Regrets are horrible things. Not only do they make you feel bad, you can’t fix them. All that you can do is live with them, and occasionally satisfy yourself with the opportunity to warn others. When many people look back with regret, the sad truth is that many of those regrets are focused on the college years. You might think it won’t happen to you. After all, in the moment, you are probably quite happen with your life and feel good about the decisions you are making. The question is, how will you feel looking back in the future? Why not avoid regret altogether and check out the 10 things you will regret not doing in college.
You’ve just arrived at school. You are overwhelmed by everything that is new, and likely feel a strong desire to connect with something familiar. So, you do what comes naturally. You seek out people that you perceive as being members of your tribe. These are the people who are most familiar to you, and resemble those who have long been part of your social circle. This is understandable and safe. It is also something that you will regret.
Get to know people with different pasts and perspectives than yours. The college years are ideal for stepping out of your comfort zone and getting to know people from different cultures, different regions, or who simply live different lifestyles. Remember that the world is getting smaller. You won’t be prepared for that if you stay insulated and isolated.
Now that you are in college, you will probably be given many opportunities to travel. If you are able to, take advantage of them. Study abroad for a semester. Go on weekend road trips and explore. Join a foreign language club that plans a yearly trip abroad. Take that spring break trip to the beach, but be smart and careful while you are there.
Traveling is a perfect way to meet new people, learn about the world around you, and see breathtaking sites. It’s also an amazing way to learn some important life skills. When you travel, you learn time management, budgeting, improve your communication skills, and how to think on your feet.
They say that college is a good time for experimenting, and ‘they’ are correct. This sentiment doesn’t ring any more true than in the college classroom. If you are picking electives that are safe, easy classes that you know will help to pad your GPA, that‘s a shame. You are missing out on the opportunity to explore new topics, learn new skills, and uncover what could become a lifelong passion. What’s the worst thing that can happen, a bad grade or enduring a boring class? You’ll survive! Besides, who has made a mark on the world that always went for the easy A.
What do you do when you get hungry? Do you order a pizza, hit a drive thru, or head to the nearest dining hall? Can you balance your bank statement? What about checking your oil, sewing on a button, or making a doctor’s appointment when you’re sick? Independence can feel great when you decide to go that all night party or that eating nachos for breakfast is a perfectly fine thing to do. Unfortunately, too many students leave school having experienced all of the freedom of adulthood without learning the life skills that they need.
As mentioned above, you’ll have many opportunities to travel. Some of these opportunities are made available by various organizations who need student volunteers to help them with a variety of missions. If you have a charitable heart and a desire to see the world, some of the best charitable programs would love to work with you. Just do a bit of research, you’ll find volunteer programs that you can join during summer breaks, and programs that require shorter stints.
If traveling doesn’t appeal to you, you can still give back within your own community. In fact, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities right on campus.
As a whole, college students are very passionate and outspoken about political issues. Unfortunately, that passion is rarely used to evoke activism. Sadly, it doesn’t even seem to be enough to get students into the voting booth. This is a shame, because in order to succeed, your favorite candidates and causes need your help.
So, learn about the issues and vote at the very least. Better yet, find a local candidate that you believe in and volunteer in their campaign. Go door to door. Help people register to vote. Start a petition drive. Even if your views change as you get older, you’ll never regret being an active part of the political process.
Yes! You will regret not joining clubs or finding other ways to get involved. This means you, mr. or ms. ‘I’m just not the rah-rah, school spirit, type.’ There are dozens of groups, teams, clubs, and organizations on campus that cater to a variety of interests, talents, and passions. Find at least one that appeals to you. You’ll meet people, learn new things, and best of all you will make fond memories.
How early did you declare? Are you still happy with that choice? If you aren’t, do yourself a huge favor and change your major. Yes, it’s a tough thing to do. It might even mean delaying graduation. For some students switching majors can also mean facing parental disappointment, or even losing a bit of their own identity. It’s certainly not an easy choice to make. However, as difficult as it can be, it is much easier than graduating with a degree in a field that you are no longer interested in.
If you’re only seeing your instructors in class, you are really missing out on some great opportunities. First of all, your professors want to get to know you and to provide you with the assistance and insight that you need to do well. This is why they have office hours. Go see them, get to know them, and let them get to know you as well.
When you get out into the real world, the instructors that you connect with will be part of your network as you begin looking for work in your field. While you’re still in school, creating familiarity can be beneficial as well. Professors tend to judge students more positively if they have taken the time to get to know them.
If you aren’t playing sports in college, you could really be missing out on some great opportunities. When you play sports, you become a member of a tight knit community. You learn self-discipline. You get into shape.
Does this sound like a recruiting video for your college’s sports teams? It doesn’t have to be. Chances are, your college offers a variety of intramural sports to students who want to play without being obligated to official school teams. If that isn’t your scene, keep looking. You’ll probably find a bunch of hashers, disc golfers, or recreational kickball players to join.
Rick Riddle is a head content manager at SmartPaperHelp and an up-and-coming blogger whose articles can help you with self-development, entrepreneurship, career, and digital marketing. Feel free to follow Rick on twitter and LinkedIn.
BY DAVID GUTIERREZ
The development of the Internet and information technology made the life of students both easier and much more complicated. On the one hand, they have numerous tools their predecessors couldn’t imagine. On the other hand, all this multitude of possibilities can confuse and overwhelm those who are less tech-savvy. In this article, we will give a short overview of software which, if properly used, can be of great help for almost any student.
Anki (暗記) is Japanese for “memory” or “memorization”, and it is exactly what this awesomely useful tool is used for. It is a fully free tool that allows you to create a set of flash cards you can use for spaced repetition that will be automatically arranged for you by the program. It is extremely helpful for studying languages, revising for exams and, basically, for any activity involving memorization. You don’t even have to create the card sets on your own – there are enough of them created by the community and dedicated to virtually every area of knowledge to satisfy any scholar.
With an ever-increasing number of people joining the community of Mac users, a software that would help recover data from an iPhone or iPad becomes a more and more pressing concern. Unfortunately, absolute majority of programs claiming to have this functionality show rather limited success. Dr. Fone stands out from the crowd because it is an iPhone data recovery software that shows the highest recovery rate in the industry – which is exactly what you need if you’ve suddenly lost some data that is vitally important for your studies.
No matter what your major is, you are going to do a fair bit of reading, writing and working with tables, or your studies may even be primarily comprised of them. Therefore, you need some kind of software for this – and while Microsoft Office is an obvious choice, it has an important drawback. Namely, its price, which is always a sensitive subject for students. Even with discounts, you are unlikely to get it for anything less than $80. LibreOffice, however, does everything Office does and costs exactly nothing.
Evernote turns taking notes into an easy, comfortable and easily organizable process. With it, you will be able to take notes with any of your devices, from a PC to a smartphone and synchronize between all of them. At a glance it looks rather simplistic, but it once you start learning more about the software, it will become one of your constant companions and helpers.
If you use the Internet, you should already know about this one, but perhaps you haven’t thought about its potential for a student. Although it isn’t as powerful a tool as Microsoft Office, it has many functions that make it stand out. You can use it completely online, without then need to download anything, and if you want to edit documents offline, you can always download a client. But what it really excels at is collaborative projects – when every participant has full access to the same set of documents, synchronizing efforts becomes a much smoother and streamlined procedure.
For those who like make lists or worries about forgetting about classes, Wunderlist offers a set of features that will help you organize your timetable, keep track of assignments and to-do lists. It is a simple yet effective tool that will serve you faithfully in and out of college.
Some of these tools are universal, some are more useful for college students than anybody else; but one thing is for sure – if you learn how to use them, you certainly will make your life a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.
About the author:
David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get the second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new technology software and learning opportunities for techies and students
BY JANE HURST
These days, we are hearing more and more about crimes occurring on college campuses. While there does seem to be a higher crime rate on campuses than in the past, you don’t have to be a victim. There are many things you can do that will help to ensure your personal safety, so you can have a safe and happy college experience.
Byline:
Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter.
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From Real Clear Education
Hillary Clinton’s plan to eliminate public college tuition for families with incomes up to $125,000 would lift enrollment at two- and four-year public institutions by between 9 and 22 percent — in part by draining as many as 15 percent of students away from private nonprofit colleges, a new analysis predicts. The study by officials at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce is, they acknowledge, no more than a “best informed guess” given the “unprecedented” nature of the proposal and the “sketchy” information the campaign has released publicly so far, Inside Higher Ed reports. But the findings by the center — a well-respected and largely independent source of policy analysis — will likely provide fodder to supporters and critics of the Clinton plan alike.
As fall semester approaches it is time to get your self storage in order. After all, you don’t want to get stuck without somewhere to store your belongings. As a college student you’ll need self storage for those out of season items that won’t fit in your dorm or apartment. Also, when you go home for holidays and between semesters, or when traveling abroad, you’ll want somewhere secure to store your stuff. Before you choose your self storage unit, check out these helpful tips.
Every self storage facility is not the same. Some facilities offer climate-controlled units, while other facilities provide drive-in units. Before you make your choice, consider your storage needs. If you are storing items in a climate with fluctuation temperatures opt for climate-controlled storage as discussed by Apartment Therapy. A drive-in unit may be preferable if you have larger items, such as furniture or a desk. Consider the items you want to store as you decide on the right self storage facility for your needs.
Once you identify the right type of storage facility look at the location. A cheap storage unit in a shady neighborhood is a risk you should never take. Storage units are used to contain items of value, which places them at risk for robberies. Even if you go to your storage unit in the middle of the day, if the unit is in a dangerous area you are putting yourself at risk for danger. Avoid this by choosing a storage unit in a safe neighborhood. Do your research regarding the neighborhood before you make a decision. You can use City Data to find out about the crime rates for any community in the US.
As you select a storage unit take note of the amount of items you will be storing. You are paying for every square foot of storage space, so you want to be as efficient as possible. Begin by measuring the larger items along with the dimensions and counts of any boxes or storage containers. Leave some space for extra storage; after all, you are likely to accumulate more stuff during your semesters at college. Another thing to consider is stackability. Which items will stack together, and which ones are too heavy or fragile to stack? Another thing to consider is sharing storage space with your college roommate. If you are going to room with someone, you may be able to split the storage costs if your roommate is interested in storage as well. Talk to your new roomie before you book a storage unit to see if you can consolidate space and expense.
You aren’t the first, or last, college student searching for self storage units. So to avoid being the one left without a unit, start your search as early as possible. But don’t stop there. Once you have found a storage unit that fits your needs and is in a safe neighborhood go ahead and book it. This will grant you the peace of mind of knowing that this part of your moving process is all wrapped up. As soon as you have booked your self storage unit take a second look at the unit to make sure it’s what you expected. As long as you are using a storage unit through a reputable business you will be good to go.
Setting yourself up for success in college involves far more than studying for exams. College life is a practice in life skills and adulthood. Part of this process is choosing a place to store your belongings. If you follow this guide you will be set for success in self storage units for college students. The peace of mind you will find when storing your stuff safely in a top rated storage facility will allow you to focus on your studies.
Author’s bio:
Oksana is a student of English literature department and a freelance journalist. As a current student she is interested in trends in education and she would like to share her experience with community.
You may contact Oksana via e-mail: oksana.sbitneva.1408@gmail.com
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Let’s say you have invites to two parties that advertise “free drinks!”
At the first party, there’s simply an open bar. At the second party, though, you have to bring in your tax return, fill out a long form, and register to receive a cocktail grant in a given amount based on your annual income.
Once those funds are drained, you can then become eligible for vouchers to pay for further beverages up to a predetermined limit.
Which party sounds like more fun? Which will be better attended? And which one is likely to be more expensive for the hosts?
As this experiment illustrates, the promise of “free” can mean very different things in practice. And that has important implications for one of the biggest policy debates in education right now: how best to ease the cost of college tuition.
Sandy Baum, a longtime expert on the issue, and David Baime of the American Association of Community Colleges, have just released a report from the Urban Institute focusing on community colleges. “Community colleges differ dramatically from place to place,” Baum observes. When proposing changes, “We have to take into consideration their different starting points and different purposes and values.”
If you want a free lunch, someone has to pick up the check. In order to make community college free to students, someone, whether the state or the federal government, needs to cover tuition.
And to understand how big of a change that would be and how much it would cost, you have to understand how states are currently funding community colleges and how much of the cost they’re currently passing along to students in the form of tuition.
Across the country, community colleges, like all public colleges, are relying more and more on tuition as a source of funds.
In 2002-2003, one of four dollars spent by these two-year schools came from tuition payments (which include federal and state grant aid). A decade later, that percentage had risen to 39 percent.
But again, there are lots of local variations. “In some states there is very little by way of state and local appropriations,” Baum says.
The outlier among all of these is Vermont, the home state of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a notable advocate of free college. Vermont’s community colleges have the highest tuition in the nation — $7,530. That’s more than some public four-year universities. They take in four and a half times more money from students than they receive from the state.
Switching to a tuition-free model, clearly, would be a big change in Vermont.
At the other end of the spectrum, California, which educates one out of every five community college students nationwide, is predominantly state-funded. California community colleges charge the lowest tuition in the country: $1,420 for the academic year, the same at all colleges statewide.
These wide differences from state to state make it harder to put together a federal policy for lowering the tuition costs of community colleges. As illustrated in the party example, a “free community college” policy can be relatively cheap, simple or fair. But it’s hard to do all three.
Baum calls the Tennessee Promise, one of the most widely known state initiatives for free community college, a “last-dollar policy.” That means students who are already eligible for Pell Grants must use them to pay for school. After that money is gone, the state pledges to fill in the gap.
This method is the cheapest for the state, since most community college students have low enough earnings to be Pell-eligible, meaning they can draw on federal money first before taking state aid. And it’s fairly simple for colleges as well, since they can still continue to charge tuition.
However, says Baum, “if you come from an affluent family” that isn’t Pell-eligible, “the state will pay your tuition up front.” And that means, “The extra money is actually going to people who need it less.”
By contrast, the Obama administration’s proposal for free community college, called America’s College Promise, is what Baum calls a “first-dollar” plan. In this scenario, the federal government pledges to cover 75 percent of tuition and fees, with states agreeing to pick up the remainder.
According to Baum, low-income students would, under this plan, still be able to keep their Pell Grants to pay for living expenses. Depending on location, those expenses can be many times the cost of community college tuition alone.
Such a first-dollar plan is more like an open bar. Experts like Baum say this approach is simple enough to actually raise participation in community college, which is an important goal of all these policies. And it is structured in such a way that more public assistance goes to low-income students.
But the cost to taxpayers would be much higher, and such a program would also vary wildly in its impact on state budgets, depending on how and how much they currently support community colleges.
“It’s easy to throw around phrases like ‘free,’ ” says Baum. Harder to work out the fine print.
Effective organization and time management are important elements of a student’s success. Luckily, there are a great number of great productivity tools for students. They can help you achieve the best results in class and enjoy leading an active social life.
Here is an overview of some of the best academic and personal productivity tools available today:
This in one of the best online productivity tools for students as it gives you access to a huge library of summaries and study guides for a variety of textbooks and books. It’s going to be a great help when you don’t have the time to finish your reading list but want to learn everything it can offer.
The repository of novel guides is especially huge, so you will definitely find a guide and/or summary of the book you seek.
A whiteboard is a fantastically effective helper in organizing your schedule as well as working on complex projects. You can use it in a great number of ways, such as stick key-notes to it when developing an outline of a paper.
You can also use it to make sure you don’t forget about any everyday tasks. Another idea is to turn it into your inspiration board. Use your imagination and utilize a whiteboard for maximum productivity based on your personal needs.
The life of a student is not only about studying. Organizing your personal items is as important as organizing your notes. Custom-printed, self-adhesive labels will help you do both. They can also make this process much more fun, because you can design the labels any way you like.
There are specialized companies that produce these items at a highly affordable price. Take a look at the Data Label self-adhesive sticky labels service to see what options you have to choose from.
Custom printed labels make such good productivity tools for students because they are extremely versatile. You can use them for anything, from marking your personal items when sharing a flat with a roommate, to organizing your study materials, to promoting your own small business, club, band, or initiative.
This is one of the truly essential productivity tools for students as it helps you format academic papers. It can generate citations in any style, as well as offers a variety of guides on the subject.
This online tool will ensure all your sources are cited right, regardless of whether it’s a website, video, journal, or any other type of source. It supports all common formats, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and dozens of other specialized paper formats. Therefore, every student will find exactly what they need to format their paper perfectly and quickly.
Anki is an extremely useful app available for desktop, iOS, and Android devices. It allows you to create flash cards to facilitate memorization. It’s one of the best productivity tools for students preparing for exams, as it can help you memorize lots of facts and dates.
The secret to the efficiency of this app is the ‘spaced repetition’ system that can assess how well you remember each card.
With Anki, you can create flashcards using any kind of media (text, videos, audio, and photos). The system will flash a card at specific intervals, so that you see it again right when you are about to forget it. It works great for both memorizing new cards and reviewing the ones you already know.
Zoho is an online portal where you can find a wide selection of not only productivity tools for students but also apps to help you manage any kind of task. As so many young people today start their first business right from college, Zoho is a truly invaluable source of assistance. There you can find efficient apps for anything from bookkeeping to digital marketing to expense tracking.
Zoho offers different kinds of mobile apps, programs that can be integrated into Google Apps, and even programs for Apple Watch. This online tool can boost your productivity in classes, life, and business with equal efficiency.
It’s impossible to determine which tool works best because every person is unique and has their own individual needs and habits. If you want to achieve the heights of productivity, you should try different methods and pick the ones that work for you personally. These tools will definitely ease your way towards success in life, studying, and business.
Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 7 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and beta-testing. This writer chose news about the increasing role of IT usage in colleges and schools as the most common topic for her articles.
Decision Time
The key to graduating in four years (at least in the minds of many parents) is picking a major early and sticking with it. But a new report suggests students who change their major as late as senior year are more likely to graduate from college than students who settle on one the second they set foot on campus. (Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 24)
BY DANIKA McCLURE
High school graduation rates have been on a steady incline for the past few years. The latest national data highlights that 82 percent of high school seniors in the 2013-14 year graduated, up a full percentage point from the previous year. These statistics are impressive, especially given that the biggest national gains in graduation rates have come from at-risk students of color.
Still, while high school graduation rates have risen over the past few years, recently released numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center suggest that college enrollment rates have continued to decrease–despite increases in federal aid that aim to help students who can’t afford tuition. Recent studies suggest that by simply decreasing the student-to-counselor ratio in schools, this trend can be reversed.
The importance of the counselor in K-12 education cannot be overstated. School counselors complement the work that teachers do in the classroom in order to help students best prepare for a successful college career, while also performing a number of other tasks, including helping students manage their mental health, and helping students deal with personal issues like cancer or even death.
Although educators agree that school counselors play a crucial role in the K-12 system, counselors have become somewhat of a limited commodity on high school campuses. Education budget cuts across the country have forced many schools to increase the student-to-counselor ratio, making the national average nearly double the recommended 250-1 ratio put forth by the American School Counselor Association.
But this is a trend that ought not be taken lightly, as studies performed by the College Board Advocacy Center suggest college application rates and the school-to-counselor ratio strongly correlate, leading experts to believe that access to school counselors in high school increases college enrollment.
Analyzing data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey, the College Board Advocacy Center was able to look at student-to-counseling ratio trends over three different school years. They then focused specifically on the 12 states across the country who mandate maximum student-to-counselor ratios at the high school level.
The study found that high schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Oklahoma hired counselors at a ratio of 450-1, a rate which is on par with the national average. Although mandating the number of counselors per student seems like a fine idea on paper, in practice, the process is complicated.
“The intuition behind the methodology is that, on average, high schools with 449 students are essentially identical to high schools with 451 students, except that the latter schools have twice as many school counselors (and a ratio of 451 to 2 i.e. 225.5 students per counselor rather than 449 students per counselor),” the study notes.
Comparing the data, the CBAC found that the rate of college going students at schools with a smaller student-to-counselor ratio increased by ten percentage points, therefore implying that students benefit from the hiring of at least one additional counselor.
These are significant findings, especially when you consider that there has been little research about the affects that school counselors have on the student populations they serve. It also reaffirms the necessity of additional support for high school students to encourage college enrollment.
The addition of extra counselors in benefits both students and counselors alike, allowing students the flexibility to meet with a counselor who can best meet their individual needs, and provides counselors the opportunity to reach out to gifted students who otherwise may have opted out of college altogether.
Though more research is necessary in determining the best way to encourage students to attend college, it’s clear that high school counselors play an important role, especially with potential first generation college students. Today’s economy dictates that it is now more important than ever for students to obtain advanced degrees, districts across the country should be encouraged to consider hiring staff capable of supporting students throughout the higher admissions process.
High school graduation rates have been on a steady incline for the past few years. The latest national data highlights that 82 percent of high school seniors in the 2013-14 year graduated, up a full percentage point from the previous year. These statistics are impressive, especially given that the biggest national gains in graduation rates have come from at-risk students of color.
Still, while high school graduation rates have risen over the past few years, recently released numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center suggest that college enrollment rates have continued to decrease–despite increases in federal aid that aim to help students who can’t afford tuition. Recent studies suggest that by simply decreasing the student-to-counselor ratio in schools, this trend can be reversed.
The importance of the counselor in K-12 education cannot be overstated. School counselors complement the work that teachers do in the classroom in order to help students best prepare for a successful college career, while also performing a number of other tasks, including helping students manage their mental health, and helping students deal with personal issues like cancer or even death.
Although educators agree that school counselors play a crucial role in the K-12 system, counselors have become somewhat of a limited commodity on high school campuses. Education budget cuts across the country have forced many schools to increase the student-to-counselor ratio, making the national average nearly double the recommended 250-1 ratio put forth by the American School Counselor Association.
But this is a trend that ought not be taken lightly, as studies performed by the College Board Advocacy Center suggest college application rates and the school-to-counselor ratio strongly correlate, leading experts to believe that access to school counselors in high school increases college enrollment.
Analyzing data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey, the College Board Advocacy Center was able to look at student-to-counseling ratio trends over three different school years. They then focused specifically on the 12 states across the country who mandate maximum student-to-counselor ratios at the high school level.
The study found that high schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Oklahoma hired counselors at a ratio of 450-1, a rate which is on par with the national average. Although mandating the number of counselors per student seems like a fine idea on paper, in practice, the process is complicated.
“The intuition behind the methodology is that, on average, high schools with 449 students are essentially identical to high schools with 451 students, except that the latter schools have twice as many school counselors (and a ratio of 451 to 2 i.e. 225.5 students per counselor rather than 449 students per counselor),” the study notes.
Comparing the data, the CBAC found that the rate of college going students at schools with a smaller student-to-counselor ratio increased by ten percentage points, therefore implying that students benefit from the hiring of at least one additional counselor.
These are significant findings, especially when you consider that there has been little research about the affects that school counselors have on the student populations they serve. It also reaffirms the necessity of additional support for high school students to encourage college enrollment.
The addition of extra counselors in benefits both students and counselors alike, allowing students the flexibility to meet with a counselor who can best meet their individual needs, and provides counselors the opportunity to reach out to gifted students who otherwise may have opted out of college altogether.
Though more research is necessary in determining the best way to encourage students to attend college, it’s clear that high school counselors play an important role, especially with potential first generation college students. Today’s economy dictates that it is now more important than ever for students to obtain advanced degrees, districts across the country should be encouraged to consider hiring staff capable of supporting students throughout the higher admissions process.
Danika McClure is a writer and musician from the northwest who sometimes takes a 30 minute break from feminism to enjoy a tv show. You can follow her on twitter @sadwhitegrrl
BY JOHN STEVENS
People have been clamoring for more employment opportunities for a long time, so there was excitement in the air when the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that unemployment rate has gone down to 4.7 percent — the lowest in decades. This excitement was short-lived, however, as the very next day after the announcement thousands of people thronged the streets to protest low wages and poor labor conditions.
What is most alarming, however, is the fact that a good portion of people at these low paying jobs are college graduates. Data from Pew Research show that it is harder for college graduates to find good jobs, and 20 percent of college graduates end up working at low-wage jobs.
After spending years learning in college, possibly racking up tens of thousands of dollars in student debt, it can be demoralizing to get to the job market to find that the only option you have is low paying jobs. Below are some tips to help you land your dream job and get hired soon as a fresh college graduate.
You’re educated and intelligent, and you’ve just been vetted and approved by an accredited institution. Shouldn’t that be enough to tell people that you can be hired? Not necessarily. In fact, research suggests that as many as 60 percent of all jobs are unadvertised — some sources even claim that this number can go up to 80 percent. It’s clear, though, that the majority of jobs are unadvertised.
Your qualifications might be impressive, but it won’t matter a bit when you aren’t even aware of most available job opportunities.
Instead of relying just on publicly advertised jobs, look for the unadvertised one. Reach out to your contacts — friends, family, acquaintances, etc — to see if they are aware of any unadvertised jobs at their organization or elsewhere that they can refer you to. Also, proactively reach out to companies to hire you — even before they advertise a position you might fill.
We live in a world that values creativity more than intelligence, and you’ll have a much better chance of success by using this to your advantage. You can increase your chances of landing your dream job by getting creative. A notable example is Adam Pacitti, who graduated from college with a first class degree. After applying to over 250 jobs, Pacitti still had no job. He decided to get creative, and he rented a billboard with his last penny and put up the following message: “I spent my last £500 on this billboard. Please give me a job.” His campaign got a lot of attention — resulting in over 60 job offers for him. He had a good time selecting which company he wanted to work at.
First impressions matter a great deal, especially when trying to land your dream job as a graduate fresh out of college. A good place to start is with your cover letter.
If available research is anything to go by, you have 5 – 10 seconds to impress potential employees with your cover letter. Instead of making your cover letter your life story, keep it short and simple, and ensure it makes a compelling case for reading your resume; your cover letter should get people to read your resume. It shouldn’t be your resume.
We live in a very connected world, and, now more than ever before, many recruiters use LinkedIn heavily when deciding on who to hire. Available research shows that a whopping 94 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn for recruiting, and that 80 percent of recruiters have hired through LinkedIn at some point.
If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, create one. Take a professional photo and upload it there. Fill in the tags and descriptions properly — in a way that demonstrates the kind of job you want. Also, list and highlight key achievements and interesting facts about you that will make employers more interested in hiring you.
There are about a billion websites in the world today, and websites and blogs have gone beyond being just business tools or a personal journal. They can also be highly instrumental in helping you land your dream job.
As a fresh college graduate in this age, it is important to embrace technology in your job search. More than ever before, people are getting hired due to their websites and blogs irrespective of their qualifications.
There are several notable examples of people who got their dream jobs through their website: Leslie Samuel got his dream job as a biology professor due to his blog. Allison Hitz, who also got hired due to her blog, claimed that employers were more interested in her blog than in her Master’s degree.
If you haven’t fully embraced technology yet, creating a blog isn’t difficult or complicated; you don’t have to code or buy special software. You can do it on your phone/tablet. You simply need to familiarize yourself with WordPress and make use of resources like this one to help you setup your blog.
We can’t ignore what is perhaps the biggest challenge any fresh college graduate has — lack of proof of your abilities.
Most employers won’t want to hire a fresh college graduate due to lack of job experience, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The solution is to be creative at demonstrating your ability; potential employees only need to see that you’re capable, and you’ll soon be hired. A good case study about this is Alec Brownstein’s. In an attempt to get hired by advertising agencies, Brownstein purchased Google ads and targeted the names of major advertising executives to declare his interest in being hired; since these executives naturally Google their names regularly, they had to come across his offer at a point. By demonstrating his expertise he got hired in no time.
Again, as a new college graduate it is very easy to make the mistake of making it all about you; you need to very carefully avoid that mistake. Instead of talking about your dreams, your purpose, what you want to do, what you want your future to be like, etc, talk about how you think the company you’re applying to fits in into the world, and how you being employed by them can further enhance this role and increase their potential. Make it more about your clients and less about you, and you’ll snag your dream job in no time.
John Stevens is a world-renowned consultant and regular contributor to major publications including Entrepreneur and Adweek. He is the founder of Hosting Facts, a portal that provides unbiased reviews of the best web hosts.
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