Finding a Last Minute Summer Internship

No set plans for the summer yet? Tired of listening to your friends talk excitedly about their upcoming internships? Don’t worry, it’s still not too late to secure a summer internship!

• Browse through the internship postings on Chicago Career Connections – While most Metcalf positions have already filled, there are still many employers accepting summer internship applications. Check Chicago Career Connections frequently because new postings appear every day. 
• Follow employers on Linkedin/Facebook/Twitter – Due to various unexpected issues such as relocation problems, family emergencies, or getting a more suitable position, interns sometimes commit to another company even after accepting an offer. By following companies of interest on their social media websites, you can be the first to know if a previously filled position opens up. Since employers are in a rush to make those last-minute hiring decisions for the summer, being amongst the first to know and apply will give you an edge over other applicants
•  Design your own internship – If your dream is to intern at a local business or start-up that isn’t offering internships, approach them and propose your own internship! Reach out to the hiring manager (or the owner/CEO if it’s a very small organization) there and set up a meeting. Come to the meeting prepared with exactly why you want to intern there and what you can do to add value. Be sure to do your research ahead of time and come to the meeting knowing exactly what projects you can take on to help the company grow and succeed. 
• Consider unpaid internships – Have you only been exploring paid internships? Everyone wants to earn money for their hard work, but unpaid internships can offer experiences that are just as meaningful as paid internships. Many employers outside of the finance/banking/consulting industry start their hiring later on, so check out unpaid internships in non-profits, government, arts, journalism, fashion, etc. Idealist.org is a great place to start exploring! 
• Utilize your personal networks – Your parents, aunts, and uncles are all adults with many years of job experience and they have friends who also have plenty of experience. Let the adults in your life know that you’re hardworking and you’re looking for a summer internship. Many of them may have high positions within their companies and if they like you and think you’re capable of the job, they might even be able to create positions suited just for you.
• If all else fails…Study for a standardized test! Whether it’s the MCAT, GMAT, LSAT, or GRE, summer is the perfect time to prepare for the big exam. During the school year, you’re too overwhelmed with school work to make extra study time. If you’re interning, you’re too busy with work to study. So if you don’t end up with an internship this summer, don’t let that time go to waste. Study for whichever test you’re planning on taking and schedule to take the exam before school starts, when you have plenty of time and everything you’ve learned is still fresh in your mind.

How Can Career Advancement Help Me? by Michael Johnson

Pointers for students in the College from Career Advancement staff member Michael Johnson.

What is Career Advancement? by Michael Johnson

Career Advancement aims to provide University of Chicago students and alumni with experiential learning opportunities in a variety of fields. We promote University of Chicago talent to a wide range of employers and institutions in order to expand the set of jobs, internships, and other opportunities available to them.

Black Youth Project Guest Post

The Black Youth Project was a national research project launched in 2003 that examined the attitudes, resources, and culture of African American youth ages 15 to 25, exploring how these factors and others influence their decision-making, norms, and behavior in critical domains such as sex, health, and politics. Understanding the need to make this data available to a wider constituency beyond the academy Professor Cathy Cohen, the Black Youth Project’s principle investigator, decided to create an online hub for Black youth where scholars, educators, community activist, youth allies, and youth could access the study’s research summaries as well as have access to a plethora of resources concerning the empowerment and development of black youth.

The Black Youth Project’s Blog: These blogs represent the voices and attitudes of young African Americans who are in their late teens and twenties. The content of these blogs consist of conversations about popular culture, current news about politics, testimonials and narratives about growing up being black, gay, straight, man, woman, transgendered, working class, middle class, and differently abled in the US.

Click here for a blog entry by Jonathan Lykes, one of the 5710 Student Intern who studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa in Winter 2010.

Finding the Perfect Summer Opportunity by CAPS Guest Blogger - Laurel Mylonas-Orwig

Now that it’s April and the first week of Spring Quarter is already gone, you may feel the pressure mounting to find the perfect summer opportunity, if you haven’t already. As a student at this university, I had planned on taking classes in the summer between my third and fourth years. When I suddenly realized this wasn’t possible (for a variety of reasons), it was already the third week of April, and all of my friends had already secured internships and other opportunities. I was left feeling panicked and uncertain about how I would fill my time—and more importantly, how I would pay rent!

Guest Blogger: Charlette Seward

In honor of Women’s History Month, 5710 student assistant Brittany Little is featuring one of the most important women in her life.

Charlette Seward

A Broadway veteran, award winning musical theater performer, legendary performing arts instructor, mother, wife, daughter and my personal mentor, Charlette Seward is a woman to be reckoned with. A woman with a flair for story telling and dramatics, her personal story is filled with adventure and mystery. Born and raised in Florida, Charlette (or Tee to her closest family members) grew up singing in her church choir before going on to Edward Waters College. At Edward Waters she earned a degree in English and honed her performance skills. Before long the lights of Broadway became too great to ignore and she moved to New York to follow her dream of being a star.

Guest Blogger: Nancy Kasvosve

In honor of Women's History Month, we invited guest blogger Nancy Kasvosve from Zimbabwe to tell us what her experience has been as an international student at the University of Chicago.


By Nancy Kasvosve

Flipping Through My Clean Passport,
“Are you sure you have not been to America yet?”
“Yes I am sure…why??”
“Well I have lived there for ten years and I do not speak like you.”

This was a line of conversation I had through all the immigration points on my way to America. I became the girl with the pretty accent from a country that nobody knew unless they watched a lot of news or were an Econ major. Then at some point I was not only the girl with a pretty accent, I was a colour; black. This is where my real struggle has been.

Guest Blogger - Jay Tan

¡Hola! ¿Como están? I am Jay (remember I did a brief introduction about Chicago Study Abroad Program few months ago? ) , currently enjoying my study abroad experience in Barcelona, Spain. I am here to share with you my experiences here in Barcelona so that you all will have a better insight of what the program can offer you.

When I first arrived in Barcelona, I was not really happy. In fact, I started to complain about every single thing that I could – from the accommodation, transportation, classes and etc. I guess home-sick must be the main culprit behind all my endless complaints. However, as days passed by one by one, I started to love this place more and more. And now, I am actually feeling quite sad that I am actually leaving this beautiful city as my program is going to end in merely 2 weeks time!

Guest Blogger: UCPD - Holiday Safety Tips

Protect your home

• Always lock doors and windows when you leave the house, even if you will only be away for a few minutes.
• Never display gifts where they can be seen from the window or doorway.If someone comes to your home asking for a donation or claiming to be delivering a package, always ask for official identification.
  

Shop Safely

• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash; pay with a check or credit card whenever possible.
• Never flaunt your money or expensive jewelry or clothing.
• Walk confidently, and be alert. Notice who passes you and who is behind you. Be especially mindful of pickpockets on crowded busses and trains and among crowds of holiday shoppers.
• If you drive, park in a well-lit space, and always lock the car, close the windows and hide shopping bags and gift in the trunks.

Guest Blogger: Meghan Hammond

I am the Assistant Director for Graduate Student Affairs, which is a central office that supports the graduate student career through the administration and management of fellowships, grants, and academic exchange programs and enhances the graduate student experience through the development and coordination of workshops, communications, services, and programs such as Graduate Student Orientation and the Family Resource Center. We are located in rooms 224, 225, and 227 of the Administration Building, and have an open-door policy: walk-ins welcome! We have a listing of fellowships databases available online, including opportunities specifically for students of color. We work closely with OMSA and other student services offices to connect you with resources that will enable you to make the most of your time at the University, and would love to meet with you one-on-one to discuss your research interests and how best to find resources to support your work. You can also follow us (“UChicago Graduate Student Affairs”) on Facebook—we’d love to have you all as fans!

Guest Blogger - Jay Tan

I am Jay Tan, currently a third year in the College. I am majoring in Economics and Psychology. This winter quarter, I am going to participate in the Barcelona Study Abroad Program. I applied to the program early this year and I am glad that I was selected.

Applying for University of Chicago Study Abroad program has always been something on the top of “must-do” list. Why? It is because University of Chicago’s Study Abroad program is very well structured and the civilization programs fulfill 3 quarters of the core requirement in just one quarter. Besides that, Barcelona is a city that has been constantly attracting my attention due to its richness in culture and the phenomenal architectures of the city. The extremely cold winter in Chicago has also prompted me to apply for a study program during winter. All these lead to why I put Barcelona as my first choice when I applied for the program.

One might think that participating in these programs can be very costly. However, this perception is not entirely true. Many offices in the University give out academic grants to aid the successful applicants – Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) being one of them. I learn about this academic grant on the OMSA’s website and decided to try my luck by applying for this grant. And yes, I was graciously awarded a good amount to lighten the cost of the program. Besides that, if you are receiving any kind of financial aid from the University, the aid will still apply despite you going abroad. Thus, Study Abroad Program is not always a very expensive thing to do.

All my friends who took part in these programs never regretted. Some even commented that the quarter where they joined the program is probably going to be their most enjoyable quarter in their entire 4 years of University life. The onsite visits made them understand the text and the culture of a civilization much better. Besides studying, they are also exposed to new languages and of course, enjoying the different kind of delicacies that each country can offer.

Thus, I would also strongly recommend all students in the University to grab this excellent opportunity to apply for the Study Abroad Program. Although my program will only be conducted in Winter quarter, I am sure that I will not regret it and I will have an incredible experience there.

Please continue read this blog as I will post my experiences about my study abroad program when I am in Barcelona next quarter!