New Kid Starter Guide

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Theri

I have been so excited to write this first blog post, and now HERE I AM. I can hardly believe I have been at Scripps now for almost a month. If you have not read my biography, which is on our website Beyond the Elms(under Meet the Bloggers)I just transferred from NYU (Go bobcats!) So, to say that I am in a different environment is an understatement. Although, I am happy to report: so far, so good

I have only been here a month, so I can’t confidently tell you I know all the “ins and outs”or “do’s and don’ts” of the transfer process yet, but in this blog post, I am going to attempt to tell you what I think the “new kid” on the block should know about coming to Scripps, and (sort of) the 5Cs. I want to share what I wish I had known some of these small facets about the 5Cs before arriving.

Not sure how much this will interest those students already here, but…who knows? It might refresh your memory on all there is to do on our campus. It might even encourage you to be a little bit gentler to that new kid, as they attempt to navigate a whole new world.

Theri’s Do and Don’t Guide For Scripps Beginners

DO ride a scooter, skateboard, etc. around campus-

I could not stress having wheels on campus enough. During my first week, I walked to and from my classes, between the various colleges, and it was exhausting. I envied those with skateboards whipping by me. Many of you have cleverly kept all your classes on campus to avoid the walking hassle all together. If only I had thought that far ahead. At this point, you may be asking yourself, “How did this girl survive New York City if she hates walking?” The short answer is: I am still alive but barely breathing.

On the second week, I dragged myself to Target and bought a kid’s scooter for $39.99, and MAN was it the best investment of 2018 (thus far). Instead of taking me approx. 10 minutes to walk to my daily 8am at CMC, it was now taking me 1/2 that time with my new Razor scooter! #Scootergang Although, let it be known, I know how dorky riding a kid’s scooter may sound to you, so if you know how to ride a skateboard, do that, because #Tbh skater girls are the coolest #Sorrynotsorry Bikers are cool too.

2. DON’T go home on the weekends if you are a local

If you are tempted to go home on weekends, like I am because I live in LA, consider not going. Especially if home is nearby i.e., Pomona, Claremont, Anaheim, Los Angeles, etc., it can be tempting to want to go home. I came home the first couple weeks of the school year because it felt comfortable to be at home, but I realized that I was feeling some major #FOMO as I watched snap, instagram stories, etc. of various friends getting together. The next week, I nearly missed a SCORE community event on campus because the traffic from LA to Scripps was so nightmarish. There is plenty going on around campus and so many new people to meet. On a side note, I think all the beautiful Scripps study spots make doing homework actually enjoyable. Take care of yourself, but my advice is to push your comfort zone and create some new roots here.

3. DO utilize all of Scripps facilities and resources

OK, maybe it’s over stressed, but the facilities and resources on campus are truly extraordinary. Whether you are done with studying or just need a break, I highly recommend our pool at the Sallie Tiernan Field House. I mean our field house is essentially a hotel spa, with all the accommodations you could ever fathom: yoga classes, zumba, running, walking, spinning classes, and so much more. You also have your Motley coffeehouse for your daily bagel and caffeine fix. Read the Scripps Voice since its the official Scripps newspaper on campus, and happens to be a club I just joined (so you should come, so we can become friends) If you’re thinking AT ALL about going abroad, I suggest just dropping by Office of Study Abroad to see if you can make a meeting with one of the advisors to talk about your questions and concerns. Stay up to date on SCORE events which you can find in your emails from SAS; Finally, check in with your one of the career counselors at CP&R once in a while…

4. DO visit CP&R

Regardless of where you are in the career journey, Career Planning & Resources is here to help. Feeling overwhelmed by different passions and just want someone to pick one for you? CP&R can help you sort things out. Whether you’re are a freshman or sophomore and still have loads of time to think about your major, study abroad, or whether or not you want to apply for a fellowship, or if you are an upperclassmen, and need help planning your next steps for internships or job opportunities – Seriously, make an appointment with CP&R as early as possible in the term to see what steps you need to take, and how to stay on track – there is no limit to the number of appointments you can have, and you can also utilize their drop in hours Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm if you have quick questions. Take a deep breath, try your best try to stay organized throughout the semester, get to know your resources, and connect with the staff on campus here to support you. Yay for small liberal art schools and a rigorous amount of individualized attention!

5. DO hang in there… Fall break is right around the corner!

Well, that’s all for now folks. Today has been a beautiful day to save lives.

Xx,

Theri

Dear High School Self…

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Claire

I distinctly remember pacing my dad’s home office one afternoon senior year of high school. I was almost in tears, worried about the future. At this point, I didn’t even know where I was going to college yet so in retrospect, it was way too early to be thinking about planning out a potential career. It was probably the stress of applications and senior year talking but I was so potently distraught that it is almost hard to think of the memory now.

I wish I could go back to that panicking 17-year-old and tell her not to worry (not that she would have believed me). I would tell her that things will work out how they’re supposed to. The best piece of career advice I could give to myself then would be to take a deep breath because you can’t see what the future holds yet.

I hadn’t yet gotten to college where I would discover, through experiences and my majors, that I wanted to work in entertainment. You can’t always plan and figure out the grand plan because you simply lack the experiences necessary to make the path clear.

It is so easy to get into a trap of worrying about what you’re going to do after graduation. When were younger, the idea is impressed upon us that we need to “decide what we want to be when we grow up”. After listening to many people’s stories, I have found that there really is no ultimate goal of something to be. Your career path can be as fluid and as nuanced as you are. People change over time, and their goals will change. What sounds appealing now may not in a years’ time. And that’s ok! Work with the information you’ve got, give it your all, and things will come together like they’re supposed to.

Networking Adventure

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Claire

What a Saturday! Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to three networking events! They were all one right after the other but I was able to attend all three (somehow). Two were on campus and one was in LA. All were absolutely wonderful and insightful but I am going to focus on my trip to LA. First, a little background…

Earlier this week I ran into several recruiters at the Harvey Mudd dining hall. They were representatives from Universal Creative, the theme park attraction designers in the company. They were advertising their panel and their flyer indicated opportunities for Theater majors! Naturally curious, I attended the event that night. They described their division of the company; they do everything from conceptualizing to implementation of new attractions and experiences at the Universal owned parks. They hire a variety of engineers and artists to make these visions come to life and operate in efficient, safe ways. I really enjoyed interacting with the representatives and hearing them speak. I wasn’t sure where my interests and passion for creative management/organizing fit into their organization but I left my resume anyway. A few days later I got an email inviting me to their learning center at Universal City Walk for a networking event. Still unsure if I was really interested in this field, I decided to take the opportunity anyway.

I usually feel very confident about networking but this event was unlike anything I had been to before. It was far less casual than the networking events I had been to. The conference room was divided into engineers and “creatives” (art/architecture/theater). Upon speaking with the other candidates, I quickly realized how out of my depth I was. Many were extremely passionate about theme park design, touting portfolios and chatting about other professional mixers they attended. Not that they were unfriendly, but I felt out of place in an industry that I stumbled into less than a week before. But the recruiters must have seen something in my resume, so I plowed ahead. I had a lovely conversation with the intake representative, trying to be as honest as I could. She guided me towards some areas of their organization where my skill sets might fit and I discovered that she was friends with one of my internship bosses. Overall, I am still not sure if theme park design is right for me. But I’m glad I took the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone. Because although I felt destabilized in the moment, it gave me the confidence to know that I can work through any situation by just calming down and doing it!

Beginings, Endings, and Reflections

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Claire

Hello Everyone! Welcome back for another term! Or if you are out of school, welcome to another day in the life. While it is that time of year where we excitedly look forward to what the future has in store, read for new adventures to begin, it is also a time to remember and reflect on the recent past. Most notably the summer that came to a screeching halt with the introduction of new classes. I think oftentimes as students we do not take the time to reflect on our summers because of excitement about what lies ahead. But it is important to remember and digest our experiences because of the diamonds of knowledge we can glean when we reflect. We are able to see the bigger picture now that the canvas is full of paint. Because I had an incredibly jam packed summer where I was working on preparing for a career after college, I will spend the majority of my blog posts this summer reflecting on the experience as well as my thoughts on what lies ahead. To start with, let me outline my experiences and how I got my internships.

Yes, I did get the grammar right. I indeed had two internships this summer, both in the entertainment business at two small Film and TV development/production companies. What scares people so much about the entertainment business is the idea that you need to know people to succeed. And while it is true that connections are VERY important (as I found out) it wasn’t nearly as hard as I would have thought to start building them. You just have to put yourself out there. It helps that Scripps is in the LA area so there are quite a few alums working in the business but I bet that students of basically any college have gone onto working in entertainment. And you never know, you family may know someone who knows someone and you can make connections that way. But I found that once I started voicing my interest to people, they were more than happy to connect me on to people in the business. After tons of informational interviews, mostly with Scripps alums, I managed to secure my internships. First at Endgame Entertainment. Last fall I connected with a senior who had done several entertainment internships. I asked her to coffee at the Motley to hear about her experiences and she connected me to a Scripps alum there. I spoke with that Scripps alum who encouraged me to apply to their intern program (they had taken Claremont people before). From there I went through the regular application process, bolstered by that connection, and got the internship. My second internship at Oddlot Entertainment, I got more directly through participation in CP&R events. I went on the Media Networking Trek in Fall of 2016 and we visited the Oddlot office. I stayed in contact with the Scripps Alum who actually runs their intern program. I was eventually able to apply from there and got the internship. I had a really fantastic time at both and I can’t wait to share more about my experience over the summer. Hopefully sharing my experiences in entertainment can dispel some of the myths and mysteries about it as well as help anyone who thinks a career in storytelling might be for them. Happy Fall!

5 Steps to Starting and Maintaining Professional Relationships

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Kohsheen

Here are my top 5 steps to beginning and maintaining professional relationships:

An important first step is to think about the network of connections that you already have and may have made in the past. You will be surprised as to how many people that you know are valuable connections and can provide you with a wealth of knowledge and experience. This can be parents, relatives, friends, old colleagues and schoolmates, and even old teachers. Try to reach out to any connections that you have made who may work in a company that you are interested in and rekindle that relationship. Start by sending out a friendly email asking them about how they are doing or mentioning any memory that you have together. You can also talk about important milestones in your work life so that they can remember you on a personal level and you can start a professional conversation.
As a next step, you can expand your network by using Life Connections to reach out to Scripps alumni. (Life Connections is a volunteer database that offers Scripps College students the opportunity to network with over 1,600 alumnae and friends all over the world. These volunteers have agreed to provide invaluable information about their careers, graduate studies, fellowship experiences, relocation, and job search tips within their areas of expertise.
- These are the steps to get to life connections:
  - Log into your Scripps Portal
  - Click on the Student tab
  - On the left side of the page, there is a column where you can click on Life Connection
  - You can navigate the database by finding alumni by career, major, employer, or other fields
  - Once you get their contact information from Life Connections, send them emails asking about their jobs or about their Scripps experience. You can also use them to conduct informational interviews (mentioned in a later step)

If you want to network with people in a more personal setting with more face time, then it is important to attend networking events in your area. Go to networking events such as Women in Tech or Undergraduate Summits or conferences that you can find out about through Career Planning and Resources emails. You can also Google different websites to find networking events in your area and your field of study.

Once you start meeting people and creating a network, be sure to add them on LinkedIn to keep these connections for the future. Make sure to send a customized message to every single person you add so they remember you distinctly and can associate you with that message in the future when you reach out to them. You can also interact with articles they share on LinkedIn to show your interest and keep yourself on their radar. If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out the Find Alumni search under the “My Network” menu where you can search for Scripps Alumnae by location, company, what they studied and more.

Finally, be sure to conduct informational interviews with anyone that you find interesting in your network. Informational interviews are meetings in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on their career, the industry, and the culture of a potential future workplace, while an employed professional learns about the job seeker. These are helpful in finding out more about industries that you may be interested in while also showing your interest to the employer. These interviews do not need to be stressful and can purely be used to find out more information, but make sure to be prepared with questions and a little background knowledge of the company so that you can make a good first impression.

Overall it is important to:

Reach out to your old network of connections
Make new contacts through Life Connections and the LinkedIn Find Alumni tool.
Go to networking events for face to face time
Add people on LinkedIn
Conduct informational interviews with people whose work interests you

Beyond the Elms

Exploring Careers with Scripps Students

Tag Archives: Life Connections

New Kid Starter Guide

Dear High School Self…

Networking Adventure

Beginings, Endings, and Reflections

5 Steps to Starting and Maintaining Professional Relationships