The High Life: Summer Jobs & Transferring Colleges

After 5 years, I will finally be receiving my quite expensive piece of paper (Bachelor of Science, Information Sciences & Technology) this Saturday, the 15th of May, from The Pennsylvania State University

I figure it would be a good time to recap some thoughts off the top of my head that will be able to help current and future university students. And maybe even professors?

Also see my previous posts on college as I will try and not double up on my tips:

• Top 10 College Tips
• College Tip: Sit In On Other Classes
• Supplements for the Entrepreneur/College Student: Nootropics
• How to Make Money Doing What You Love

Notes to students:

Transfer as a last option.
I made the mistake of choosing a school that I had mixed feelings about. My first two years, I attended a small private school in the Pittsburgh area called Robert Morris University, mostly known for its business school.

Though there were many pros to the school such as smaller class sizes and none of the professors relied on powerpoints (cough *Penn State* cough), there were also many cons such as lack of a decent social life, nothing to do, poor school spirit, does not have Penn State Football, etc…I was not enjoying my college experience at all and desperately needed a change.

Ultimately, I ended up spending tons of money to go to RMU and decided to transfer after 4 semesters. With transferring comes many downfalls. Some of the cons are:

• You lose your GPA that you attained (it does not transfer over to your new school), so if you attained a strong GPA in your (sometimes) easiest classes you will be entering your more challenging classes in your new school with a 0.00.
• You lose the freshmen camaraderie that develops in the tiny residence halls
• You lose credits. This amount is dependent on your new schools acceptence of your other schools credits. Credits = $$$$!
• Financial aid may change. You might get a lesser amount of financial aid at your new school. Not sure how this works.
• It is a bitch to transfer. Trust me, the whole process of transferring is a bitch..From the application to getting all your syllabi from your previous school to your new school, to money. It is a hassle that even a lawyer would cringe at.
• Teaching styles may differ. I really enjoyed the teaching style at Robert Morris University, which basically means that my professors did not rely on powerpoints for their lectures.  However, 100% of my classes at PSU, the professors all relied ALL TO HEAVILY on powerpoints, thus causing me (along with everyone else) to not really pay attention and diddle with their phones.  I can not stand powerpoints unless they are used right (Steve Jobs powerpoints, and also read the book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs)

Those are some of the reasons why I suggest you should think of transferring as a last option. However, if you are in the position that I was in, then just be ready for a lot of headaches before the reward of moving into your new apartment in your brand new college town and your brand new GPA.

Do something unique, challenging and different for at least 1 summer while you are in school.
You will most likely be in for at least 4 years of college, or in my case 5, and other people’s casses 6-8 or so.  With this comes a more relaxed attitude about jobs, especially in the summer.

The summer job will be the source of income (other than your parents if your lucky) you will rely upon come Fall and Spring, unless you want the additional stress of a job during school, something I did not take up.  Obviously, you will want to find the best source of income possible, paid internships being the best.

However, these summer years during your college life are a chance for you to really explore your boundaries and test yourself.  For example, I always wanted to work at the beach for one summer of my college career and actually took that chance last summer.  Let me tell you it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I not only tested my boundaries, as the job was a highly intensive (both physical and mental) sales and photographer job.  It was also an excellent source of income that carries me just about throughout my Fall and Spring semester without having to work a job on top of my classes. I also made friends of a lifetime and experience what beach life was all about.

Summer 2009. Scopes. What can I say? I got to run around the beach, have a blast, chat with beautiful women, and take their pictures for novelty keychains called "Scopes." Oh yeah, I got paid well and a helluva tan too! Ocean City, MD

Here are some suggestions for what to do during your summers while in college:

• Study abroad – I really wish I took the opportunity to study abroad for at least one semester in college.  One of my biggest regrets of college.  Do not miss out on this opportunity to attain credits and experience another part of the world.
• Work at the beach – If you are a beach fiend like I am, you have the opportunity for many of the jobs at the beach (especially if your good looking, just being truthful).  A lot of these jobs offer the opportunity to make tons of money off of high-spending vacationers.  Many beaches also have summer job fairs sometime in Spring, be sure to look into them.  I found my summer job when some of the managers came to interview at Penn State.
• Get an internship. Preferably a paid internship, if not experience is experience and it might pay off in the long run.
• Travel. If you have the money and feel like spending some if it, consider traveling or even just driving across the country.

Like I said, these are some added tips just off the top of my head.  I might possibly recap some more throughout the following week with more tips.

Tagged as: bachelor of science, camaraderie, choosing a school, college experience, future university, gpa, information sciences, last option, mixed feelings, penn state football, pennsylvania state university, piece of paper, pittsburgh area, private school, residence halls, robert morris university, school spirit, science information, tons of money, top of my head

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