If I take a gap year (or three), how will I get recommendations from professors for grad school? Lots of people go to grad school years after they graduate from college, so taking some time off doesn’t put you in an unusual situation. If you expect that grad school will be part of your future, […]
None of them. Any of them. It doesn’t work like that.* Here are some things a minor can do for you: convey the breadth of your strengths and interests (particularly if the minor is unrelated to your major) demonstrate your interest in and commitment to a particular field of study allow you to dive more […]
We hear this question a lot. And then the follow-up question: What would make the best second major? The answer is: maybe? (and then, “best” how?) It helps to know why you’re thinking about a second major. Here are some good reasons: “I took a few courses in [major] and really enjoyed them, so I […]
You make a series of branching choices that lock you into your destiny. In a Choose Your Own Adventure Book, each page gives you a choice, each of which directs you to a specific page to continue the story, and another choice, leading to another page, until you’ve closed the book. If you did it […]
Two events coming up of potential interest to humanities majors. Come as a spectator, stay for insight into the various things that “entrepreneurship” can mean, leave with some ideas for making your own contribution in the next cycle. Illinois Social Innovation Social Pitch 2020 April 29 | 5-7 pm | [go.gies.illinois.edu/socialinnovation] Register for this event to gain […]
There is a general feeling of “meh”….no excitement, lack of desire to do more than they have to… no idea what their near future will look like…Last week when my student staff and I talked about this condition of “meh,” we jokingly said that we need to move ourselves and others from “meh” to “eh!” […]
Planning for your future might feel overwhelming right now. People find the job hunt overwhelming at the best of times–and these are not the best of times. Think of it like eating an elephant: the only way to do it is one bite at a time. You cannot just show up one day with a […]
Every piece of advice in this Twitter thread is worth noting — and not just for working women, but for anyone who worries that they’re not good enough. Also: don’t wait until you’re in your first post-college job to start thinking about how you want to relate to the larger organization, your boss, potential mentors, […]
More career advice from Twitter: Luke is an alumnus of the Department of English, who now works for Ivor Winter, an ad agency in Wheaton, Illinois. Not that there’s anything wrong with Shakespeare papers! For some jobs, a paper that shows your powers of research and close attention to detail may be the writing […]
There’s an excellent Twitter thread from Ed Solomon (one of the writers of the Bill and Ted movies, among other things) about how curiosity is a better goal for the professional writer than passion. Two takeaways here: This advice applies to more than just writing screenplays. “Passion” is an unrealistic expectation — and a lot […]
