming to include historically excluded identities from the academic and work-related careers we create and become parts of. For example, Professor Rachlin’s recent lecture to Core I students, “The Class Closet: How Do We Get In and Why Don’t We Come Out?”, supplies us with an awareness for the wealth disparity in our nation. This study can be applied to how we–who are lucky enough to go to college–should move through the world with a deeper understanding of class in our heads. Professor Rachlin’s lecture also provided us with the language to talk about tough issues like class with our peers and professors. Knowing the correct language to use to collaborate thoughtfully and respectfully is essential to going far in our careers.

Creating the Job You Want When Working the Job You Need

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This past summer I worked as a sales associate at one of my favorite stationery stores. I succesfully found and secured an intterview for the job by using a site that functions similarly to Handshake. When I was hired for the job I was expecting to learn how to do new tasks since it was my first, and probably only, retail job. To be honest, although I was excited to be working at a stationery store, the basic job description did not sound particularly engaging at first. As expected, I learned how to engage with customers, work the register, and discuss product. Yet, it was what I brought to the job from prior experiences and my own passions that made me excited to go to work every day.

On one of my first days of work, my manager asked me off-handedly if I happened to have good handwriting. I replied that I thought so and would love to give any special projects she had a try. She handed me a blackboard and a chalk marker, and I headed to the back table to work on what would become my first masterpiece.

After that, I became the regular signage creator at the store. While working on the register I would be simultaneously creating signage for the store. I blended the expected responsibilities of the position with the new tasks I adopted. Soon, I was helping create window displays and crafting models to advertise what customers could make in our workshops. I felt like I was creating in a meaningful way. What I was spending time crafting was seen my hundreds, even thousands of customers, and added to the atmosphere of the store. I loved being creative at what could’ve been “just a summer job”.

Beyond designing my job to be an outlet for creativity, I was able to teach kids at the small arts camp we ran. My manager asked me to help the kids craft with her, and from that day forward my shifts were scheduled so that I could cover the hours in which the kids camp was being taught. I learned how to engage with our youngest (and custest!) customers while having patience, compassion, and a smile. I had so much fun working over the summer, and it was all because of the duties of the job that I did not even expect to be doing. Perhaps most importantly, I felt a purpose in seemingly arbitrary skills like good handwriting in a world where we list skills like Word and Excel on our resumes, not calligraphy.

I learned that just like any situation, jobs truly are what you make of them. You can think of your summer job as “just a summer job”, or as an opportunity to learn new skills and to take on the extra responsibilities that you specifically enjoy. Ultimately, it is what you choose to do in your workplace that will be the bullet points on your resume. But beyond that, what you choose to do is what makes your workday enjoyable.

Preparing for an Interview

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The interview is one of the best opportunities to impress a potential employer during the hiring process. Not only are they putting a face to your name, they’re pairing a personality to your accomplishments.

This past summer I interviewed and was hired to be a sales associate at a stationery store. I had interviewed for colleges before, but never for a job. I didn’t know what to expect but managed to impress my soon-to-be manager during the interview. Here are some key ways to turn the nerve-wracking interview process into the reason you get the job.

1.Ask friends and family:
Your friends and family know you better than anyone else and can give you an idea of how to answer questions like these…

  • What are three of your biggest strengths?
  • What is your biggest weakness?
  • What do you have to offer that other candidates don’t?

2.Search and practice common interview questions Hint: Check CP&R’s Services Guide and online interview resources. 

  • Tell me about yourself?
  • Why do you want this position?
  • Describe a situation in which you faced a challenge and how you overcame that challenge.
  • Why do you want to work for our organization?

3.Practice presentation:
Eye contact and a firm handshake are key elements of presenting yourself professionally. Also, do not underestimate the importance of presenting yourself as someone who is kind and thoughtful. Over the summer, when I was working with the manager who hired me for my summer job, she said to me proudly: “I hire nice people.” Essentially, consider that your interviewer is hiring you as a colleague. Show them why you are someone they should want to work with.

4.Summon your confidence:
This is your time to brag about yourself. Explain your accomplishments and experience in the depth that you weren’t able to go into on your resume. Most importantly, talk about the things that don’t neatly fit into the boxes on your resume that make you stand out. Consider what your most important commitment is and how it is (and isn’t!) represented on your resume.

5.Ask your own questions:
Being curious about the position that you are interviewing for will show your interviewer that you are invested in this opportunity. Prepare three questions to ask at the end of the interview, and take note of the response your interviewer gives you. Some potential questions could include…

  • What would my day-to-day responsibilities look like?
  • What do you like most about working here?
  • What does success look like?

Prepare questions that surround the position you are applying for specifically as well. Before your interview, research the company’s mission statement or values and ask about how your interviewer feels those values are manifested in the company. Ask about the position you’re applying for and how it contributes to the company as a whole.

6.Practice makes perfect:
You can practice with friends, but you can even prepare by heading to the CP&R office and scheduling a mock interview. By practicing with others you will be sure to be pushed to answer tougher questions. Get feedback on how to get the position of your dreams!