With my second year wrapping up, it’s finally dawning on me that I am officially half way through my undergrad. Which is ridiculous and hard to believe because a part of me feels as if I just graduated high school (cough cough I blame Covid 😮💨). In order to start preparing for post grad, I decided to set up a meeting with one of the Human Biology Program Advisors to get some ideas to where to start and find opportunities that align with my goals. That being said, here are some of the tips I learned!
Newsletters
Although newsletters can be quite tedious and boring to read, many programs and departments actually have a weekly newsletter with curated ideas and opportunities. They are a great way to stay in loop of what’s going on at your department, events that may be of interest to you such as mentoring opportunities, networking events etc!
Go to office hours!!
I feel like we’ve probably all heard this about a billion times but I’ll be honest, I haven’t been one to consistently go to office hours (I know, terrible). I usually go few times at the start of the year and then once things get busy, I usually forget or lose the motivation to go. In other words, don’t be like me and actually go to office hours!! It's a great way to learn more about the course work, develop a relationship with your teacher and learn more about their field. And remember, those grad school recommendations aren’t going to write themselves!
Student Life Career Exploration & Education
This department can provide many tools such as interview prep, resume workshops and more! They can also provide career advice, access to fairs and events that can help you in you journey of planning for post-secondary.
Career Navigator
The Student Life website also includes regarding what career options you have with you degree. These are usually the most direct paths about I think it’s also important to keep in mind that everyone’s path is and can look different and there are careers that you can still choose that may not seem like it fits perfectly.
Self assessments
Remember those fun Buzzfeed quizzes? Well, I also learned that UTSC also has a career self assessments that can asks some questions to find out what career fits based on your answers. This is fun and lowkey way to start getting some ideas about what your future career could look like.
Last thoughts...
Personally, thinking about the future has sometimes felt like a daunting task. We’re at a weird stage where you’re not fully an adult or teenager and yet are expected to make decisions that can impact your life so much. I think it’s super important to know that you’re not alone in feeling like this and there are people and resources available to help you in your decision making.
Bolu 🫶🏾
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