Tips from CPDC on How to Stay Busy All Summer ’16: Figuring out Your Future

During the summer we often times meet up with old friends, family and acquaintances, and we may commonly be asked questions like: “What are your plans after college?” “Where are you going to graduate school?” or “What do you want to do with your major?” Answering these questions can sometimes be tricky, especially if you do not know the answer.

When you first start college and you have to pick a major, many times it is not what you end up finishing with. Many students change their majors two or three times, or add a second major or minor. As you are changing and gaining more information, your ideas and plans for the future start to change, so it is reasonable to expect that you may change your major. If you have chosen a major, but are unsure what kinds of jobs you can get, doing some research is always a good idea. Using resources like What Can I Do with This Major? on our website will give you a good idea of what you can do with your major and what types of job opportunities may work for you.

Once you reach junior and senior year it is time to start considering what companies you would like to work for. If you are unsure where to start, your advisor is always a good resource, and LinkedIn is another great resource with their LinkedIn for Higher Education page. Here you can find not only top companies that hire Nichols grads, but also companies that will hire students in your major, among a variety of other resources and tips.

Although much of the focus is on attaining a job after college, many students wish to continue their education by going on to graduate school. However, going through the graduate school process of research, applying, and choosing can be just as daunting as a job search. When it comes to picking which graduate schools to apply to, location and field of study are the most important aspects to take into consideration. You can search graduate schools using resources like GradSchools.com and other search engine sites. Once you have narrowed down your choices by these two factors, then you can take other pieces into consideration such as assistantships, financial aid availability, housing, internships and the overall feeling of the school itself, (visits are very important). After you have chosen which schools to apply to, it is then time to wait for acceptance letters. In the meantime, enjoy your senior year and keep working hard!

The summertime is also a great time take tests such as the GRE’s before your senior year starts. If you get these out of the way ahead of time, you will have them ready to send when you apply to graduate school in the fall. For those who are not attending graduate school, you can attain a variety of certifications over the summer that relate to your field. Do some research about what certifications would be helpful for your field, why not get ahead of the game while you have some extra time on your hands?!

By Cassandra Rudd