Tag: AY1718

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Jonathan, a SEAS sophomore studying mechanical engineering.

While pleasant, my Christmas break was rather unproductive. Nearly every day of break followed this routine pretty closely, if not exactly:

I’d sleep in until around noon or 1, and lay in bed until I had the motivation to get out of bed. First, I would brush my teeth and go to the kitchen for some food. After breakfast, I’d consider doing something productive, like figuring out which courses I need to take abroad next fall or learning a software for the research project I’m helping out with. More days than not, I ended up doing none of those things and watched something on Netflix instead. At around 2, I’d head over to the gym because it gets busy after 4 when people start getting home from work. After that, I’d return home, shower, then unproductively spend another hour or two before eating dinner with my family. Lastly, I’d go hang out with some of my friends from home for a few hours before returning to my bed to restart the process.

While wildly unproductive, my break was very relaxing. That’s all I was really looking for anyway; to destress for a few weeks between semesters. The tricky part is shifting back to school-mode after a month of being a blob. Luckily, there are some things you can do to make sure you don’t get stuck in vacation-mode.

There is usually a lot of free time at the start of a semester, so finding a productive hobby you can do during that time can be quite beneficial. This will get you in the habit of making the most of your time, which will be essential later in the semester when the workload ramps up. I find going to the gym to be a good hobby for me, because I enjoy it and it keeps me healthy. There are tons of other productive activities you can fill your time with, and it is definitely worth looking into any that seem like a good fit for you. From being active in a student org to writing poetry, finding something other than partying, watching Netflix, or playing video games will make for a more engaging and productive semester.

Another way to get in gear for the semester is to stay ahead of your assignments. During the first month or so, this is not much to ask outside of the occasional paper or exam. Even still, I find it gives me peace of mind, as I do not have homework constantly hanging over my head. If you can keep a few days’ worth of breathing room between yourself and your school work until midterms, you will have a significant step-up over your classmates who have been hugging the deadlines all semester.

By setting good habits early in the semester, you will find your classes much more manageable.

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Sean, an Elliott School sophomore studying international affairs and political science.

As Honors Students, we’re all pretty familiar with GW’s competitive professional environment. Regardless of how hard you might work, there always seems to be that one person taking 18 credits on top of a 20 hour/week internship and who’s on E-Boards for 3 different orgs. I for one found that daunting as a freshman last year. When you hear every day about how your peers are getting those hillternships or interning for State, while you’re coming up empty handed, it can be easy to think that we’re somehow underqualified for those same positions. I know that was certainly the case for me.
After my first semester, I had failed to get heavily involved with many orgs and I had no prospects for any internships. So, like any Honors Student would, I went into overdrive in the spring, and sent out summer internship applications to any place I could find. I was even more disheartened when, after sending all those applications, I heard nothing — nada, zilch, goose eggs.
But of course, as with any uplifting motivational story, something changed. I was scrolling through my FaceBook feed one day in March, after most of my application deadlines had passed, when I came upon a post that piqued my interest. A woman named Carrie, who I had never met before, posted a link to an application in the “Alumni Network” page for an organization that we had both been a part of in high school. I sent along my application and sent Carrie a message thanking her for posting the application and asking her for more information about the organization. One thing led to another and I heard back with an offer from the organization, a youth homelessness non-profit called Covenant House.
I was elated and relieved to hear that I would indeed have plans for the Summer. But on top of that relief, my experience applying for Covenant House taught me a few things. Importantly, when applying to internships, knowing the right person can often be key to getting the position. Especially when you are an underclassman, it is most important to have the right connection to get your foot in the door. That means that when you have the opportunity, join networking groups, attend networking events, and don’t be afraid to reach out to someone on Linkedin or Facebook if you suspect there might be an opportunity. But, most importantly, don’t let rejection get you down. Chances are, if you keep your head up and work hard, opportunities will come around.