Tag Archives: #survival

Establishing Your Resume

As the end of the semester is slowly approaching, establishing your resume is becoming more and more important, well, for me at least! Always editing and revising your resume is always a great way to keep up as you grow and build experience. Here are a few tips on having a strong, professional resume.

1. Keep it Simple

Like Coco Chanel has said “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Don’t get too crazy on your resume. If you want to display more of yourself, be sure to include a link to your online portfolio.

2. Be Creative

Employers are always going through countless numbers of resumes. Be sure to stand out, even the littlest ways count. Most importantly, be yourself on paper.

3. Keep it Relevant

If you’re applying for a position as a social media coordinator, they’re not going to want to hear about your 6 months working at Forever 21 at a mall in your hometown. Revise and edit to display your most relevant experiences to the positions you’re applying for.

 

xx

Mariano

Here’s to My Last Semester:

This is it— next semester is my final semester. My last hoorah. My last time to enjoy the city as a student. I can’t believe my time here is almost up. Your last semester of college is totally not the end, even though it may feel like it at times. Good news is there’s tons of ways to make your last semester memorable and productive, just like I’m going to make mine!

1. EMBRACE THE LAST MOMENTS

It’s crazy to think the “best four years of your life” (or three in my case, lol) are just about over. As scary as that may sound, there is so much to look forward to. The most interesting feeling as a senior is the nostalgia you feel about the past.

2. DO SOMETHING

It’s never too late to get involved. Join that organization you “never had time for” before. Plus, it makes for a great resume builder…or just take on an intensive internship!

3. POLISH YOUR RESUME AND PERFECT COVER LETTERS

Speaking of resumes, now is the time to perfect them. Make sure everything is up to date and practice writing cover letters.

4. SOAK UP WHAT FIT HAS TO OFFER

The real world will not be as forgiving as FIT…who am I kidding, we all know FIT is intense. If they haven’t already, mommy and daddy won’t be paying for things anymore. Appreciate the free food around campus, going to an organizational meeting and having financial aid.

5. STAY ORGANIZED

Chances are you’re going to be applying to at least 40+ jobs (unfortunately, finding jobs after graduation isn’t as easy as your humanities elective). Create a spreadsheet to organize where and when you applied, what position and the location of the job.

6. KEEP UP

Let’s be honest, you mentally checked out of college as soon as winter break started. But skipping class and missing homework assignments won’t help you graduate. Buy a planner and stay up to date with all your deadlines. Each assignment you turn in leaves you one step closer to graduation.

7. NETWORKING NEVER FELT SO GOOD

By this point you should know what exactly you want to get into, and the only way to get into it is by making those connections. Keep in touch with your old internship supervisor and network whenever you can—these are going to be useful relationships to have. Mingle like you’re desperate, but in this case, for a job, not for a relationship.

8. CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

You know that picture of you holding a red cup in your bathing suit during spring break? It’s got to go. Potential employers are going to be checking your Facebook and other social media sites during the hiring process. The last thing you want is to not get a job because you were photographed doing something inappropriate!

9. DO IT ALL

Now is not the time to be afraid of what you want. You’ve made it this far and the only thing stopping you from reaching your goals are your fears. You can do anything you set your mind too…times ticking!

10. ENJOY IT

After all is said and done, this is your last year of college. You’re not going to have the free time you have now once you sell your soul to the real world. Stay out ‘til 4 a.m., or go on a spontaneous adventure. These however many years won’t happen again!

xx

Mariano

How do I fit in and make as an International Student?!

Hello my fellow international students!

As an international students myself, I found it quite hard to make friends and feel integrated when I started studying at FIT. American students intimidated me, they spoke so fast and I was afraid that I wouldn’t understand them or they wouldn’t understand me. Every time I met a student from abroad or someone that spoke the same language, it felt like such a relief, like I wasn’t the only one facing these crazy fears. But as an introvert I found it quite hard to go up to people or force myself to start a conversation. Here are some tips that helped me throughout the semesters.

Interacting with students in your major. I know what most of you think… But don’t let it intimidate you, most students (even American) feel exactly the same way. Don’t be afraid to talk to them, at least you have something in common that you can talk about, which won’t make you feel going in completely blind. Group projects too are a great way to make friends and start becoming more social, I know they can be annoying, but they give you more time to talk with them. That’s how I met my best friend at FIT.

Become part a group. Clubs are a great way to make friends, feeling integrated and part of a team. You see the same people every week at the meetings, but also outside during events, fundraising etc. What’s great about clubs, is that you are with people who have the same interests you do, so it will make it so much easier to find similar interests and things to talk about.  What I found really helped me was being accepted in the presidential scholars program, it was a much smaller group of people, which made it less intimidating to go up to people. Also most of us were there for the same reasons. Something I really liked about the honors program was that I didn’t only have one class with them, but I would see them on a regular basis at the colloquiums and various event throughout the semesters, which made us get closer without even trying.

Attend events. FIT has so many social events throughout the semesters, just go to one and see how you feel. It won’t hurt trying. That’s how I met my two first American friends at FIT, was during one of the orientation parties.

Community Service. Sign up for community service. You won’t be around only FIT students, but other people from different schools etc. It’s a nice way to meet people, not just from FIT.

Internships. They not only look great on your resume, but they’re a great way to make friends. Most of the friends I made through my internships are older, but I in a way enjoy it much more, because we have more adult conversations and I feel challenged (in a good way).

Campus Jobs. It’s a cool way to make extra money, but also friends! I loved working as a tutor, because without knowing, there are a lot of international students that worked there, so it felt like a very mixed and diverse group of people, not making it so intimidating.

But remember to be yourself, don’t ever try to be someone you are not!

xoxo

-Z

Getting Back Into The Flow

Hello there!

I know for me it’s always the struggle after almost a month of break to get back into the flow of school life. Some of you are have been in the city for a few weeks already, but most of us have just gotten in and might be starting internships, or new jobs, and are nervous about getting back into the flow of things, after such a long break. Don’t worry I’m in the same boat, but to calm my nerves I try to plan ahead. I love writing down a checklist of different things I have to take care of before everything starts. It helps me get a clear head and makes me get into the flow of things slowly. Below are other things I like to do or check before the semester starts, which might help you too.

Change your FIT password If you haven’t already, you might want to change your password, because you want to be able to log in to your account, and the last thing you want to have to do is go to IT to get it fixed.

Check your FIT email Check your school email! You might have professors that emailed you for books, or updates. The school also sends out emails of what’s happening in the weeks to come, and there might be something you’ll want to go to or see. And sometimes there are last minute internship opportunities that are sent through your major, club, or honors program.

Go on Blackboard If you have online classes, I would highly suggest checking out your balckboard account, because professor tend to post on there directly and a lot of times your online courses have already started before the actual school start date, and you might have some deadline posted that you might want to write down and homework that is due.

 Buy a Planner and Notebooks This is really helpful to have before you start classes, because it’s something less to worry about and it’s great way to start taking notes already. Planners are my best friend, I know a lot of students use their phones, but I need a planner, I need to see what I’m doing, and having the satisfaction of checking off what I’ve done.

Login to ElucianGo App Great way to have a visual layout of how your weekly schedule looks like. Plus you have many other options, like for example looking up your professors info, campus map etc.

xoxo

Zorya

Best Apps to Have

Hello there! Just a quick post about some of the apps that have been super helpful for me and that are great if your a student or living in the city. As a student we juggle so many different things, so having an app that can save us a little time and money is always a plus. My favorite apps are:

EllucianGo (free) If your a student at FIT and struggle to remember which class room your in or at what time your class starts, this is the best app ever, it shows you your course schedule and you can click on the class and it gives you details about the teacher etc. I honestly couldn’t live without it. It also has other informations about the campus, grades, important number etc.

Mint (free) If you struggle to keep a budget. This app is great. It helps you keep a budget and shows you what you spend your money on. It helps you have a visual of where all your money is going…

Citymapper (free) Lifesaver if your like me and don’t understand the subway system. It has a full map of the subways and the different stops, and it gives you the times when it arrives at the station. It also shows you the map for busses.

Venmo (free) If you live with roommates or go out often with friends and always struggle with who has to pay you back or don’t have cash, this app connects to your bank account, and makes it really easy for your friends (and you) to pay people back, collect money, pay bills, and much more.

TED (free) If you don’t know what to write about or what topic to talk about in class, or just need some inspiration, this app is great. It shows you videos of some really interesting people giving conferences (all over the world) and it’s great to listen to in your free time, because you can learn a lot from them (I have).

NYTimes /  The Wall Street Journal (free) Keep up to date before class! These two apps are essential if you are in a business major at FIT. Just looking through the most recent and important news, will always come in hand for one of your classes (trust me).

Checkout51 (free) Buy groceries and get cash back. You also have coupons and many different things on this app that will help you save money. And the great thing is that you get new deals and offers every few days.

Hope this was helpful! What are your favorite apps to have?

xoxo

-Z