Year Two

Second-Year Expectations

In the sophomore year, students should expand their knowledge of the world of work and possible careers. By the end of the year students should have decided on an academic program that is relevant to their life goals.

Goals:
(1) To acquire information about occupations of interest to you.
(2) To involve yourself in career-relevant experiences, on and off-campus.

Basics of Personal Growth:

• Get good grades!
• Utilize the self-assessment instruments (Strong, MBTI) if not done in your first year.
• Involve yourself actively in an extracurricular activity, club or organization, and assume a leadership role in that organization.

Basics of Academic Development:

• Review course requirements of academic departments in which you are interested in majoring.
• Meet with academic advisor to plan your entire course of study (major, minor, electives).
• Discuss with faculty or career counselors the importance of well-chosen electives to complement your academic major and your career goals.
• If desired, plan Study Abroad experience during junior or senior year.
• Discuss research opportunities with faculty in your major department and plan to conduct research during the summer or in your junior year.
• Plan for academic internship during junior year.
• Enroll in computer intensive class, if appropriate.

Basics of Career Development:

• Read appropriate occupational literature available in the Career Center library.
• Discuss the work of parents, relatives and friends with them.
• Utilize the Career Center's searchable database of alumni and conduct informational interviews with alumni in the career areas of interest to you.
• Investigate how an academic internship will help you fulfill your career objectives.
• Attend one or more academic department Career Symposia.
• Master one specific major computer application, i.e. database, spreadsheet, HTML, etc.
• Plan for summer employment or paid internship related to your career field.
• Secure part-time employment or volunteer for a community service organization related to your career field.
• Consider non-credit summer internship opportunities
• Secure summer employment which exposes you to current technology in your area of interest.

Summer Activities

• Involve yourself in a variety of summer activities (paid and unpaid) which are relevant to your career objectives.
• Secure information about necessary graduate admissions' examinations.
• Prepare for graduate school admissions' examinations to be taken in junior year.