Most incoming first-year students are excited about the idea of new classes, new friends and new experiences. One of the last things on their mind is the process surrounding a prospective internship or (yikes) a job down the line. Finding a job was the last thing on my mind too but, luckily for first-year students at Conn, the College begins the process for us right away.

During my first semester at Conn, I enrolled in a required first-year seminar. In addition to the seminar, students must complete two career workshops. In these time blocks, I received tips from from my career adviser on how to craft a resume, and learned how to qualify for a funded internship. Every junior at Conn is eligible to complete a funded internship the summer between their junior and senior year. However, they are only able to do so if they complete the necessary requirements along the way. It’s definitely exciting to dream about the future internship I might have my junior year. Maybe I’ll be in Los Angeles working for Fox or ABC. 

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to complete all the requirements to qualify for an internship. The few requirements first-years must finish are all clearly outlined in our first-year seminars, and if we have any further questions we can easily set up a meeting with our career adviser. I happened to have some questions for my adviser, Dot Wang, about getting an internship this summer, preferably at a theater in New York City or something along those lines. Dot pointed me to resources like CamelLink, an internal database for the College that features job postings, internship and fellowship opportunities, a resource library and more. Dot also gave me instructions on how to properly write a resume to appeal to the types of employers I am looking for.

Every student looking into college should know how important a good career office is, and that any student who enrolls in Connecticut College will receive stellar career advice beginning their first semester here.