Hello all,
I just wanted to drop in and say best of luck for finals. The past week has been really hectic for me and for everyone else also I am sure. Every classroom I sit in, I notice atleast dozen people coughing and sniffling. This can only confirm that finals are here. We only have one more day to get through people, then we can rest peacefully for 10 days before we have to look at any books or assignments again!
I on the other hand will not be returning in 10 days. My time to go abroad for IQP has finally arrived :o):o):o) So I will be logging on again with a ton of information for you guys next year!
Hope you all enjoy your break and do well in the finals.
See ya!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
End of the term is approaching fast
Hey folks,
Sorry I have not updated in the longest time. I know you all have missed my blogs so muchhh. hehe. So lately I have been really caught up in all the end of the term stress that accumulates here at WPI. I'm sure you ALL are well aware of this. The papers, the tests, the all nighters and other stressful things have had a huge impact on my immune system. I am sick, hence the delay in blogging. Sorry guys.
Being sick really stinks =o(. You wanna know why? Well it's mainly because being sick is exhausting. Literally all I want to do is sleep all the time. Sleep and eat and sleep, but ofcourse there just is no room for THAT at this schoool. Nooo wayy. I hate having my life being in shambles. I hate falling behind and then playing the catch up game, which is neverending (wellll i guess it ends once the term ends).
So last week I was going to blog about going to the "How to write a cover letter" workshop. Let mee tell youu there is sooo much more to writing a cover letter than I had imagined. The workshop, run excellently by Maggie, was extremely informative. IF any of you missed the workshop, but wanted to learn how to write a GOOD cover letter, no worries there are a couple of options for you. These are:
1) You can come to the CDC to make an appointment and a counselor can help you out.
2) There are handouts with instructions and sample cover letters on them
I had to write a cover letter once last year for a Biotech company that I was applying to. If you are one of those people who have NEVER written a cover letter then let me tell you... it really is not that easy. It's something you, along with many others, will hate doing but unfortunately it has to be done. My problem was that I didn't even know how to begin. I mean I knew I should start it off by introducing myself but where do I go from there? The one HUGE mistake I made in that cover letter was that I summarized what was already in my resume. That's NOT what a cover letter should be. The employers can see what your resume consists of , and there is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED to sum it up in the cover letter. Instead, you write about things that aren't in your resume, but will help make you a stronger candidate. This can be achieved by doing research about the company you intend on applying to and proving to them how you meet the standards and qualities that company X is looking for in their intern. Anyways, dont worry there will be a whole blog on writing a cover letter later. So keep an eye out for that post, if you're interested.
I'm curious, did anyone go to the practice MCAT or GRE tests that were being held this weekend? I had signed up for the MCAT practice test, but ofcourse did not make it :0(. Oh well, good thing I have taken many of those already so I know what to expect. Those of you who are interested in going to Med school, please make sure you take one of those practice tests. Its a really good way of gauging what you need to not worry about, what area you need sever help in and how it feels to take a 5.5 hour test. If you can't tell... its EXHAUSTING. It's mentally draining if you're not prepared for it. My advice to the people planning on taking the MCAT test is to prepare well, know all the background material, and take as many practice tests as you can. Taking these practice tests will help you build your endurance for the 5.5 hour test day. If you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding this matter leave me a comment OR you can come to the CDC orr even better contact Jill Rulfs. She is the pre-health advisor.
Okay so this post is pretty long. I guess it makes up for all the days I didn't post up anything huh? Anyways, I hope you all are doing much better than me handling the stress and the change of weather. We only have about two more weeks to go so HANG ON!
Sorry I have not updated in the longest time. I know you all have missed my blogs so muchhh. hehe. So lately I have been really caught up in all the end of the term stress that accumulates here at WPI. I'm sure you ALL are well aware of this. The papers, the tests, the all nighters and other stressful things have had a huge impact on my immune system. I am sick, hence the delay in blogging. Sorry guys.
Being sick really stinks =o(. You wanna know why? Well it's mainly because being sick is exhausting. Literally all I want to do is sleep all the time. Sleep and eat and sleep, but ofcourse there just is no room for THAT at this schoool. Nooo wayy. I hate having my life being in shambles. I hate falling behind and then playing the catch up game, which is neverending (wellll i guess it ends once the term ends).
So last week I was going to blog about going to the "How to write a cover letter" workshop. Let mee tell youu there is sooo much more to writing a cover letter than I had imagined. The workshop, run excellently by Maggie, was extremely informative. IF any of you missed the workshop, but wanted to learn how to write a GOOD cover letter, no worries there are a couple of options for you. These are:
1) You can come to the CDC to make an appointment and a counselor can help you out.
2) There are handouts with instructions and sample cover letters on them
I had to write a cover letter once last year for a Biotech company that I was applying to. If you are one of those people who have NEVER written a cover letter then let me tell you... it really is not that easy. It's something you, along with many others, will hate doing but unfortunately it has to be done. My problem was that I didn't even know how to begin. I mean I knew I should start it off by introducing myself but where do I go from there? The one HUGE mistake I made in that cover letter was that I summarized what was already in my resume. That's NOT what a cover letter should be. The employers can see what your resume consists of , and there is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED to sum it up in the cover letter. Instead, you write about things that aren't in your resume, but will help make you a stronger candidate. This can be achieved by doing research about the company you intend on applying to and proving to them how you meet the standards and qualities that company X is looking for in their intern. Anyways, dont worry there will be a whole blog on writing a cover letter later. So keep an eye out for that post, if you're interested.
I'm curious, did anyone go to the practice MCAT or GRE tests that were being held this weekend? I had signed up for the MCAT practice test, but ofcourse did not make it :0(. Oh well, good thing I have taken many of those already so I know what to expect. Those of you who are interested in going to Med school, please make sure you take one of those practice tests. Its a really good way of gauging what you need to not worry about, what area you need sever help in and how it feels to take a 5.5 hour test. If you can't tell... its EXHAUSTING. It's mentally draining if you're not prepared for it. My advice to the people planning on taking the MCAT test is to prepare well, know all the background material, and take as many practice tests as you can. Taking these practice tests will help you build your endurance for the 5.5 hour test day. If you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding this matter leave me a comment OR you can come to the CDC orr even better contact Jill Rulfs. She is the pre-health advisor.
Okay so this post is pretty long. I guess it makes up for all the days I didn't post up anything huh? Anyways, I hope you all are doing much better than me handling the stress and the change of weather. We only have about two more weeks to go so HANG ON!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Career Fair is Tomorrowww
Promiseeee this won't be a long post. I just quickly want to brush up on some stuff for tomorrow. For those of you who don't know the Career Fair is in the Harrington Auditorium from 1pm - 5pm. Make sure to bring your ID's along with several copies of your most recently critiqued resume. Before you come to the fair log onto your JobFinder account and check out which companies are going to be coming. This way you'll be aware of which companies, out of the 107 that are going to be there, pertain to your interest. Lastly, make sure to dress nicely. First impressions always count !
Good luck tomorrow.
Good luck tomorrow.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shopping!!
So who doesn't like shopping for new clothes? Over the weekend I went on a huuugee shopping spree (just for the Career Fair ofcourse ;-P). On Saturday as I was looking over my resume one last time to see if there's any more polishing left to do it occurred to me that I don't have anything to wear for the Career Fair. I had two options: 1) I could borrow something from someone or (2) I could just go buy myself an outfit. I chose the latter and it was wonderful =D. Now don't get me wrong... not everyone has to go shopping just for the career fair, its completely okay to borrow something from a friend to save money. I just love shopping and any excuse I can get to shop... I do :).
The result of my shopping spree was that I purchased a nice skirt, a very cute sweater and a button up shirt to go under it. The weather these days is sort of unpredictable so if it's chilly outside I will definitely be wearing a sweater, if not then just the button up shirt and skirt. OH do not forget ladies wear some nylon tights/ pantyhose. It's not very professional to show bare skin. ALSOOO make sure whatever top you choose to wear.. it's appropriate. None of those low cut wacky shirts... uh uhh.. definitely NOT acceptable. Also refrain from too much make up, perfume or jewelry. You want to look sweet and simple as well as professional.
Guys, if you're confused on what to wear here are some tips for you as well. There's definitely no need to go over the top with a suit. A nice button up shirt with dress pants and polished shoes would do wonders. If its chilly, a nice sweater vest over the shirt or a blazer would do the trick as well. Luckily... you guys don't have to worry too much about showing skin, or wearing too much perfume, but those of you who do wear jewelry make sure you keep it to a minimum. After all, you have to admit... can't really look too professional with chains and all.
Since the Career Fair is only 2 days away and if you do not have any clothes for this event I suggest you either go shopping todayy or borrow something from someone. Even if you do go shopping for clothes it doesn't necessarily have to be from some expensive place. TJ Max or any other stores with good bargain would do. Let's face it... at this point in our lives we don't really have to wear these clothes daily sooo might as well not spend too much for just a few occasions right?
Oh.. one last thing before I leave, make sure you go on your JobFinder Account and check out which companies are coming to the Career Fair. There are 107 companies that are going to be there so my advice to you would be to see which ones relate to your major, or the career that you want to try out. This way you can be efficient by weeding out the companies that you are not interested in and going straight to the ones that you are :) Having an account on JobFinder is EXTREMELY helpful. THose of you have it.. props to youu, and those of you who don't... wellll you're definitely missing out and you should get one ASAP! It's really easy to set up an account. All you have to know is your id number and your birthday. You will need your id number for the Username. For the password, you type in the last four digits of your id number and then the month and the date of your birthday. Once you log in, fill out your profile, upload your resume, and then begin looking at the companies that are going to be coming to the Career Fair by going to the events tab and clicking on the Career Fair.
I know this was ALOT of information, but it's important so take in everything bit by bit and you'll be just fine :)
Hope to see ya at the Career Fair in Harrington Auditorium!
The result of my shopping spree was that I purchased a nice skirt, a very cute sweater and a button up shirt to go under it. The weather these days is sort of unpredictable so if it's chilly outside I will definitely be wearing a sweater, if not then just the button up shirt and skirt. OH do not forget ladies wear some nylon tights/ pantyhose. It's not very professional to show bare skin. ALSOOO make sure whatever top you choose to wear.. it's appropriate. None of those low cut wacky shirts... uh uhh.. definitely NOT acceptable. Also refrain from too much make up, perfume or jewelry. You want to look sweet and simple as well as professional.
Guys, if you're confused on what to wear here are some tips for you as well. There's definitely no need to go over the top with a suit. A nice button up shirt with dress pants and polished shoes would do wonders. If its chilly, a nice sweater vest over the shirt or a blazer would do the trick as well. Luckily... you guys don't have to worry too much about showing skin, or wearing too much perfume, but those of you who do wear jewelry make sure you keep it to a minimum. After all, you have to admit... can't really look too professional with chains and all.
Since the Career Fair is only 2 days away and if you do not have any clothes for this event I suggest you either go shopping todayy or borrow something from someone. Even if you do go shopping for clothes it doesn't necessarily have to be from some expensive place. TJ Max or any other stores with good bargain would do. Let's face it... at this point in our lives we don't really have to wear these clothes daily sooo might as well not spend too much for just a few occasions right?
Oh.. one last thing before I leave, make sure you go on your JobFinder Account and check out which companies are coming to the Career Fair. There are 107 companies that are going to be there so my advice to you would be to see which ones relate to your major, or the career that you want to try out. This way you can be efficient by weeding out the companies that you are not interested in and going straight to the ones that you are :) Having an account on JobFinder is EXTREMELY helpful. THose of you have it.. props to youu, and those of you who don't... wellll you're definitely missing out and you should get one ASAP! It's really easy to set up an account. All you have to know is your id number and your birthday. You will need your id number for the Username. For the password, you type in the last four digits of your id number and then the month and the date of your birthday. Once you log in, fill out your profile, upload your resume, and then begin looking at the companies that are going to be coming to the Career Fair by going to the events tab and clicking on the Career Fair.
I know this was ALOT of information, but it's important so take in everything bit by bit and you'll be just fine :)
Hope to see ya at the Career Fair in Harrington Auditorium!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
IQP requires a RESUME people!!!!
So at the Global Fair yesterday it was quite apparent to me that MANY of you think that you don't need a resume to go abroad. Well lemme tell ya somethinnnn if you want to go abroad to do your IQP, newsflash you're not the ONLY one interested in that. The application process to get into one of these programs have been getting more competitive with each passing year. So if you want to get your top choice having the BEST resume that you can have is only going to help your chances.
Yes, some of you might not be going to the career fair (bad idea!!) but that does not mean that getting your resume critiqued is not going to be helpful. If you have not gotten your resume critiqued yet GO TO RESUMAZING!!! Its happening tomorrow at the ODEUM from 1pm to 7pm. It really will be extremely helpful especially since the people critiquing your resume are professionals and recruiters from companies. What can be better than being told by recuriters what they want to see in a resume? Can you think of anything? I can't.
So bottom line... make use of RESUMAZING and get your resume critiqued. If you are planning on going to the Career Fair, getting your resume critiqued now would be like killing two birds with one stone! You'll be all set for the Career Fair AND your IQP application :) :)
Hope you all make use of this opportunity!!
Yes, some of you might not be going to the career fair (bad idea!!) but that does not mean that getting your resume critiqued is not going to be helpful. If you have not gotten your resume critiqued yet GO TO RESUMAZING!!! Its happening tomorrow at the ODEUM from 1pm to 7pm. It really will be extremely helpful especially since the people critiquing your resume are professionals and recruiters from companies. What can be better than being told by recuriters what they want to see in a resume? Can you think of anything? I can't.
So bottom line... make use of RESUMAZING and get your resume critiqued. If you are planning on going to the Career Fair, getting your resume critiqued now would be like killing two birds with one stone! You'll be all set for the Career Fair AND your IQP application :) :)
Hope you all make use of this opportunity!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Resume Resume Resume!!!!
Sooo I've been really busy lately, but in the back of my head the nagging thought of getting my resume critique has been bothering me. In order to do something about it I finally found my resume and made an appointment with one of the counselors here. There's sooooo much stuff to add to it from the summer internship at Brigham and Womens, its unbelievable.
The appointment was extremely helpful. It helped me organize the things on my resume better. Good thing I got my resume critiqued. It would have been really overwhelming to do it all by myself. I have a follow up resume critquing appointment coming up soon, which is perfect. It will help me finalize the set up of my resume before the Career Fair, which by the way is only a week away!!!! So for those of you who STILL have not gotten your resume critiqued, I HIGHLY suggest you get that done ASAP. This can be done by going to the CDC during walk in hours which are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-3, orrrr you can try making an appointment with 0ne of the counselors. I'm not exactly sure how many more available spots there are left anymore, but it doesn't hurt to try. Lastly, if all else fails, go to RESUMAZING which is on September 17th!
Trust me, getting your resume critiqued is EXTREMELY helpful, so go do it!
The appointment was extremely helpful. It helped me organize the things on my resume better. Good thing I got my resume critiqued. It would have been really overwhelming to do it all by myself. I have a follow up resume critquing appointment coming up soon, which is perfect. It will help me finalize the set up of my resume before the Career Fair, which by the way is only a week away!!!! So for those of you who STILL have not gotten your resume critiqued, I HIGHLY suggest you get that done ASAP. This can be done by going to the CDC during walk in hours which are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-3, orrrr you can try making an appointment with 0ne of the counselors. I'm not exactly sure how many more available spots there are left anymore, but it doesn't hurt to try. Lastly, if all else fails, go to RESUMAZING which is on September 17th!
Trust me, getting your resume critiqued is EXTREMELY helpful, so go do it!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Junior Year
Wow... it has only been a week back at WPI as a junior and already I am heavily swamped with work. There's always some assignment waiting to be completed from 8am to 12 pm. All these assignments have snapped me back to the harsh reality that summer really is over. Looking back at it I have to admit that it flew by. It's amazing how just four months ago it was the 1st of May and I was thinking to myself "four months is such a long time", but once my summer internship started, when the day began and when it ended just became a meshed memory.
I loved my summer. It was fun and very productive. My internship began in the month of June, so for the entire month of May I made it a point to travel and have as much as I possibly could before I would have to succumb to the 9-5 schedule of the real world. I interned at the immunohistochemistry lab at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. I enjoyed that ALOT. It gave me many insights to the life of pathologists, and how everything is accomplished in the hospital. It also helped me develop relationships and make great connections which I am extremely happy about. If you're a pre-med student it is terrific to make connections with doctors. It really helps for future recommendations and all that good stuff.
As for my current status, I am not a huge fan. Gone are the days where there was time to relax. Now its constant work and no time to just snuggle up on the couch and watch a good movie. I do have to admit that most of the stress stems from PQP and ID 2050, but I bet all the work that I am doing in the U.S. right now will pay off. It will definitely be worth it. I absolutely can not wait for A term to be over so I can start packing for my 2 month long stay abroad :o]
I loved my summer. It was fun and very productive. My internship began in the month of June, so for the entire month of May I made it a point to travel and have as much as I possibly could before I would have to succumb to the 9-5 schedule of the real world. I interned at the immunohistochemistry lab at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. I enjoyed that ALOT. It gave me many insights to the life of pathologists, and how everything is accomplished in the hospital. It also helped me develop relationships and make great connections which I am extremely happy about. If you're a pre-med student it is terrific to make connections with doctors. It really helps for future recommendations and all that good stuff.
As for my current status, I am not a huge fan. Gone are the days where there was time to relax. Now its constant work and no time to just snuggle up on the couch and watch a good movie. I do have to admit that most of the stress stems from PQP and ID 2050, but I bet all the work that I am doing in the U.S. right now will pay off. It will definitely be worth it. I absolutely can not wait for A term to be over so I can start packing for my 2 month long stay abroad :o]
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