June 13 marked the first of what is expected to be an annual conference offered to FLOC postsecondary students during the summer intercession. The Saturday event gave students an opportunity to attend two workshops: one workshop, with Justin Kollinger, addressing topics revolving around graduate school, and another workshop, with Josh Christianson, on career preparedness.
Because the students in attendance were at different class standings within their undergraduate careers, the discussion of grad school began with the basic and introductory questions, concepts, and requirements. Students were guided through questions that they should be asking themselves about pursuing a graduate degree, including whether or not they should go, as some fields require higher levels of education than others, how to select a specialization or field to go into for one’s graduate career, and what some of the good reasons (and bad reasons) are for pursuing a graduate education. At the more practical level, the workshop gave an overview of how to make one’s application to graduate schools stronger, what services are available on campus to that end, and some of the exams typically required for admission into graduate programs.
The career workshop offered a walkthrough of some of the essentials for entering the workforce with a focus on résumés and interviewing with an accompanying guidebook which students could take home with them. The discussion included some major “do”s and “don’t”s for résumé style and content, likewise with dos and don’ts for interviews (both in person and over the phone), and it gave students an overview of some of the things that they must do to prepare for their interview. The session ended with an activity where students were given a chance to respond to some interview-style questions on the spot and get feedback on their answers.
Students were also offered a chance to network with their peers during an intercession between seminars.
(Andrea Julca is the Postsecondary Scholars Coordinator at FLOC).
