Career preparation is a central goal of the majority of college students. Your campus can provide you with many opportunities to practice and refine professional behaviors and attitudes that will benefit you long after you've earned your degree.
- Remember that professors in your major have valuable experience and connections in your chosen career. Cultivate good relationships with them so if you need a graduate school or employment reference, they will have plenty of positive things to say about you. They may even give you leads on research opportunities, scholarships, and employment.
- Be mindful of the impact you have when interacting with everyone at your campus -- faculty, staff, administrators, and, yes, even other students. Appropriate and mature behavior can have a big impact on your reputation, and, even on large campuses, word gets around if an individual is seen as obnoxious or disruptive.
- Take advantage of as many conferences, clubs, and activities related to your major as you can. It's great experience and can add that special spark to your resume that makes you stand above the crowd in the eyes of a potential employer.
- This is not to say you can't have fun while you are in college, but you must consider that your education is serious business involving huge investments of your time, money, and energy. Your grades will have a major impact on you for the rest of your education, and after you graduate, the quality of your grades can either lead you to open doors or dead end you at closed ones. It's up to you.
