One of the greatest things about Oberlin is how all of the students are willing to help one another. Students don’t look at each other as competition, rather they look to lend a helping hand and hope to assist one another in reaching their goals.
From the very moment I stepped on campus as a freshman, older students were giving me advice and helping me adjust to college life. Over the past two years, multiple students that graduated this year have become some of my closest friends and also have given me great advice. Therefore, it is my job to pass on the things I learned to the next generation of Oberlin students so that they can also be set up for success.
The first thing I’m going to talk about is the importance of resume building. When I arrived at Oberlin College, I was not thinking about the steps I would need to take to get a job four years from now. My initial focus was on the classroom and sports. I honestly just assumed that a job would come upon graduation. If I had maintained this thought process for the remainder of my college years, that would have been a big problem.
What I learned, though, through the older students was the importance of resume building and how it can set you up for the future. During the summertime, Oberlin students consistently take part in highly competitive summer internships; oftentimes these internships lead to job offers. Therefore, along with doing well in the classroom, students must build their resume so that they can acquire an internship that could potentially lead to employment upon graduation.
Now after reading about the importance of acquiring a summer internship, you might say, well where do I find one of these positions? This is where utilizing your connections comes in to play. There are thousands of Oberlin alumni willing to either give you an internship or help put you in a position to land an internship.
Many of my close friends have landed finance positions thanks to connections from Oberlin alumni. Great networking opportunities exist through Oberlin’s Launch U program, as well as Ashby Business Scholars where you will have the opportunity to be mentored by Oberlin alumni. I myself took place in Oberlin’s Launch U program and was offered a summer internship from a mentor I met through Launch U!
Moving away from resume building there is obviously the importance of taking full advantage of the amazing education you will gain from attending Oberlin College. Oberlin has many programs that will help you reach your full potential.
Personally, one of my favorite programs is OWLS, which is a workshop learning session held once a week for various classes. The workshops are led by Oberlin students who previously achieved success in the course and are now passing their knowledge on to students currently taking it. I am a big fan of peer learning environments and Oberlin has made that a staple!
Outside of schoolwork and building career opportunities, one of the coolest things I learned from my upper-classmen friends is the Enterprise cars available on campus. If you ever need to leave campus and have a driver’s license, there are cars that can be rented by the hour for your personal use. If you are looking for a fun area to go to, Crocker Park is always an option, which is an outdoor shopping mall located a half-hour from campus.
One of my favorite memories is walking around Crocker Park with my friends from Oberlin while we looked through items and talked about our plans for the future. Looking back at that memory, some of the plans we discussed are already coming into fruition!
I hope this list was helpful to you. If you want any more information on resume building and summer internships, then you should drop in at the Career Development Center when you arrive on campus. If you want any more advice from me personally, comment below or just come and talk to me when you see me in the fall!
