That Post-Grad Life (?)
In the past months I have been searching and applying for positions in publishing and journalism, primarily in NYC. The process has been overwhelming at moments, exciting at others, but its primary significance has been its demonstration of Vassar’s strong alumnae network.
Through the alumnae/i directory search on the Vassar Hub, I have found alums in every possible area that I am interested in. I’ve talked to a video producer at Time.Com. I’ve spoken with the DIY editor at BuzzFeed. I’ve received support and aid from alums at HarperOne, The New York Times magazine, The New Yorker, The Huffington Post, and SnagFilms.
To see the tremendous things they have done, and continue to do astounds me, but it also inspires me. While I may not have a job quite yet- there are good things ahead. As so many alums have proven.
A few tips I have received from alums during my job search/our correspondence:
- When writing your resume, don’t just list the main, banal things you might have done in your different positions. Think of the times when you have had the most authority, and effected the greatest change within your org- and write about that. It’s far more impressive than listing about meeting with your group once a week- even if it is true- it fails to display your talents.
- Don’t outright ask for a job when speaking with an alumnae or network connection. Ask these people for contacts so you could conduct further research on the field. A request like this is not interrogative, so the person can feel comfortable sharing contacts with you, instead of being concerned you will just beg for a job.
- Tailor your cover letter and resume for every thing you apply to. Even if it’s simply rearranging your jobs to highlight more relevant experience, it can be useful in catching the hiring manager’s eye.
- Always be professional. Even if you’re applying to a company that might seem laid back, like BuzzFeed, you still want to depict yourself as an experienced and skilled worker, not someone who might be funny in the office.
Best of luck to my fellow soon-to-be graduates! I hope your search is just as fruitful as mine has been.
Rent!
Well, it’s last semester senior year, and I’m trying to cram it with as many things as possible before I graduate! Checking things off my Vassar bucket list has been high on my list of priorities. Things left to do: Go to Wednesday night at the observatory, donate blood at the Red Cross-hosted blood-drive, arrange a song for my a cappella group (to name a few!). The one thing that I’m most proud of checking off my list, which was to be in a play. At the beginning of the semester I auditioned for, and have been having an amazing experience in the ensemble of Rent! The show is going up April 17th-19th, and so this upcoming week is going to be absolutely packed with rehearsals. Rent is being organized by The Future Wait-staff of America (FWA), which is the student run musical theater group on campus. My two student directors are incredible, and have put in so much work to organize this whole show (it takes a lot of planning, I’ve discovered!). This has been my first play, so I’ve found it incredibly fun and challenging at the same time.
Other things going on currently have been trying to get all my homework done in advance so I don’t have to worry too much about it next week, as well as organizing Ultimate Frisbee practices, because this upcoming weekend is the start of our college series with D-3 sectionals! If we do well at sectionals, which are in NJ, we can go on to regionals, and then even nationals, which would be incredibly exciting and something the women’s team hasn’t done in a while. Wish us luck!
Why Vassar???
As a senior in his last semester at Vassar, I find myself thrilled, terrified, excited, and fulfilled all at the same time. Looking back, there is no way freshmen year that I could have had any idea of how amazing the next four years would be. I entered the college unsure of what I was going to study or major in, but with a strong interest in psychology. Throughout my time here I have met so many interesting and incredible people from all walks of life, and have the privilege to call many of them friends. Reflecting upon my experience, I would not change it for the world.
In the midst of the anxiety filled college decision process, I discovered Vassar College and it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. At first, I could not really tell Vassar apart from many of the other small liberal arts institutions in New England and they seemed to all meld into one big Frankenstein-like representation of college. But, what really set Vassar apart for me, and solidified my decision was first, the campus itself. Coming from the small town of Torrington, Connecticut I knew I wanted to go to a small school, but also didn’t want to feel socially claustrophobic. With a student body of around 2,500 I felt comfortable that I would get the small school experience with the benefits of a larger student body. Additionally, Vassar’s physical campus is a great size in which it is small enough to allow easy navigation, yet large enough where you don’t feel stifled. Not to mention the campus is also breathtaking in every season from the Fall to the Spring.
In choosing colleges, I decided to do an overnight visit at Vassar, and I think it was that, which gave me an excellent feel for the school. I was able to spend the night in a dorm room with a current student and attend a class of my choosing. As an anticipated Psychology major I sat through an intro to psychology course with Professor Abigail Baird, and absolutely loved it. Going to the class also allowed me to talk with current psychology students to find out about the other professors in the department. The positive comments about the faculty weighed in as another factor in my decision.
Lastly, need blind and need based financial aid is an awesome thing for any college to do and I’ve truly appreciated Vassar’s commitment to making the cost of an excellent education affordable. I applied to colleges through an amazing program called Questbridge, which aims to match high-achieving low-income students with top ranking colleges on a full four-year scholarship. Unfortunately, after making it to the final round, I was not matched with a school but Questbridge still forwards finalist’s applications to their selected schools. In contacting Vassar’s admissions office I found out about their need based financial aid, in which Vassar will meet 100% of your family’s demonstrated financial need. It was their need-based aid, which allowed me to receive an amazing education.
So, why did I choose Vassar?
I chose Vassar for the physical campus, the positive responses about professors, and Vassar’s amazing financial aid policy. It is crazy to think that these three components led me to make the biggest decision of my so far, but there are no complaints here and I’ve had an incredible four years here.
Doing my part for Vassar
I never visited Vassar before applying. Initially, I was attracted by the cosmetic factors. College rankings, a gorgeous campus, large first-year dorms—you name it.
When I finally visited campus, I noticed something different. The people I met were passionate about what they were doing. Vassar promised a college experience with purpose.
Four years later, I can say that Vassar fulfilled that promise. It also taught me an important lesson: purpose is contagious and cyclical.
My first semester at Vassar, I joined the college Democrats. Anywhere else, it may have been an unremarkable experience. But at Vassar, it introduced me to dozens of students with plans and aspirations that would inspire my own in turn.
One student in the Democrats, Meghan, had grown up in Poughkeepsie and participated in its local politics. We didn’t know each other well, but when she heard I was looking for an internship, she got me a job on Dutchess County’s biggest campaign that year. I asked her why she’d do that for a mere acquaintance.
“I’m just doing my part for Vassar.”
From there—long story short—I was running for office in Poughkeepsie two years later.
As I reconnect with old friends before graduation, I realize that my experience wasn’t entirely unique. It was part of a Vassar experience.
My first-year roommate just wrote and produced his own show—he’ll be on Broadway soon. A classmate on our hall got her Psychology research published in a professional journal. My best friend got addicted to stand-up comedy, and is heading to Chicago to start his career. Our student fellow (the equivalent of an RA), who graduated last year, won the Fulbright and is teaching in Taiwan.
For all of us, the Vassar experience meant learning to live with purpose.
I didn’t win my run for office, but I did get people involved. In fact, I recently had dinner with my campaign friend Conor, a first-year, and asked if he’d like to join the Poughkeepsie Democratic committee. He agreed, and went to his first meeting last week.
Who knows where it will lead him? But hopefully, I’m doing my part for Vassar too.
Winter Break on campus!
A Cappella!
My a cappella group just had a gig last weekend, which was our first big concert of the semester. I’m in the Night Owls, which is one of the all-female a cappella groups here on campus. Our claim to fame is that we’re also the oldest continuous, all-female jazz a cappella group in the United States! Woo! Anyway, last Friday night we had a joint concert with the Axies (Accidentals), Vassar’s all-male group. It was in a lecture hall on campus, and it was probably the most packed I’d ever seen that room… people were absolutely crammed in there—we could barely even walk in to start singing, which was really amazing to perform in front of! Even though I’ve been in the group for three years at this point, I definitely still get nervous before performances, but the audience was awesome. We had practiced with the Axies a few times that week, and they learned one of our songs (White Winter Hymnal by the Fleet Foxes) and we learned one of theirs (Drift Away by Dobie Gray). They’re all great performers… they had a new arrangement of Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne, which was hilarious. We have a bunch more gigs coming up, so if you’re interested, check out our website!
http://vsa.vassar.edu/orgs/nightowls/
Kia Ora to Aotearoa: JYA in New Zealand
It all started with a monster in my corridor.
It was a little after 11:00 pm, and I had just arrived for the very first time at my flat on Leith Street in Dunedin, New Zealand. My JYA program – Butler’s Institute For Study Abroad – had spent the last few hours wrapping up their orientation and stuffing us all full of pizza. And just like that, we were sent off into the city on our own, to become students of New Zealand.
The flat was pitch black and freezing. I would come to find that students of the University of Otago in Dunedin are nicknamed ‘scarfies’ for a reason: Kiwis don’t necessarily share America’s passion for centralized heating. In a matter of days I had transitioned from a blazing, humid Kentucky summer to a southern hemisphere winter, and I was realizing that I would certainly need some time (and multiple sleeping bags) to adjust. I fumbled for a light switch in my room and looked excitedly around at the bare, white walls (silently thanking myself for packing some pictures to tape up). A surge of excitement pulsed through me: this would be my home for the next five months! The possibilities seemed endless.
Just as I was laboriously shoving my two large suitcases under my bed, I heard a creak from the dark and narrow hallway. I froze. I became that dreaded girl in the horror movies who should run away but in stead stands perfectly, agonizingly still as the deranged ax-murderer creeps around the house. A rectangle of light appeared on the corridor wall as the door adjacent to my room opened. A huge shadow obscured the light. I couldn’t even scream as a gigantic pond monster seemingly made his way towards me. Was this to be my fate? Without even so much as a chance to look around my new home in the daylight? Then, suddenly, it spoke…
“Hey, I didn’t know anyone else had gotten here! I’m Ally!” I sighed with relief and rushed forward to hug my brand new flat mate. The bubbly Australian before me, mercifully, held little resemblance to anything dangerous or demonic. I didn’t know it yet, but over the next five months, Ally and my two other flat mates (Joe from England and Robbie from America), along with countless other international and Kiwi students, would become my fellow travelers and newfound family (us below).
As Ally helped me make my bed, we giddily discussed our likes, dislikes, and hometowns. We found we had a mutual respect for writing and a not-so-mutual respect for Vegemite (ew). I felt the butterflies of freshman year all over again. But this time, instead of being twelve hours away from Kentucky at Vassar, I was on a tiny peninsula of a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, soon to attend the most geographically southern university in the world. And I knew I was right where I wanted to be.
Congrats Fall Athletic Teams
With the fall athletic season coming to a close, it’s about time to recognize some of the outstanding achievements our teams have accomplished! All of our fall sports had incredible seasons. Every team that competes in the Liberty League was able to make it to the playoffs. Huge success for Vassar Athletics! Men’s soccer made it to the playoffs as the #4 seed and endured a heartbreaking loss to the #1 seeded St. Lawrence. Seeded fourth as well, women’s soccer battled until the end in a 3-0 loss to William Smith (ranked #3 nationally). Women’s volleyball fell 3-0 to top seed Clarkson University, who ended up advancing to the Elite 8 in NCAAs. Field hockey made it to the Liberty League tournament for the first time in school history, but fell in the semifinals to #1 seeded Skidmore. Men’s and women’s cross country finished off a successful season, placing 4th and 3rd at the Liberty League Championships. . Men’s rugby had a terrific fall season, going 8-3-1, while the women’s team recently punched its ticket to the final four with a 41-10 dismantling of SUNY Geneseo. The women’s rugby team faces off against Notre Dame College this Saturday, December 7th. LETS GO BREWERS!!
Clambake!!! & Sculpture Class
This weekend was a wonderful one, indeed! I went, with 39 other members of the ultimate frisbee team, to Portland Maine for a weekend long tournament involving a lot of frisbee, lobster, bonfires, dancing, and camping under the star-filled Maine sky. Needless to say, I had an incredible time and it was well-worth the five-hour drive.
I also just had a critique for my sculpture class in which I built a t-rex out of sheet metal and metal rods. I got to learn how to weld and how to use a plasma cutter in the process, two skills that I’m really happy to add to my repertoire! The sculpture stands about 6 feet tall and is installed in a large rock near the Doubleday art studios.
Art, art, art!
Happy Tuesday!
This week was an incredibly busy one, what with the culmination of two huge art projects in my sculpture and printmaking classes. The printmaking project involved a series of 5 prints in which one element had to be changed in each print, so I ended up doing a self-portrait print where I carved out different shadows in each one. (Below is the third print in the series). Then for sculpture class we were learning how to make plaster molds, which is a really complicated process! First you build an object out of clay, and then you cover it in a layer of blue plaster and then several layers of regular, white plaster. Once those have hardened, you remove the clay from the inside the mold, which can be a very tedious process… Once that’s been done, you coat the inside of your plaster with a special resistive substance and then pour in a harder type of plaster to create a mold of your original clay object. Once THAT has hardened, you chip away the outer layer of plaster until you reach that original blue layer, which lets you know you’re close! Once that blue layer is chipped away, tah-dah! You have your plaster object. I’ve attached pictures of mine… I did an ear and a hand. It took forever, and one of the fingers had to be glued on after a slight chisel/hammer accident, but all is well!
Tuesday is also soup day in my house, because we get our weekly farm share and we make a soup from all the fresh veggies. Since I’m the only housemate home on Tuesday during the late afternoon, I pick up the veggies from the college center and usually have a friend over to join in the cooking festivities. I wonder what veggies we’ll have this week… last week we enjoyed a soup of squash, carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, purple potato, leek, onion, chard, and celery. Quite delicious, if I do say so myself!
