Today is the last day to enter our Financial Literacy Enthusiast Contest!

If you need some inspiration, check out our first and second prize winners from last year! Thank you Evan Avila and Mary Arsenault

Find more information here http://tinyurl.com/y4orceze !

It is likely that social media is a part of your daily routine and a main way that you stay socially connected to friends and family.

But perhaps you don’t know some of the more unique ways social media can help maximize your overall college experience.  If that’s the case, let us highlight three ways you can use social media as a college student:

Connect with UMBC Offices and Organizations

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 they have for students. And some, like our office, welcome DMs (direct messages) from students regarding any questions or concerns you may have.

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

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 a lot about its mission, values, and community. This can give you some insight into whether or not a place would be a good fit for you. Some companies and organizations might even use their social media accounts to advertise employment opportunities.

If 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. - to learn about how they entered into the field or to learn more about their job). You could also use a site like LinkedIn to join interest groups and participate in online discussions related to your field of interest.

Gathering Survey Data/Assistance with Class Assignments

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, social media can 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, if a class assignment requires community-based work or research, you can use social media to help you connect and network with local organizations that may be able to assist you.

--

Bonus:

Check out this UMBC course!

MCS 355 – Social Media: Networking and Mobility; pre-requisites are MCS 101 or 222 and ENGL 100 or equivalent

This course is designed to encourage students to critically engage with the growing role that social media, online networks, and mobile communication technologies play in their understanding of self and community, sociability and privacy. Students will reflect on the centrality of collaboration, networking, and participation in social media technologies. Assignments and readings will require students to interact with core questions surrounding the emergence of social media and the impact of living increasingly mediated lives. Special attention will be paid to the centrality of writing in a digital world, even as the platforms for composition, editing, and publication have changed. 

The office of Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) seeks motivated, passionate, hardworking, and ethical transfer students to employ as Transfer Student Network Leaders (TSN Leaders) for the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters.

TSN Leaders will serve as advocates for transfer students on the UMBC campus, and they will assist with the retention of these students through the planning and implementation of intentional and impactful programs and events. TSN Leaders will also assist with administrative work within the OCSS office, and serve as peer mentors for our Transfer Mentor Program.

APPLY HERE- 

https://umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aWx63BLFZiQNAkB

Transfer Student Network Leader Duties:

 · Plan and implement workshops and programs that address the needs of transfer students
· Serve as a peer mentor to incoming transfer students (meet 1:1 with each mentee at least once a month, attend campus events with your mentees, etc.)
· Represent OCSS by sitting at the front desk and answering student, staff, and visitor questions
· Serve as a role model to UMBC students and develop a sense of community among transfer students
· Foster relationships with prospective students at surrounding community colleges and Shady Grove campus transfer students
· Assist with OCSS events as needed, including but not limited to, Welcome Week, Transfer Appreciation Week, and Commuter Week

TSN Leaders must be:

-Transfer Students

-Undergraduate Students

TSN Leaders must maintain a 2.5 GPA prior to and during employment with OCSS.

This application closes on Friday, March 29th at 11:59 PM.  A resume must be attached at the end of this application in a PDF file. 

Summer 2019 Job Openings

Residential Life accommodates approximately 3,000 summer conference guests at a given time in our suite-style halls and apartment communities. We are looking for key individuals to fill positions within Summer Conferences and Facilities. Students in these positions are front-line ambassadors and are integral in creating a welcoming environment for our guests and to the overall success of our summer program. These positions offer students an excellent opportunity to cultivate their customer service, management, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. 

Questions for summer conference staff should be directed to Jessica Williams, wjessica@umbc.edu or Matthew Wood, matt21@umbc.edu for facilities.

Please Note:

1. Below are job descriptions and requirements for all summer opportunities, please read each.
2. If you’re interested in more than one job please indicate that on your application.
3. To apply for summer conference employment click here.
4. In addition, students must submit 2 professional references. (1) choose your reference (2) confirm participation from each reference (3) email your reference the following link.
5. Best consideration date for applicants is February 28, 2019 with references due by March 11, 2019 all other applications will be reviewed, as needed.

Lead Conference Assistant_LCA

Conference Assistant_CA

Lead Maintenance Assistant _LMA

Maintenance Assistant_MA

Lead Project Assistant_LPA

Project Assistant_PA

DuPont’s Information Technology division has revamped their undergraduate co-op program and kicked off recruiting for the fall 2019 class. 

According to DuPont, "Our Technology Development Programs provide a variety of meaningful assignments that will enable you to gain valuable experience in the rapidly changing worlds of information technology and digital solutions".

Below are links to open positions:

2019 Fall Technology Co-Op Opportunity: Strategy and Digital Solutions

2019 Fall Technology Co-Op Opportunity: Enterprise Services

2019 Fall Technology Co-Op Opportunity: Cyber Security

2019 Fall Technology Co-Op Opportunity: Enterprise Solutions

For more information on the exciting changes at DuPont, please visit The New DuPont site.

Rose Malone is a Study Abroad Advisor in the Study Abroad Office at UMBC (newly located in Administration 301!). As an undergraduate student, Rose studied abroad in London, England and Skibbereen, Ireland. She sat down with us to discuss not only the steps involved with studying abroad, but also the impact the experience can have on a student’s life.

Break it down as easy as you can, what are the steps students need to take if they want to study abroad?

Simply put, if students plan to study abroad they should (in the following order): 
• Attend a Study Abroad 101 session 
• Determine which courses/requirements they still need to fulfill (this can be done through meeting with their academic advisor or a degree audit) 
• Pick out 1-5 study abroad programs from our website that offer the coursework they need 
• Schedule an appointment with a Study Abroad advisor 
• Meet with The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to discuss which scholarships, grants or loans can be applied 

What should students consider when trying to select a study abroad program?

Students should consider: 
• Coursework needs 
• If they want to become more proficient in a language (if so, study abroad where that language is spoken) 
• Do they want to live in a rural area, big city, college town, city campus, warm environment, colder environment? 
• Which type of housing they want (homestay, residence hall, apartment?) 
• What type of credit they can receive (resident or transfer) 
• Level of immersion (i.e.- how much separation do you want from your home culture?) 
• Internship or service learning, etc.

There are so many things to consider, which can seem daunting but there is something for everyone!

Is there an aspect of the study abroad planning process that many students, in retrospect, wish they had spent more time on/focused on?

This is a great question, but hard to answer across the board. I think one aspect that students should spend more time planning is the alignment of their language requirement and their study abroad experience. The best way to learn a language is through immersion, so if you study Spanish at UMBC because it would be useful in a future job, but study abroad in Germany and take one language course, you're probably not going to be proficient in either language. So if you want to put "proficient in Spanish" on your resume, you should probably study abroad somewhere Spanish-speaking! But students can study abroad anywhere they want!

Apart from some of the more well-known or "cliché" reasons to study abroad, why do you think students should make this part of their college experience?

I am not sure most students realize this but only 1 in 10 students nationally study abroad. This means that by studying abroad, you are setting yourself apart from all other graduates. When you walk into an interview for a job or apply for a graduate program, that study abroad experience is an immediate talking point. There are many examples from study abroad that you could use to "describe a time when you worked on a team" or "had to think on your feet.”

Are there any current UMBC study abroad programs you'd like to make a shameless plug for right now?

Yes! Our faculty-led programs for Summer 2019! They are open to all majors and many fulfill major, minor or GEP requirements! Most have a deadline of 2/15 except for our program in Cuba, which has a deadline of 1/31.

Make the most of your summer and apply today: https://goabroad.umbc.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.FeaturedPrograms

If you yourself could study abroad right now, where would you go and why?

There are so many places I haven't been yet that this is a hard question! I think I would want to go somewhere in Asia! I think one of the most undervalued aspects of study abroad is the structure and support that comes along with it. When you go on a program, you have so much more support than if you were traveling as a tourist. I would love to have program support in Asia, somewhere that I don't speak any of the languages, so that I could feel supported and venture out on my own.

Any good stories from your own study abroad experience?

Too many to include here! I think one of the most rewarding moments of my first study abroad experience in London was when a tourist asked me for directions and I was able to give them. That is when I knew I was a "Londoner!" I didn't need to look up tube stop names or landmarks because I knew them!