Here are some key achievements that will help students to stand out from the crowd:
Academic Achievement
The grade point average (G.P.A.) is one factor considered by competitive graduate schools and employers. Some employers do use G.P.A. cutoffs in considering applicants for internships and job openings. Others stress the student's overall background including experience, number of hours worked during the academic year, leadership activities, and other key skills or attributes. However, the G.P.A. may be viewed as a tangible indicator of a student’s ability to learn and perform effectively, at least in the academic environment. Therefore, students need to do as well as possible in the classroom, especially in courses related to their job target.
Continue to encourage your student to make academics a high priority. Some students need time to adjust to the rigorous academic demands of college. If your student is struggling, encourage him or her to visit their instructor or teaching assistant during office hours to discuss the course material. Also, refer your student to tutoring resources on campus, such as the Math Lab or the Writing Center.
Relevant Work Experience
Recruiters and graduate school admissions committees are looking for candidates who are a proper fit for their culture or industry. However, without having any hands-on knowledge, how can a student demonstrate that he or she can perform at a high level on the job? The best way to impress potential employers or graduate school admissions reps is for students to gain and highlight relevant work experience on their resumes and applications. This includes research experience as well.
In today’s competitive employment market, most employers and graduate schools recruit students who have related internship, cooperative education, research, summer or part-time job, or volunteer experiences.
Employers prefer to hire job candidates who have pertinent experience. Very few employers report that experience doesn’t factor into their decision making when hiring new college graduates.
For college students, relevant experience is typically gained through applied learning including internships. In fact, an internship is a great way to get your “foot in the door” to a job while developing skills and a network of contacts. And many employers report hiring directly from their own internship programs. Simply put, employers are looking for evidence that students can do the job. Relevant work experience provides students with that evidence.
Involvement Outside of the Classroom
Extracurricular activities and community services provide the opportunity for students to gain valuable and career-related skills, including the ability to work effectively in a team environment; leadership; planning and organizational skills; and time management. These are transferable skills that are very much in demand.
Additionally, many employers rate leadership activities and communication skills even more highly than G.P.A. Remind your student(s) that it is more valuable to be involved in a few meaningful leadership roles on campus than to be in a “laundry list” of many campus clubs.
Final Recommendation
Be sure to encourage your student to visit the UMBC Career Center for career guidance including major exploration support and internships. Students can schedule an appointment by logging into their umbcworks account, stopping by Math-Psychology, room 201 or calling 410-455-2216.