Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Dispatch From the Other Side: A Look at Career Fairs

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Photo Credit: Greg Grieco Welcome back to campus, Penn Staters. I hope that you all had relaxing breaks and that you are eagerly looking forward to an exciting Spring semester.

Now that we’re about a month away from Spring Career Days, I thought I’d contribute with some thoughts on the career fairs.

When it comes to career services, I think Penn State’s efforts are exceptional. I still recall touring schools back when I was in high school, and I was surprised by how much emphasis my Penn State tour guide put on the career services program for students (and alumni!). It’s a pretty unique feature, and one that Penn State is – and should be – proud of. Each Fall and Spring, the career services folks host a huge career fair with employers from many different industries. The fair is designed to appeal to underclass students looking for internships and seniors looking for full time positions, although not every employer will be looking for both. To get the most out of these events, I recommend taking the following basic steps:

  • Think about what types of employers you want to talk to. If you don’t have any interest in talking to a Marketing Research firm, then there’s no need to stop by that booth.
  • Do your homework: find out what employers will be attending, and make a list of some you definitely want to find. You probably won’t have time to see all the employers, so making a list that has the ones you definitely want to see can make your life less stressful.
  • Create a great looking resume. Then run it by someone else. Then take it to career services to have one of their professionals look over it (tip: check out “Resumania” on February 11). I don’t believe there can ever be a perfect resume, but with work you can make one that will cause you to stand out from the pack. There will be an upcoming post on resumes and cover letters, so keep your eyes open for that.
  • Prepare a short pitch about yourself. It can be pretty nerve-wracking to just walk up to a potential employer and start talking. If you have a prepared set of ideas to go over (don’t sound mechanical, but don’t go in without any plan), it will be easier to talk. Questions are important too – employers are usually happy to hear prospects asking specific questions about the firms and roles available. 
  • Schedule enough time to stay and walk around a little bit. The BJC is far away from many class buildings on campus, so make sure you factor in time to get there and back and make sure that you’re not rushed while you’re in there. The amount of time you will need depends on how many employers you intend to see.

My biggest tip of all would be: don’t let the career fairs distract you from other ways of meeting employers. The fairs are where many students go to meet many different employers – and sometimes, it’s easy for both sides to think that events like that are enough. But the smaller, less hectic options are great to explore, and some of them are cosponsored by the College. For example, you should check out the People-to-People Fair being planned for February.

I’m sure I’ll mention the career fairs again, but if you have specific questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Questions in the comments section can be about the career fairs or any other topic, and you may always reach out to me on Twitter as well. If you have a topic you want me to write about next time, I’m happy to hear about it.

Photo Credit:Greg Grieco, 2007
Originally from Penn State Live

Dispatch From the Other Side: A Look From a Recent Alumnus

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PL SC Alum Sam Loewner
Originally uploaded by LAUSatPSU

Hello, LAUS community! Some long-time readers might remember me from entries on this blog last spring, and some newer readers might recognize my name from the comments section from time to time. For readers that don’t know me, I’m a May 2010 graduate, the former President of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council, and deeply interested in Penn State’s present and future.

When I was a student in my last three or four semesters, I remember thinking about how much I wanted to know what to do next. I knew what I needed to do as a student to graduate, and I had spoken with alumni and professionals that gave suggestions for how to behave once I was settled into a workplace world. But what about the time bridging those two periods in my life? What should I do to position myself to find a job I wanted while I was still in school so I wouldn’t have to worry during and after graduation? What do entry level positions look like, and how can I find them?  What things – good or bad – are potential employers going to look for from my time at Penn State? Though your questions might be different, I think everyone has some questions – especially in the College of the Liberal Arts, where we’re trained to ask things and think about our future selves and communities.

Now that I’m in a position to answer some of those questions (or attempt to answer, at least), I wanted to “rejoin” the LAUS online community and try to provide insight that I think only very recent alumni can. I consider this sort of an introductory entry and, if the good staff of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies is willing to put up with me, I hope to contribute regularly – I hope that you aren’t shy with your questions.

I accepted an offer before I graduated and started in June. I work in the political world in Washington, DC, but I’m far from a political operative (no, I’m not one of the people they quote anonymously on politico.com). I do technical and social media work for a non-profit organization that works with political campaigns. I had a very wide range of exposure to different opportunities, and I think I can answer general and specific questions. If anyone is after unique information that I don’t have, I bet I can find the answer from friends that graduated with different degrees and career plans.

I view this as an opportunity to create a back-and-forth style community through the blog. I am easily reachable on Twitter (@smloewner) and the comments section. You may also email me at sam.loewner@gmail.com.  Once you find a way to get questions to me, I’ll try to answer them specifically and then, if you don’t mind, I can compile some of them together and generate a post out of it.

Even in just the past year or so, I’ve seen many of the “moving parts” of the life-just-after-graduation world. There’s job-searching, networking, resumes, cover letters, internships, relocating to different cities, career research, and much more. I think we can take questions on any of those topics.  

So, Penn Staters, what’s first?

Senior Thoughts: What is Penn State?

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What is Penn State? We are Penn State.
That’s more than a catchy phrase to shout atsamsuit2.jpg prospective students and to intimidate visiting sports teams. It’s a statement of fact.

I’m about to graduate with a degree in Political Science and two minor certificates, all from the College of the Liberal Arts, and I’ve really spent some time lately thinking about the essence of Penn State and my experience here.

I once thought Penn State was a campus. I figured that the open lawn in front of Old Main, the dorm in which I lived up in East Halls, the classroom I had in Thomas, and the fountain outside the forum were Penn State. What did I know? I was new. I was out of state. I was a first generation college student. I learned throughout my first few months that Penn State wasn’t simply those parts of its physical presence. I realized that Penn State was an idea (or maybe a collection of ideas): its classes, its professors, it’s the fun we have at Football games, it’s more than I could ever mention.

That notion of Penn State stuck with me for quite some time. It lasted me through a few years. Recently, though, I’ve been thinking about my time after Penn State. And I can’t think about my time after Penn State without thinking about the place itself. I thought Penn State was ideas. I thought I knew Penn State. I’ve finally concluded – and I’m very confident about this, now – that Penn State is people.

Indeed: WE. ARE. Penn State. It’s the “we,” that is critical. I’m Penn State and you’re Penn State. I should have noticed this a long time ago, of course, but I’m glad I know now. I know that the place I’ve grown to love isn’t a bunch of lawns and buildings. And it’s more than classes and fun. One thing connects all of those pieces: people. My friends, my enemies, and everyone in between make this place worth attending. If I look at my Penn State experience, the people I’ve met and known here are what have shaped it. I wouldn’t enjoy those football games and that lawn in front of Old Main and that fountain outside the forum if it weren’t for the people who make it special.

Some people insist that Penn State is tradition. Or that Penn State is a place to grow intellectually, not personally. I disagree with both those notions. Penn State, I contend, is more its present and its future than it can ever be its past.

I’ve served the students of the university for two years in their student government, and I’ve served the College of the Liberal Arts students by acting as their undergraduate student president. Now that I’m about to leave both roles, I want to explain why I put so much of my time into them. I did it, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat, because I love Penn State. And I didn’t realize it at the time, but by Penn State, I mean its people. My constituents. Perhaps I can share some of my more interesting stories from those experiences in a separate entry here.

I led both the student government and the college’s council because I wanted to. If I have advice for those that remain after me, it’s this: do what you want. You should want to do well in classes, to contribute to campus, and to help those you care about. Set goals, and then achieve them. I loved giving back to the school I loved in my own unique way, and I encourage everyone to do something similar.

As I leave Penn State, I’ll certainly look back fondly. And I’ll remember that I learned what Penn State really is and why that made me want to contribute. Thanks, Penn State.

Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council in 2010-2011

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For those of you who don’t recall my name, I’m the outgoing Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council president. I’m writing now because I want to put up a congratulatory note to all the new and returning officers for the 2010-2011 academic year.

We held our elections last week, and as the new officers fill the roles that we are leaving, I have nothing but confidence in their ability to take the Council to better places and to use their voice as the student representatives to improve our college.

For 2010 – 2011, the officers will be:

President: Geoff Halberstadt
Vice President: Amanda Craig
Secretary: Nicole Zinni
Treasurer: Jarryd McManus

Geoff was elected to retain his seat in the Faculty Senate and will continue to represent students in our college to that body.

I believe that any student who wants to be able to be involved in something should be able to: and that’s what I strove to create in the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council during my watch. It’s gratifying to see eager faces sitting around a meeting table and waiting to become more invested in their college and university through something like LAUC. It’s always nice to receive an email about how excited someone is to become a part of LAUC because they heard about us in the newspaper or on the LAUSatPSU blog.

I trust the next executive board to maintain these experiences for students throughout the college. I hope you’ll consider attending LAUC meetings in the Fall and beyond! You can always reach us at lauc@psu.edu.

LAUC Goes Canning in Scranton, PA

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LAUC spent the past canning weekend raising money FTK in Scranton, PA (home of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.). Lauren Perrotti (webmaster!) and her family graciously hosted seven members Friday through Sunday. The council was able to raise $1,200 between canning in a local grocery store as well as bagging at another store across town. The people of the greater Scranton area proved to be extremely generous and supportive of our efforts to raise money to combat pediatric cancer. In addition to making great totals while canning, we ate a TON of fantastic food – one of the number one perks of going canning at a friend’s house! We managed to fit in some quality time on the Wii, also, and we discovered our companions’ hidden video game talents (or lack thereof!).

I had the opportunity to can in both of our locations. I have a completely new respect for grocery bagging technicians. Standing at the end of the cashier aisles was a great chance to talk to customers and explain to them the story behind THON, why we stand outside in the cold For The Kids, and all the good Penn State students do. Scranton is totally full of Penn State alumni, so a lot of people I talked with had a personal connection with THON. One of my donors was a three-time cancer survivor and thanked me for what THON does (easily the most satisfying part of my day – these stories are always so important). Even if I had the temptation to throw heavy groceries on top of bread and eggs when people refrained from donating, I bagged to the best of my ability to raise money For The Kids.

There is one more canning weekend left before THON 2010! While Lauren Perrotti and I cannot go because we’ll be dancing, anyone interested can get in touch with me (chrissyboggs@psu.edu) if they’d like to plan a trip for that weekend. Thanks so much for everything you’ve all done to help our fight against cancer FTK!

-Chrissy Boggs, Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council THON Chair

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