• Build Your Network: The Career Center regularly hosts networking events and job fairs (even now in our virtual format). Participate in informational interviews, Networking 101, and LinkedIn 101, or join the UMBC-Alumni-Student Networking Group on LinkedIn!    
• Check out Career Month in April: Now is the time to be "Open to the Possibilities!" In addition to building your personal brand, you can attend events/presentations, grab badges, connect to the rest of the world, and explore professional options! Each week in April, we will explore different employment industries with their own industry fair/alumni engagement opportunities!  
• Shriver Center: Many career networking and professional mentorship opportunities are available through the range of services, programs, and initiatives sponsored by the Shriver Center – especially concerning civic engagement and community-based service delivery.   
• Leverage connections through your own academic departments: Academic Advisors, faculty and staff in your academic department can guide you to think about meaningful experiences, internships, research and more that you can add to your degree during your time at UMBC. These conversations are great to have during your advising appointments throughout the registration period as well!  

Winter break is finally here!

You worked hard this semester and it doesn’t go unrecognized. Now is the time to get some well-deserved rest and recharge before the spring semester begins!

It’s easy to binge-watch your favorite tv shows or go down the Tik Tok rabbit hole, but we’d like to challenge you to do some things that will genuinely restore you during your winter break.

Mental Health and Wellness

• Re-establish good sleeping habits and get the rest you deserve!
• Take a break from your typical college diet and enjoy some hearty, homecooked meals. Check out these easy meals for college students and Retriever Essentials winter hours, if needed.
• Spend an afternoon exploring the great outdoors! If you call Maryland home, you could explore many of the state parks that are still open. If you like skiing, there are many local spots to check out too! And if you aren’t feeling as adventurous, even a walk around your neighbourhood can do a world of good!
• Reconnect with family and friends to keep your support system strong and growing into the spring semester. 

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou  

And just like that the spring semester has come and gone but you’ve made it!   

We know this year brought on a new type of adjustment for many students, returning to campus and in-person learning. We see you out there working hard and moving forward! 

As the spring semester winds down, we encourage you to approach the summer season as a time to RESET with some well-earned rest and reflection. Recognize the growth and development that took place over the entirety of this past year and be proud of your accomplishments. Take some time to celebrate your wins, big and small!   

We also are aware some of you may have faced challenges and obstacles over this past year. Take this opportunity to develop new goals and/or strategies that will better position you for the road ahead. 

Again, we congratulate you for all you have accomplished this semester. We hope you use the following months as a time to keep moving forward towards your goals. It is never too late to reassess your plans and set yourself up for success. Never forget that we are here to help you make it happen!

• meeting and engaging with new people 
• traveling 
• community involvement 
• reading and keeping up to speed on current events 
• pursuing career opportunities, certificate programs, and picking up new hobbies!  

Social media is most likely part of your daily routine and can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family. But how can you also use social media to maximize your own college experience? 

We checked in with UMBC Alumna Frankie Cerquetti ’14 (B.F.A, Intermedia) for some insight on how to engage more meaningfully online. Frankie co-owns Storia Studio, a company that specializes in branding photography and videography for small businesses.

Her pro-tip? Treat engaging on social media like networking an event: “I am a firm believer in the power of one. One person. One conversation. One lead. If we begin to treat social media as a networking event, it might give us a fresh perspective. Let’s focus on the quality of meeting that one person instead of trying to appeal to hundreds or thousands. Let’s look at social media as a place to build community and exchange our passions!” 

So how can you use social media usage for academic and networking purposes? Here are some tips for you to think about! 

Get to know the UMBC community 

Many UMBC offices and organizations have their own active social media accounts. You can follow a UMBC office or organization to learn more about the services they provide or exciting opportunities for students. And many also welcome DMs (direct messages) from students regarding any questions or concerns. This can be an interactive and approachable way to connect with different groups across campus! 

Check out some of these UMBC social media accounts:  

 UMBC Life  

UMBC Campus Life  

SEB (Student Events Board)  

Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships  

Career Center  

UMBC Athletics  

UMBC Academic Success Center  

Network with potential employers 

Whether you are on the hunt for an internship, job, or exploring graduate school opportunities, following the social media accounts of places you’re interested in can tell you about its mission, values, and community. This can give you some insight into whether a place would be a good fit for you. Some companies and organizations might even use their social media accounts to advertise employment opportunities. 

Suppose you are preparing for an internship or job interview. The information you gather from social media can then be used to show that you’ve done your research and have a working knowledge of the company or organization’s practices and current ventures. 

Having a LinkedIn account is a great way to connect with professionals working in the field you are interested in. Using LinkedIn, you can message professionals to set up informational interviews (i.e. - learn about how they entered into the field or learn more about their job). You could also use LinkedIn to join interest groups and participate in online discussions related to your field of interest. 

Learn more about LinkedIn and how you can use it effectively as a college student here. 

You can also check out Retrievers Connect, a networking platform just for UMBC students and alumni. In partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement, the Career Center has launched this platform to connect alumni with students to foster the career success of the UMBC community. You will have the chance to learn from those who have been in your shoes, discover industries and trends, and possibly get feedback on your resume and interviewing skills. These connections could provide you with an inside look into internship and career opportunities. 

Use social media for research and collaborative purposes 

Do you need to conduct research for your class? Whether posting qualitative questions you want students to respond to or sending out a survey link, consider using social media to help you get responses from a larger group of people in a shorter amount of time – just be sure to check ahead of time to make sure your professor is okay with you using this method to gather information! 

Additionally, suppose a class assignment requires community-based work or research. In that case, you can use social media to help you connect and network with local organizations that may be able to assist you. The use of social media in education is an especially engaging topic right now amid the increase in online learning and examining trends on social media or using social media as a tool for collecting data could give projects an interesting angle!

Beyond class assignments, social media can be a great way to collaborate with your classmates and make studying more efficient. Platforms like Facebook and services like Google Drive and Box can help you create study groups, organize class materials, and share resources. 

It seems that more and more, social media has the potential to help you engage with your professional connections as you navigate your time in college and beyond. We hope this helps you realize just how many ways you can use social media to your advantage! What are some other ways you use social media to build meaningful community online?  

We get it: the financial struggle is REAL at times! Taking out student loans, paying bills, managing expenses, and saving money require strategic planning and decision making. Developing financial savviness takes knowledge, but starting now, as a student, can have a life-long impact! 

With that in mind, we interviewed Hannah Sadollah, the Programs Specialist for FinancialSmarts @ UMBC (which she'll talk about in her interview), to shed some light on this important topic.  

Extra Credit: Why do you think it is essential for college students to build up their "financial savviness" right now?  

Hannah: Education is an investment in yourself. College is an experience and an investment, so make sure you get a high return on investment (ROI) or benefit relative to the cost. Your college experience can still be amazing while you become more financially savvy. There are ways to make lasting memories while saving money, and saving money now will seriously impact your future. 

College can be stressful; balancing classwork, extracurricular activities, and social life makes it easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out when throwing personal finances into the mix. Becoming financially savvy can help reduce this stress. For example, hanging out with friends doesn't always have to break the bank. The UMBC Student Events Board (SEB) hosts multiple events (online and in-person) every week like; Karaoke Nights, Yoga sessions, or Glow Dodgeball! Another example is FinancialSmarts @ UMBC which hosts events during hybridMoney Smart Week, where students can win prizes just by attending an event. These are great ways to hang out with friends, meet new people, and save or even win money! Try following groups like FinancialSmarts on social media to learn more about their free events. 

Extra Credit: What is one financial topic you recommend college students learn more about?  

Hannah: Managing money, specifically savings. As a current student, unexpected costs come up all the time. Whether it's an extra book that you need for class or replacing a missing campus ID, it's crucial to prepare yourself for unexpected or emergency expenses.   

In January 2019, Forbes reported that 78% of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck. This means that these individuals use most of their monthly income on their monthly expenses with no money left over or in savings. This statistic has been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Don't be part of the statistic! Consider the 50/30/20 model when creating a monthly budget. Plan to spend 50% of your monthly income on fixed costs like; rent, groceries, or transportation. 30% on flex costs like; Eating out or going to concerts. And then allocate 20% of your monthly income to savings or paying back debt. This model makes saving and money management seem like an attainable goal and helps you create a plan to achieve it! 

Extra Credit: What is UMBC FinancialSmarts, and what has been the most significant way you've seen undergraduate students utilize it? 

Hannah: FinancialSmarts @ UMBC provides students with the tools necessary to make informed and effective decisions about their finances. Managing money is an integral part of your daily life, and we encourage students to be well versed in this vital life skill that many find challenging. The most significant way UMBC students engage with our content is by enrolling in the FinancialSmarts CashCourse. This is a free, self-paced, open enrollment blackboard course that allows students to learn about concepts like budgeting, saving, banking, and the working world. Students can find more information about enrolling in the course on ourwebsite. 

In addition to the CashCourse, we encourage students to attend one of our many events during Money Smart Week. I encourage students especially to attend workshops led by our peer money mentors! These are free, fun, and engaging workshops related to budgeting, saving, banking, and repayment of student loans. Students can find more information about our peer lead workshops on ourwebsite.  To learn more about these events and Money Smarts Week, please visit the FinancialSmartmyUMBC page.  

Extra Credit: What would you say to a student struggling with budgeting their money? 

Hannah: Don't give up, nobody's perfect, and we all struggle sometimes. If you're struggling to stick to your budget, try revisiting it and see what areas you might need to tweak to make it more realistic. You can try tracking your spending for a month to see how much you spend in each of your budgeting categories, and that will help you design a more accurate budget for your spending habits. You can even multiply your monthly spending by twelve to see how much you spend in a specific category on average per year! It may change your opinion on the impact of saving money that’s spent on nonessential expenses.  

If you're still feeling overwhelmed, check out our CashCoach program. Visit ourwebsite to sign up today. 

Extra Credit: What is your best piece of financial advice? 

Hannah: Keep learning and asking questions. No one person has all the answers, so there's always more to explore and learn about financial literacy. You will go through various seasons of your life where you will need a different set of financial skills, so it's essential to seek trustworthy guidance and leverage the available resources to you now for free as a student.