48 = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAREERS AND MAJORS
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Upon entering the offices of 110 Burge, one is greeted with walls lined with books and binders of information on internships, job possibilities and higher education; videos on resume writing, interviewing and careers for different majors. Extensive file bins list available internships.
There are 10 career services offices at KU, almost all linked to a respective school. The UCES is the largest, covering the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Fine Arts and the School of Social Welfare. Its career assistance is focused mainly on these curriculums, but its services are available to any student wanting assistance.
Although Gail Rooney, director of UCES, agrees that its services are mostly for juniors and seniors, but her advice is to start early.
The office also keeps track of all on-campus jobs. University employers are required to report any job openings to UCES staff, who then post them on the wall outside of their office doors and on their Web site at wwwku.edu/~uces.
Last year, UCES had 5,707 students participate in 175 workshops and seminars - a small
But UCES does use outreach methods to get the word out, said Gail Rooney. Staff members collaborate with professors to make in-class presentations on what the UCES has to offer. UCES also presents the University Career and Employment Fair in February and other career-focused workshops and events each year.
Career services aids in job search
Willow Robin, St. Louis junior, said she didn't know the service existed. She suggested that one reason the UCES wasn't well known was because of its location. Most upperclassmen live away from Daisy Hill and the Burge Union.
Inconveniently located in the basement of KU's less-trafficked Burge Union resides the University Career and Employment Services. Though hidden away at the southwest end of campus, the benefits the program provides are worth finding.
"I've never really needed to," he said. As a student in Graphic Design he said that he had been fortunate enough to get internships from acquaintances, but that not everyone was so lucky.
By Janette Yost
Kansan correspondent
students are also offered help on resumés and job searching. They are even given the opportunity to go through a mock interview, complete with videotaping and review.
orkshops and UCES curation center.
The staff at UCES emphasizes
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University Peter Cropper, Overland Park senior, said he had never used UCES' services.
that the objective of the office is to help the students, but that it is up to the students to take advantage of those opportunities. Drop-in are welcome and free from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The most useful position for the undecided, though, is in front of the magazine-like racks full of cream-colored papers, each called "Career Opportunities for Majors in [insert your CLAS major here]."
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Contact Yost at 864-4810.
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Center helps with class, major choices
By Adam Stein
Kansan correspondent
Jacob Weller, Mulvane sophomore, remembers the confusion he experienced at the beginning of his freshman year at the University of Kansas.
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versity of kansas.
"I knew that I wanted to study film, but I didn't know how to go about doing it," Weller said.
Daniel Wong, Wichita sophomore, gets the friendly word on what Michael Valk, faculty adviser and professor of English, thinks of his current reading assignment for English class. Many students visit the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center to talk with personal advisers about academics.
The Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center turned out to be exactly what he needed to put him on track toward earning his degree. Located at 126 Strong Hall, the advisers in the FSAC help students like Weller find their way to acceptance into their choice of school.
Staff members have been trained to provide advising information specific to nearly all of the University's schools. The FSAC office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to help first and second-year students choose majors and plan classes to help them be successful.
"Even the other advisers besides mine helped me when I had questions," Weller said.
Next month, students who live in residence halls will have a chance to speak with FSAC staff without having to leave their halls.
Representatives will be there Monday, Oct. 8 to Thursday, Oct.11 to speak to students who are interested in FSAC programs. The FSAC will be available to all students at several campus locations during a campus-wide program to involve more students in the advising process.
Melissa Nguyen, Aurora, III., junior,
remembers her experience with the FAC.
remembers her experience with the
"It was really helpful for me," she said. "It
got me ready for my junior year. It's definitely
worth making the effort to use it."
The FSAC offers an array of programs to students beyond the basic advising sessions. FSAC works along with New Student Orientation to familiarize students with advising and enrollment processes.
The FSAC also sponsors the Majors Fair every spring, an event that joins representatives from each of the University's schools, including the University of Kansas Medical Center. This allows students to see what each
school has to offer and also offers internship opportunities.
Wendy Rohleder, who completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in the University's school of law, is now a full-time prelaw adviser. Rohleder will provide information to help students perform well on the LSAT. the law school entrance exam.
Within the next week, all freshmen with University e-mail accounts will be notified of their personal advisers and how to contact them.
This year, the FSAC has something new to offer students interested in studying law.
Gloria Flores, associate director of the FSAC, encouraged freshmen to establish a University e-mail account so the FSAC could keep them informed. She also urged freshmen to get to know their advisers in preparation for spring enrollment.
Flores said that frustrations students had during enrollment usually could be attributed to procrastination. She emphasized the importance of working with advisers in the office to succeed as upperclassmen.
"Students need to make appointments and be sure to be on time so that we can best serve them." Flores said.
Although the FSAC does accept walk-in advising, appointments do take precedence. Each semester, as enrollment nears, walk-ins are more difficult for the office to handle because of the large number of students trying to get enrollment permits.
Brochures describing FSAC programs are available at the office, and staff will answer individual questions.
Contact Stein at 864-4810.
Internships offer experience, insight into future
By Lauren Airey Kansan correspondent
When the Lenexa senior's first internship offers fizzled out last spring, he heard about an internship with ERC, a reinsurance corporation that is a division of General Electric. Longman beat out 15 other candidates for the three-month paid internship where he created communication plans as part of his public relations job.
Eric Longman expected to spend his summer making copies and running errands for a small paycheck or no paycheck at all.
relations job.
"I expected to feel insignificant, especially with a GE company, but you name it and I did it." Longman said. "They sat me down and basically said, 'What can we do for you?' I got a score of 'very good/outstanding' on my evaluation at the end of the summer. That evaluation, even outside the company, raises my value."
Longman said he formed connections that would help when he applied for jobs in May.
"Three months ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do." he
worked only two days a week, she could juggle another job.
said. "This just fell in my lap, and a lot of questions in my mind are gone."
In today's highly competitive job market, the message that experience counts is clear. College graduates are finding that pre-professional experience is almost necessary in gaining an edge over other qualified job candidates.
"I met a lot of contacts for other internships, and I got to watch the production of a Sonic commercial," Bietka said. "I definitely want to do another summer internship."
Internships also offer students a sample of future career options and ease the transition from college classes to the "real world."
"Employers know that the best proof of future performance is past performance," said Donna Naab, assistant director of University Career and Employment Services. "It is a way for the student to check out the employer, and the employer to check out a future employee without making a full investment."
Although Internet searches are helpful in finding an internship. University Career and Employment Services has internship and job listings in its office and on its Web site, www.ku.edu/~ucs, which are updated daily. The Web site also links to "Career Connections," where students can post resumes for employers to browse.
Announcements are also circulated to the faculty and advisers closest to students with an interest in the different types of internships. The engineering, business and journalism schools also have their own career services offices.
Lisa Ottinger, academic internship coordinator for the Business Career Services Center, said even though its internships were mostly in the Kansas City area, the center had placed 10 to 15 percent outside of the area.
Kelly Bietka, Leavenworth sophomore, worked at a Kansas City talent agency, Talent Unlimited, last summer for no pay and no credit. But because she
"We have had students placed in banks, telecommunications companies, accounting firms, small companies and big companies." she said.
While most interns earn a paycheck or academic credit, some students earn nothing but experience. For academic credit, students must contact the career services center that best fits the field of work.
Naab recommends that students identify a firm or company they're interested in instead of waiting for an internship to be announced, because most organizations are open to internships or job shadows. The UCES Web site says that 80 percent of all jobs are never advertised.
While employers depend on resumes and interviews in the selection process, there are other things that can help secure an internship offer, Naab said.
Application deadlines for summer internships begin as early as November, and students who start their search early and network through on-campus professional associations will have an advantage over students who wait until the last minute to apply.
Contact Airey at 864-4810.