Month: February 2017

CS Radio – Episode 36: “Getting Summer Funding”

The countdown to spring break has begun! It’s hard to believe, but that means summer is just around the corner! Have you been considering accepting a summer opportunity but are reluctant because it is low or no paying? For the third year, Career Services is proud to be able to offer assistance via our Summer Funding Grant.  This week, Michael and Mylène talk about how you can apply and review what opportunites students pursued with their funding last summer.  Plus, we welcome the newest Career Services staff member, Natty Leach, to the studio!  All that, plus the regular rundown of this week’s events.

Enjoy and happy spring break! We’ll be back in two weeks, after the break.

 

Tomorrow on @PennCareerDay: Jeff Barg, COL ’02/MCP ’10 – PA Horticultural Society

Be sure to follow @PennCareerDay tomorrow for great insights from another Penn alum about their career path and a typical day at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society!

Jeffrey Barg is Associate Director for Planning and External Policy Relations at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  At PHS, he develops and maintains the organizational policy agenda and government relations at the federal, state and local level, and manages projects related to urban greening, creative placemaking, vacant land reclamation, urban agriculture, community and neighborhood gardens, landscape studies and more.

Prior to his work with PHS, Jeff worked with the Penn Institute for Urban Research at the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.  Before that, he had a long career in journalism as managing editor for Philadelphia Weekly.

Jeff holds a BA in American History and a Master of City Planning, both from University of Pennsylvania.  (Editors note: He also plays a mean blues guitar.)

 

CS Radio – “Episode 35: We Love Penn”

Love is in the air!  This week, we focus on careers right here at the University of Pennsylvania.  Penn loves to hire alumni, and right now there’s a big push to hire new graduates!  Michael and Mylène discuss the variety of opportunities available to recent Penn grads who are thinking about staying on campus  to work, the perks of working for the university and the ways a first job here can be a springboard to a great career.  We also welcome Sue Russoniello, the business manager for Career Services, to do discuss her twenty years of working at Penn!  All that, plus the usual rundown of this week’s events!  Enjoy!

CS Radio: “Episode 34 – Career Fairs x3”

Our hosts a reunited and it feels so good! It’s week of career fair madness at the University of Pennsylvania!  Michael and Mylène cover what to expect at the Creative & Common Good Career Fair, the Start-Up Fair and the Spring Career & Internship Fair!  Learn what to bring, how to dress and how to interact with employers in the moment and after.  Plus, the usual rundown of what else is happening this week!

Enjoy!

 

Advice on Writing an Effective Personal Statement for Medical/Dental School

Mia Carpiniello, Associate Director

Within the next few months, medical and dental school applicants around the country will draft, revise, and ultimately submit their personal statement to admissions committees. So, I thought it would be helpful to re-post my blog post from 2014 with tips on writing an effective personal statement for professional school. Although drafting a personal statement can feel like an intimidating and time-consuming task, please remember that this is also an exciting opportunity to convey who you are as a person, in your own voice. So, dig deep and take your time to compose an essay that accurately illustrates your personal attributes.

The personal statement can be the most daunting part of an application to professional school. What do I write about? How do I eloquently convey my thoughts? How can I possibly stay within the stated space limit? Here are 4 quick tips to help you make the most of this opportunity to share yourself with the admissions committee.

  1. Be self-reflective and introspective. What insights have you learned about yourself through a particular experience? Share one or two of your personal qualities, abilities, or characteristics by focusing on a meaningful experience you had. Do not simply restate your resume in narrative form or summarize all of your college experiences. Rather, convey something about yourself beyond your test scores, transcript, and resume. Use your personal statement to tell the admissions committee something about yourself that they cannot glean from the rest of your application, such as your compassion, determination, or meticulousness.
  2. Be concise and straightforward. Admissions officers will be reading thousands of these essays. They won’t have the patience for rhetorical flourishes. The introductory sentence and paragraph are the most important parts; use them to grab the reader’s attention and create a good first impression.
  3. Keep it positive. A personal statement is usually not the place to explain a weakness in your application, such as a low grade or test score. Save that for the secondary application (for medical school applicants) or a brief addendum.
  4. Proof-read! Again. And Again. And then have someone else read it and give you feedback. Ask that person what your personal statement says about you. Is that the impression you want to make? Finally, be sure to follow character or length limits to demonstrate that you can follow directions.

We in the pre-professional team here in Career Services are happy to help you reflect on your experiences and provide you with feedback on your draft. We also offer Personal Statement Workshops; you can find the dates and times on the Career Services calendar.