When you’re at a fork in the road academically and considering a change in field or time period, how do you decide your next academic move? What’s the most strategic next step for you to take?

It was during my final year at UCLA, while completing my Masters, that I came to the final conclusion that pursuing a Ph.D. was not right for me. After nearly two and a half years of considering whether I should apply and after going through the process of taking the GRE and asking for letters of recommendation it became clear that a PhD was not going to be the next step in my professional journey.

In all of my conversations I ever had with mentors and with those who come to me for advice, is a deep fear and confusion of how to properly convey your experiences and skills when you're switching fields or applying to positions slightly outside of your area. You’ll hear people say it comes down to transferable skills (and this is true), but what does this mean?

As transfer acceptances begin to roll out, it is now time to evaluate all your options and actually decide which school to attend! While this is exciting, it can also be a little overwhelming - being presented with good options can still be stressful after all! Fear of missing out and wondering if you have made the right decision for yourself, among other things, may come up for you during this decision process. As a transfer student myself, I completely understand what this process looks like since it wasn’t that long ago that I too was in your position!

All of us seem to be told to have a LinkedIn, but it can be extremely daunting when you first try to set up your profile, especially as a student without a ton of work experience. LinkedIn seems like it's especially geared towards those in the corporate world, but I promise, it's worth it to have a professional presence online where future employers, recruiters, and those you want to network with can find you.

If you’re anything like me, you first heard the term “networking” and flipped out. It can seem extremely intimidating and formal and like you don’t know where to start, especially as an undergrad or someone who isn’t extremely extroverted. But truly, networking is the secret to finding opportunities and jobs down the line and college is the best time to get started since the entire campus is one big network.

The first half of this semester have flown by faster than I have been able to check the days off of my calendar. Suddenly, midterms are upon us and every college student - undergrads and grads alike - are feeling both the overwhelming workload that midterms bring with them as well as the inevitable mid-semester, zoom induced burnout.

Moving to college is, at least in America, a right of passage that most prospective college students look forward to as they put in their applications and wonder which school and campus will be the right fit for them. It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has put massive, screeching brakes on this experience and countless students are sitting in their childhood bedrooms, attempting to engage in the critical ways that are all too important to our educations.

The spring/winter semester, quarter, whatever system your university uses has either started or will be starting very soon. With the new term upon us, I thought now would be a good time to talk about preparing for the last term of the academic year. Now if you're a seasoned college veteran like myself, starting a new semester seems pretty straightforward. You clean up your area, set your notes and files in order, update your calendar and get a head start on your reading, right? Actually, I find that the spring/winter term requires a different type of preparation!

If you're reading this, then that probably means that you've just finished applying to various schools. Whether you're applying as a transfer student or post-graduate candidate, you're most likely feeling just as anxious as the next potential college student. I’m sure I don't have to tell you that it's really common to experience some level of emotional turmoil and anxiety during the college or grad school application process. There is a lot on your plate, the stakes are high, deadlines are strict and you're being asked to make a big decision about your future. In my personal opinion, it would be strange if you weren’t stressed out while applying to colleges.