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http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/public-service-scholars/

Students of UMBC have resources to succeed, but not all take advantage

UMBC provides many resources for students in finding jobs and internships that are not always taken advantage of and lead to recent graduates being unprepared when they enter the working world.

Students of UMBC are given ample opportunities and persuasion from administration to prepare them for the working world. Facilities like the Shriver Center and Career Services provide advantages for students when searching for jobs and internships.

For example, in the MCS major, students are required to obtain at least one internship to fulfill requirement for graduation. They also take a mandatory internship class that teaches students tasks for the working world, such as interview skills and sources to find jobs after graduation.

Professors are usually very aggressive and persuasive to advocate to students the importance of finding multiple internships and how important it is to use resources that the university offers. Administration at Career Services is able to assist students in perfecting their resumes, obtaining internships and even creating a resume for the first time.

“MCS does prepare students for the working world by emailing students jobs and internships that they might find interesting and offering an internship course that assists in finding what students like and perhaps what to pursue,” said senior MCS major, Hewan Yitagesu.

The Spanish department of UMBC also works with students to prepare them for the working world because of their insistence of study abroad programs. Study abroad programs are advocated by professors as it is seen as the best way to learn the language and culture. This department also sends out numerous emails with job and internship opportunities for students.

The issue becomes present when students, no matter how many resources they are given, do not take advantage of certain opportunities. Making internships and preparatory classes mandatory does force students to become actively involved in their major and give an extra push, but it is the responsibility of the student to then take their newfound knowledge and use it to network and continue with more work related opportunities.

Students must also be wary to develop useful skills from their time at the university to prepare themselves for the working world. According to a recent study by The Association of American Colleges and Universities, employers found new graduates to have weak skills in areas where students thought themselves strong.

Students were twice as likely to think of themselves as more prepared in the areas of oral communication, written communication, critical thinking and being creative, while employers disagreed. The only area where recent graduates and employers had a steady agreement was in staying current with new technologies.

So, while students have all the resources and materials to find and obtain jobs and internships, it is their personal responsibility to take advantage of opportunities provided through the school. It is also important to see that recent graduates may think they are more prepared than employers view them to be.

Compiled by the Retriever Weekly Senior Staff

Construction and renovations are necessary at UMBC, but more thought should have been put in scheduling these projects. The Campus Entrance Project is greatly inconveniencing students and jeopardizing their safety during inclement weather.

The current phase of the Campus Entrance Project has left many commuters frustrated. Furthermore, the addition of inclement weather to the messy equation of broken roads plus heavy traffic has left almost all commuters furious.

“I thought I was going to be late despite waking up 30 minutes earlier than I normally would. I felt as if a delay was necessary, from a commuters point of view, because we do not have the benefit of waking up 10 minutes before class and walking over in five minutes, like residents do,” says Rohan Dalwadi, a sophomore biology major.

Dalwadi also states, “It was also dangerous for us commuters to drive in such bad weather. I feel inclimate weather considerations are biased towards the resident students.”

UMBC made a poor decision by starting the Campus Entrance Project in fall 2014, which will continue through the spring 2015 semester. It would have been more reasonable if this construction had started in the warmer months of spring and finished before the winter storms settled in.

The current schedule of the Campus Entrance Project has the greatest bulk of work taking place when fall and spring semesters are in full swing. If the alternate timeline had been chosen, then most of the work could have been completed during the less busy summertime.

UMBC Blvd is the main entrance onto campus, and due to construction the route has narrowed down to two shared lanes. On regular mornings, the traffic is at a standstill on I-195. However, when there is inclement weather, cars are backed up all the way to the I-95 exit ramp.

Although Facilities and Management have emailed students about alternate routes of entrance via Hilltop Rd., Walker Ave., or Shelbourne Rd., many students still prefer the UMBC Blvd entrance. The reluctance to try different entrances may be due to the fact that they do not know how to access them.

For those who still prefer to use UMBC Blvd, the stretch of road is a nightmare. Not only is it narrow and broken, it curves greatly at three parts along the route. As UMBC Blvd meets Hilltop Circle, there is a huge ditch in the middle of the road and attempting to turn left is rather awkward and sharp.

On a normal day, the traffic and road conditions are unbearable. Mixing in snow, sleet and ice, the situation becomes utter chaos.

It is understandable that the administration avoids closing, because students would not be able to reap the full benefits of all the classes they paid for. But when it comes to student safety, their lives are more valuable than their money.

“As for the constant construction, I hate how it takes away from the beauty of the campus,” adds Dalwadi.

UMBC has been ranked #1 in Up-And-Coming Universities by U.S. News and World Report for four years in a row. The title is garnering a large influx of new students, and as a result, UMBC must renovate and expand the campus.

Nonetheless, more common sense should have been applied when scheduling the Campus Entrance Project. As for now, UMBC should not hesitate to delay or close when inclement weather hits the campus.