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THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM Tuesday, September 15, 2015 1C
2C Tuesday, September 15, 2015 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Smack dab in the middle of Chicago’s signature Wacker Drive.
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Illinois Law offers third-year students a semester of Chicago-based courses and events, connecting them to the 3rd largest legal market in the nation.
law.illinois.edu@uillinoislaw
BY SENAIT GEBREGIORGISSTAFF WRITER
In today’s society, studying abroad is becoming more than just an option for college students — it’s turning more into a necessity.
The experience can make a dif-ference in the job search and hir-ing process.
Say an employer is deciding between hiring one of two recent college graduates for a top com-pany. Both applicants have very strong academic records, similar technical skills and their alma mater is the University of Illinois.
However, there’s an experience that only one of the applicants has: studying abroad.
So now, how does the employer narrow down their decision?
College students who study abroad more than likely have the advantage of picking up person-al skills — some of which include communication skills, learning a second language and being able to adapt to different cultural norms and environments.
International careers expert and author Stacie Berdan called these type of abilities “soft skills.” Berdan has written several books covering trav-eling abroad, including “Get Ahead by Going Abroad” and “A Student Guide to Study Abroad.”
She discussed some of the soft skills
e m p l o y e r s
are looking for nowadays.“We live in a global world —
communication, the rise of tech-nology has created a much inter-connected world,” Berdan said. “Employers are looking for things like adaptability and fl exibility because today’s workplace is at a very fast pace.”
Berdan said some of the skills that can be adopted from challeng-ing experiences abroad can really benefi t a student in the long run.
“Nothing beats spending time outside your own country, outside your own borders and having it really open up your mind to the way the rest of the world works, so that you can actively learn those soft skills because you are forced to,” Berdan said. “You are to deal with a different culture, you’re forced to be outside your comfort zone.”
Dyuthi Khanna, junior in Busi-ness, studied abroad in Singapore last semester. She had the opportu-nity to earn class credit from the business school of Nanyang Tech-nological University. She said Sin-gapore had offi ces for every big company she’s heard of.
“I was being exposed to one of the biggest markets — which is Asia — and a lot of people don’t have that experience,” she said. “I feel so much more culturally lit-erate now.”
Khanna, who is in a business fra-ternity, said the communication skills she picked up from studying
abroad have been useful when networking with different
recruiters.“Since I’ve been back
from Singapore, that’s what the conversation is always about, because people are interested in international experience,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing that makes them remember you.
“I’ve defi nitely found since I’ve been back, talking to recruiters and just networking with people has become so much easier for me because there’s just a lot more for me to talk about.”
Berdan said she has conducted a qualitative survey with inter-national business people every 18 months or so for the last seven or eight years.
“I always ask them, ‘If there are two resumes exactly alike, but one that studied abroad and one that didn’t, which would you choose?’ They almost always say the one that has studied abroad because it shows previous disposition to mobility, it shows risk-taking, it shows those soft skills and those cross-cultural skills,” Berdan said.
Abby Radasevich, senior in LAS, studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador, last semester. She not only had the chance to take classes while abroad, but she also interned and worked with the food and agricul-ture department in Ecuador.
“I got to meet people from the UN, and see ... how they view food sov-ereignty and food security in Ecuador. On my other days I went to a local farm and just saw how they
were implementing the practices,” Radasevich said. “I got to see the conceptual side of food security and then actually how it was being implemented.”
When she was a sophomore, Radasevich applied to the Chica-go Council and Global Affairs. She had good grades as well as some volunteer experience. However, she never received a call back from the internship.
As a junior, while Radasevich was abroad in Ecuador, she decided to give the application another try. That time, she not only received a call back, but was eventually offered the internship position.
“My supervisor and I discussed it during my interview a lot,” Radas-evich said. “She had visited Central America and it was just a bond. It shows that you’re comfortable to get out of your bubble.”
Bo White, director of the Study Abroad Offi ce, emphasized some of the advantages of having inter-national experience in a global economy.
“What happens is that the mar-kets in Asia impact what happens in our markets here, so you’re going to be prepared more effectively,” White said. “The best way to grow is to put yourself in situations that stretch you and that put you in cir-cumstances that will require you to be challenged.
And sometimes, there’s no more challenging thing than to be in another culture ... you get to actu-ally understand yourself and your own culture better.”
Worldly students bring desirable skills to work
BY AMINAH KOSHULSTAFF WRITER
The proliferation of new technologies has created ample opportunities for recruitment for both stu-dents and employers. A prime example of this is I-Link, the Career Manage-ment System used at the University.
I-Link is a service pro-vided by 10 different career service offi ces across cam-pus. It is an interactive web-
site in the sense that it dis-plays tens of thousands of job postings from various employers and gives stu-dents the opportunity to make their resumes avail-able by uploading them online.
During the 2013-2014 school year, 17,902 Univer-sity students used I-Link, according to the Career Center’s recruitment benchmarks.
“Any employer that wants
to recruit Illinois students can post jobs or internships online,” said Jennifer Neef, associate director at the Career Center. “Employers can schedule on-campus interviews while students can fi nd out about career fairs, career development workshops and information sessions.”
With such a wide array of opportunities available to both students and recruit-ers, it is important to note
that I-Link is a two-sided interactive platform that serves as a great network-ing tool.
“It is a software that has been in use for over a decade and is subscribed to annually by the University,” Neef said.
Essentially, it is a means of facilitating the connec-tion between students and employers, while establish-ing relationships that coor-dinate job prospects.
I-Link tends to attract larger fi rms in the Midwest that are likely to hire fresh graduates; their decision to use I-Link is based on return on investment.
“Within their own orga-nization, they have a talent acquisition group and on-campus recruiting team,” Neef said.
The Career Center also plays an integral role in job searches.
“Depending on the stu-
dent’s professional aspira-tions, we help them identify which strategies are the best for sourcing jobs and intern-ships that are aligned with their goals,” Neef said.
Neef mentioned that I-Link is one of many tools which when used in conjunc-tion with other resources, can help students engage in a thorough on-campus recruiting process.
I-Link provides opportunities for students, employers to interact
Students use international travel to highlight unique skills
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM Tuesday, September 15, 2015 3C
BY AMINAH KOSHUL STAFF WRITER
A resume is arguably one of the most impor-tant documents to a stu-dent in the job market. In essence, it must adeptly summarize one’s skills and education to date, while making a favorable impression upon potential employers.
Jana Lithgow, associ-ate director of Business Career Services, said the main components of a resume include contact information, education-al history, employment history, extracurricular involvement, skills and leadership roles.
Numerous col leg-es across campus offer resources such as resume reviews that allow stu-dents to get a professional opinion on how to improve their resumes.
To take full advantage of these resources, how-ever, it is important to draw up an early draft at the beginning of one’s freshman year, accord-ing to Brian Neighbors, senior assistant director at the Career Center.
“Even if students don’t have all of the experienc-es employers are seek-ing at the college level, your resume will indicate which sections you are lacking in,” Neighbors said. “And over the next four years, ask yourself what you will do to fill in those gaps.”
The Career Center advises stu-dents to remove all high school experiences from their resumes by the second semester of their sopho-more year. This helps make room for more recent and r e l e v a n t experienc-es that take place at the college level.
Tia Kosaka, senior in Business, suggested stu-dents start by model-ing their resumes after online templates. Kosa-ka has gone through the review process at least once per semester since her freshman year and stressed the importance of getting a second opin-ion before submitting a resume.
“Have someone else look over it for you because they’ll have a much more objective approach to how you por-tray your experiences,” she said.
Joining RSOs provides students with the oppor-tunity to network and find new opportunities. Neigh-bors recommends that students who are unsure of a major join organiza-tions that interest them, which might help them discover career paths that line up with what they enjoy doing.
At the same time, how-ever, both Neighbors and Lithgow warn students about joining RSOs with the sole purpose of being able to add it to their resumes.
“Employers can see through that,” Lithgow said. “You won’t be able to share any meaningful learning experiences if you’ve only been to one
meeting.”They emphasized qual-
ity over quantity, suggest-ing that contributing to a few groups by tak-ing on leadership roles could speak volumes about being involved on campus.
Lithgow also suggest-ed that students update their resumes at least once a semester because it helps them stay current with their experiences — and relevant experiences can go a long way when it comes to applying for jobs.
Neighbors contended that applicants stand out best when their resumes are tailored to a position.
“Highlight the things employers are looking for and cover them in your resume,” he said. “All of a sudden you’re a candi-date that’s listing all the things they want to find.”
Lithgow gave similar advice.
“Be authentic, be your-self and do your best to show them why you’re a good fit for the job. They hear the same clichés all the time,” she said.
Resumes must mas-terfully balance educa-tion and job experience. The significance of both varies from industry to industry.
The underlying theme to bear in mind is that gaining experience by building a skill set is an integral part of the job search.
Consistent formatting is also a major asset.
B u l l e t points must be long enough so that the reader under-stands what a candidate has accomplished. When writing a resume, can-didates must pay attention to detail and ensure there
are no typos or weird spacing.
“Formatting is easily overlooked,” said Kosaka. “Take into account how the resume looks in aes-thetic terms.”
The last component related to resumes involves social media.
“The largest social media platform employ-ers are looking at is LinkedIn, but we still see that employers will search for students on Facebook or Twitter,” Neighbors said. “It defi-nitely happens more and more every year.”
This leads to the point that students should be mindful of what they post online because it could be potentially damaging to their professional lives.
There are plenty of resources, both online and offline, that students can take advantage of during the resume-writ-ing process.
Among these is the Career Center, locat-ed at 715 S. Wright St., Champaign.
Additionally, LinkedIn is a resource to find cor-porate job searches, and Glassdoor can help with preparing for interview questions and conducting salary research.
akoshu2@ dailyillini.com
Writing to stand out to your ideal employer
Working outside the curriculum
Students share awkward work experiences
Resources help students to craft unique resumes
UI students open up about disastrous, embarrassing moments
Following interests may lead to ful!lling jobs
“Be authentic, be yourself and do your best to show
them why you’re a good fit for the job.”
JANA LITHGOW ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS CAREER
Two years of college and six majors later, I am finally on a path to ... somewhere. Decid-
ing your major is not an easy task, and, at least for me, deciding what I want to do with my life at the ripe age of 20 is an even harder task.
But what college has taught me is that your major doesn’t decide your career.
I think something people forget to emphasize about college is that you can get a job outside of your major.
Part of the benefit of getting a college degree is to show employ-ers that you have the work ethic, determination and intelligence to not only get through college, but get through it with a topic of study you are passionate about.
But you can branch out beyond your chosen major and gain even more knowledge in other areas and topics. Your degree does not set limits on what you can do; rather, it is a starting point and can lead to opportunities to delve into other areas.
I began college in an architecture
program not at this University – I’m a transfer student. I soon switched to a sort of business double major. Then, when I transferred, I entered the University as an engineering major, thinking only of the success-ful career I would one day have as a female engineer.
That plan quickly vanished.When I realized that engineer-
ing wasn’t for me, and I hadn’t liked business, I moved into general stud-ies for the time being. I took an interest in global studies and soon declared it as my major.
Then, I wanted more – to study, to learn, to discover more of what this University has to offer. I added on a communication degree, which brings me to where I am now: the design editor at The Daily Illini.
Yes, I know it makes no sense, but it was something I was interest-ed in.
I never considered graphic design as a degree, but I’m now consider-ing it as a career.
I definitely don’t feel like I need a graphic design degree to do what I want because I am developing that skill set on my own. I have taken the time and dedicated myself to becoming a designer, and I think that will stand strong by itself in the eyes of a potential employer.
I spent my first two years of col-
lege worrying about what I wanted to do with my life instead of worry-ing about what I wanted to partici-pate in and what I wanted to study at the time. One day, after hearing the advice countless times from my parents, I realized that my career would find me. And in some ways, it already has.
I do work that I love every day, and that’s all I really ask for in a career. Yes, money is nice, but that comes to anyone who works hard and is passionate about their work. I would never be where I am today without accepting the unknown of my future.
By doing things you are inter-ested in, no matter how different they may be from your major, it will lead you to a career you are pas-sionate about and make you a more well-rounded person. You will gain unique skill sets you wouldn’t have acquired otherwise. Those factors will set you up to be an even better candidate for that unknown future career.
Explore your options. Try new things. And most importantly, work hard and expand your knowledge. These combined practices will undoubtedly lead you to a career that you will love.
STUDENT VOICES
“I recently had an internship with SIMULIA where I almost crashed into a person’s car — only to find out that he held a senior position! I avoided the crash by stopping my car just in time, but I still ended up putting the nails of my license plate into his car.”
“I had an internship with the Adler Planetarium, and this one time I was trying to make glue with another intern, but it turned out to be really funny and dangerous at the same time. We had a gallon of hot water on a hotplate and it suddenly exploded and water just spilled everywhere. I was running around the museum without any shoes, trying to get help.”
COMPILED BY RABIA ILYASSTAFF WRITER
“Over the summer, I worked for a small company and I was taught how to input information into a computer. It seemed like it was super easy to put data into a system, but I had to keep asking the other workers how to do it. And this one time, I almost ended up deleting all the information in the entire database, but luckily did not.”
KELSIE TRAVERS
Design editor
4C Tuesday, September 15, 2015 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
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Discover how an LLM can help launch a global law career in business, IP, trade, international law, finance, and compliance:
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Mock interviews offer opportunities to practice professionalism, etiquette
Safe to wear:- Always try to dress business professional if your interviewee
does not specify otherwise- Business professional for men includes pantsuit, tie and jacket- Business professional for women includes blouse and jacket- Ladies: Always go easy on jewelry and makeup- Hair should be pinned up for both men and women if you do
have long hair- Guys: Always wear dark-colored suits
For business casual:
- Men can ditch the ties and even wear a short-sleeved shirt with dress slacks
- Khaki pants are an acceptable choice for bottoms- Women: top and skirt is common; ditch the suit jacket
DRESS TO IMPRESS
BY RABIA ILYASSTAFF WRITER
While landing an interview is quite an accomplishment, it is only the fi rst step in securing a position for a job or an internship. Success-fully navigating such interviews is achievable if proper resources are utilized.
The University’s Career Center is a helpful resource available to all students. It offers a range of services, from mock interviews to 30-minute counseling sessions.
The mock interviews are often conducted by trained graduate coordinators and require a 48-hour notice before they can be conduct-ed. To cater to a specifi c inter-view, students can upload their resumes and/or cover letters onto the Career Center website to facili-tate more detailed questions.
These mock interviews serve as a supplement for students to learn from their mistakes and improve upon their interview skills.
Chaz Sullivan, a mock interview program coordinator, notes that there are common mistakes that many students make coming into these mock interviews.
“Eye contact is something that a lot of students usually need to work on, and also responding with con-cise statements,” she said.
Sullivan added that confi dence is key in any interview, and many students have trouble showing this.
“It is very critical, as it can dis-tinguish your answers from anoth-er applicant,” she said. “Lack-ing this feature even when you have the world’s great-est response can really hin-der your chances.”
Sullivan explained that being true to oneself and sharing honest experi-ences and goals is critical. Having a weaker response to a question is better than lying and exaggerat-ing an experience you never had, as there is always t h e possi-bi l i t y of fol-low-up ques-tions.
“Instead, you should highlight the experiences you do have, and you always want to sound positive and grateful for any past opportu-nities,” she said.
While the interview setting and nerve-
wracking atmo-sphere of a mock interview is an ideal preparation for the real thing, students can also schedule shorter sessions with advis-
ers at the Career Center. These 30-min-ute sessions allow stu-
dents to ask any q ue s t io n s
a b o u t
improvement. Jennifer Neef, associate direc-
tor of the Career Center, said one of the best tips she can give to stu-dents is to be as prepared as pos-sible for the interview and to really self-refl ect on goals and aspirations beforehand.
She also urged students to nev-er be late to an interview, and to map out the exact location, date and time of the interview to pre-vent tardiness.
Neef noted that as many as 600 mock interviews are scheduled in an academic year.
Iqra Dhorajiwala, senior in Busi-ness, has utilized the mock inter-view service.
“The feedback from the Career Center was very helpful,” she said. “The interviewer took notes on everything: my responses, my posture and even my body lan-guage. Many of the questions asked in the mock were very similar to the ones I was asked in my actual interview.”
Dhorajiwala recommended the resource to all students, and said
it can build their confi dence as they become more familiar
with the interview process.
Avoid these things (If you think twice about wearing something, do not wear it):
- Sandals and open-toed shoes are unacceptable- Short skirts for women- Shorts- Strong perfume- Clothes that are not comfortable, too loose, or too tight- Ladies: Do not overly accessorize
Casual:
- Men can consider dark-colored jeans- Tucking in shirts is not necessary—can even wear collared
shirt
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM Tuesday, September 15, 2015 5C
careercentercenterthe
AT ILLINOIS
Looking for a job or internship?I-LINK to opportunities!
Use I-Link, the Illinois career platform, for:
- job and internship postings- on-campus recruiting- list of companies at career fairs- career events calendar
careercenter.illinois.edu/ilink
217.333.0203 | [email protected] | [email protected]
Apply by Oct. 1Choose your country and assignment
Make an appointment with your campus Peace Corps recruiter today!217.333.0203 | [email protected]
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Full- and part-time enrollment • Scholarships available • No admissions exam required
Soyou got the interview — that’s half the battle. Your resume reso-
nated with your employer and they want to learn more. Now is the time to shine, and get your-self a job.Prepare for questions that scare you
Like, “What is your big-gest weakness?” Or, “What is your strength?” One time I got asked, “What is a problem you faced and how did you resolve it?”
It’s cheesy for interviewers to ask us what our weaknesses are, but for some reason, they think it’s a good question. The only thing to do is to answer
the question in an intelligent manner so you stand out.Practice answering questions before you go
It isn’t good to sound too scripted, but it’s good to have an idea of what you are going to say before you show up for the interview. If you prepare before, then you can come up with answers that make you seem different from other candidates.Research the company and hiring managers, and whoever else you can
It’s good to have an idea of who you are talking to. That way, you can hopefully make a connection with them so they’ll remember you.
Try Google Alerts. That way, you can be up to date on what’s currently going on in the com-pany. It will show potential employers that you are con-scious and aware of what is happening in their world.
Be early to the interviewIt seems like common sense,
but it’s important. That way, you can show you care and you can be ready for whatever happens. If the interviewers are ahead of schedule, they can get you in sooner, which they’ll appreciate. If they are running late, you can wait for them and show that you are accommodating.
Either way, you are showing that you are available for what-ever needs to happen, which is a very good quality to portray.Make a connection and be confi dent
The easiest way for an inter-viewer to remember you is to give them something good to remember.
You need to get out of the cookie-cutter mold of an inter-viewee and show them some-thing special about you that they will respect and want for their company. Show them why you are worth hiring and they’ll remember you.
Avoid mediocre answersThere isn’t much time during
an interview, so every word in every answer counts, and should be used to make yourself seem excellent.
You need to choose your words carefully. Don’t waste time with words that don’t help your case. Ask questions about the position you are interviewing for
This is an absolute must. It shows the interviewers that you care about the job and you want to get it.
You need to show them that you are excited and curious about the position.
That way, they’ll know that if they hire you, you’ll do the best job possible because you are interested and actually want to be there.Ask if there is anything they’d like you to clarify
This is a brave question, but sometimes bravery pays off in an interview. This way, if there are
any misunderstandings or mis-communications, you can clear them up instead of potentially losing the position. Or they might ask about another part of your resume that interests them.Be yourself
Interviewers will connect with you if you show them who you are. You want to get the job, but you don’t want to be stuck in a position that doesn’t fi t with your goals or personality.Send a thank you note
This is a great way to show that you are a nice person, you care about the job, are still think-ing about it and are still inter-ested in proving you’ll be a good employee.
It won’t be annoying. It will remind the interviewers of who you are, and keep you fresh in their minds. This is a good chance to bring up the connec-tion if you made one earlier.
Interview tips to help land the job
University offers career fairs, assistance to help students hunt down their perfect job
73 percent of UI seniors use Career Services to help find a job or internship
13 CAREER FAIRS WITH OVER1,460 EMPLOYERS EACH YEAR
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
12,430
17,90216,14416,409
11,738
STUDENTS USING I-LINK
STU
DE
NTS
2013
-14
2012
-13
2009
-10
2010
-11
2011
-120
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
17,02118,731 19,106 19,522
29,657
STUDENTS PARTICPATING IN CAREER FAIRS
STU
DE
NTS
2013
-14
2012
-13
2009
-10
2010
-11
2011
-12
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CAREER CENTER RECRUITMENT BENCHMARKS, HIRE ILLINI
UPCOMING EVENTS
72 of the Fortune 100 companies recruit at Illinois8 of them are in the top ten companies(rank as listed)1. WAL-MART STORES2. EXXONMOBIL 3. CHEVRON 5. APPLE 6. PHILLIPS 667. GENERAL MOTORS8. FORD MOTOR9. GENERAL ELECTRIC
GENERAL CAREER DROP-IN ADVISING (15 MIN EACH, NO APPOINTMENT REQUIRED)When: Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Career Center
RESUME/COVER LETTER REVIEWSWhen: Monday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Career CenterMonday from 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. at the UGLTuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Ikenberry Commons Room
MOCK INTERVIEW SERVICEMonday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Schedule 48 hours in advance) at the Career Center
WEEKLY EVENTS
BUSINESS CAREER FAIRWhen: Sept. 16 to 17 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the ARC
ENGINEERING EXPOWhen: Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the ARC
CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CAREER FAIRWhen: Sept. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Newman Crane Bay
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL FAIRWhen: Sept. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at the ARC
ACES AND SCIENCES CAREER FAIRWhen: Oct. 8 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the ARC
CLAIRE HETTINGER
Staff writer
COMPILED BY ISABELLA JACKSON AND KELSIE TRAVERS
6C Tuesday, September 15, 2015 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
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2016 YEARBOOK
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Schedule your
SENIORPORTRAIT
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Make your appointment atillioyearbook.com/senior-pictures
BY ISABELLA JACKSONSTAFF WRITER
College graduates want to be the most competitive applicants to a position in order
to get the job of their dreams. Members of pre-professional organizations on campus are actively working to achieve this through involvement specifi c to their majors or future plans.
When students start to navigate the professional world, there are many skills that are needed in order to secure a job, and campus organizations can teach these skills.
Joel Hood, senior in Business, is the president of Business Council, a pre-professional organization that hosts close to 120 events each semester.
“Part of our mission as an organization is to help develop our members. We have resume critiques, mock interviews as well as a ‘Professional Development Boot Camp’ hosted each semester to prepare our members for the intimidating career fairs and recruitment season,” Hood wrote in an email.
Michelle Lass, senior in Engineering, was last year’s president of the engineering fraternity Theta Tau.
Lass said when a new member joins Theta Tau, they learn how to set up a LinkedIn
account and write a strong resume.
“A large number of our meetings will have little presentations about a professional skill; this week we had a workshop on how to perfect your elevator pitch put on by one of our brothers,” Lass
wrote in an email. “Theta Tau also holds information sessions and networking nights with a
wide variety of companies.”Those who want a future
career in medicine know that it has become increasingly more competitive to secure a spot in a medical school.
Michael White, senior in LAS, is the president of Phi Delta Epsilon , the only pre-medical fraternity on campus.
He said Phi Delta Epsilon works to help its members stand out from other applicants by choosing passionate and capable people who have experiences that make them multi-dimensional and able to solve problems in many ways.
“We have speakers every semester talking about medical professions besides just being a physician,” White said, “We try to provide a comprehen-sive and holistic view of what’s ahead for pre-med students.”
For example, Phi Delta Epsilon recently hosted an epidemiologist from Champaign County who talked about potential research opportunities and career paths dealing with the spread of diseases, including the mumps outbreak that has recently impacted the campus.
Cara Warning, junior in AHS, joined the Pre-Physical Therapy Club after she changed her major to kinesiology following her freshman year. She said joining the club has helped her make a smooth transition.
“As a pre-professional orga-nization, we are mainly look-ing to prepare for continued schooling as well as get a better grasp of what our future career entails,” she wrote in an email.
Like Phi Delta Epsilon, Warn-ing says that the Pre-Physical Therapy Club gathers once or twice a month to meet with graduate school representa-tives and physical therapist panels in order to give its mem-bers information about future careers.
“Through these events, our members are able to prepare as necessary to meet requirements for PT-school and beyond,” Warning said. “We can hear fi rsthand what different schools are looking for in applicants, and then can hear
from physical therapists how these skills are actually used and needed in the workplace.”
Pre-professional organiza-tions are also a great way for students to connect with oth-ers who have similar interests and goals.
“I chose Theta Tau because I was looking for more friends on campus, especially in engineering,” Lass said. “(Theta Tau) has all the benefi ts of an honor society as well as the social and philanthropic aspects that make being a brother a lot of fun.”
White said that in Phi Delta Epsilon, members of the fraternity look out for each other on campus and provide helpful information for others about research positions and other opportunities that would benefi t a member’s medical school application.
When the work is done, Hood said Business Council members
form close friendships by attending barn dances, hosting water balloon fi ghts and trips to the drive-in movie theater.
Many of the organizations also devote considerable amounts of time to community service.
White said Phi Delta Epsilon prides itself in being both service and philanthropy-oriented. Among its various service activities, the group raises money every year for the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals through fundraisers, volunteers at football games and with the Urbana Park District.
Hood said Business Council also commits time to volunteering at the soup kitchen, working with Habitat for Humanity and keeping the community clean through the Adopt-a-Highway program.
Pre-professional organizations advance student interests, goals
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHI DELTA EPSILONMembers of Phi Delta Epsilon, a pre-medical fraternity at the University, host a fundraising dinner last October at the ARC.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHI DELTA EPSILONMembers of Phi Delta Epsilon, a pre-medical fraternity at the University, volunteer abroad in Lima, Peru, last January.
“As a pre-professional organization, we are mainly looking to pre-pare for contin-ued schooling as well as get a better grasp of what our future career entails.”
CARA WARNINGJUNIOR IN AHS
Members network through volunteering, social events
Thursday, October 8, 2015, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PMActivities and Recreation Center (ARC)
Open to all majors from Bachelor level through Post Doc!
List ofparticipating
companies on I-Link
Professional attire is
expected
http://go.illinois.edu/ACES_SciencesCF
