This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.
I’m a current senior at Central Washington University and the thing that is most on my mind is the next step, grad school. It’s another step closer to my career, and another step closer to my education into the field I love the most, dietetics. When it comes to grad programs my current top three picks are the University of Washington, Central Washington University and North Carolina State University. I hope wherever it takes me that I can practice pediatric nutrition and specialize in diabetes education for kids. But how do I make the most of my time here at Central and make it count for the next step? How do I build a successful resume that stands out from the rest? Here are a few tips that I found might help along the way to success.
- Employment – Finding a job on campus can be easy. They are always looking to hire students for even just a few hours a week. The best part about working on campus is that they will typically work with your schedule and put schooling first. I currently work for CWU’s Donor Relations Department and make phone calls from 1-4 hours a day to possible donors to give back to the university in terms of scholarships, programs and sports on campus. By just having a job a few hours a week, it’s helpful to build those work skills as well as maybe getting a letter of recommendation from your boss in the end.
- What piques your interest? – When it comes to your career goals, what are you interested in? I was presented with an opportunity to apply for Central’s Peer Nutrition Education (PNE) program which is a class that provides you credit as well as experience in the field of nutritional counseling. For the fall quarter, we do the prep work of learning how to chart case studies and situations that we might encounter while counseling students. Then once winter and spring quarters approach, we are starting to counsel clients and gain experience. It’s a win-win for us students. We can practice charting, understanding client needs, how we can help clients and prepare ourselves for what our internships will be like.
- Professional connections – I never realized how important networking was until I got to Central. The more you are learning about your area of interest, the more it helps to know the right people. Your professors are a great starting point. If you work hard and show them how serious you are, they can put you in the right hands in terms of meeting people in your field. Clubs are another great networking part of college as well. I’m currently Vice President of CWU SISTERS, Public Relations officer for Nutrition Science Club and contributor for Her Campus. The number of people you meet just being involved in clubs is exponential. You have people from all different backgrounds that might know someone that can help you in the future.
- Get involved – Whether it’s clubs, committees or sports, there is a way for any student to get involved in college. Like I stated previously, I’m involved in three very different clubs at Central. I am extremely passionate about all three. It is about finding what interests you on campus, even getting involved in a club that is relative to your major!
- Volunteering – COVID put volunteering on the back burner for me last year. Now that things are moving in a more positive direction, opportunities to volunteer are growing more and more. We have a farm here on campus and they host volunteer events for anyone to come help whether it’s a potato dig or just a work party, they welcome anyone and any help! It’s easy to find a way to help on campus or off.
- Personal Projects – Something that a lot of people don’t know is that I’ve always wanted to write a book on growing up as a kid with Type 1 Diabetes. Experiences, trials, tribulations and successes throughout my battle of twenty years and counting, think of it as you will as my diabetes diary. Personal projects like this can be a great wow factor. It shows how passionate you are about what you want to pursue. It can be a book, blog, podcast, whatever gets your creative juices flowing, let your passion shine through.
- Take leadership roles – Taking on Vice President for CWU SISTERS has been teaching me a lot about helping guide others and responsibilities when it comes to being leaders in a club. These leadership roles show that you are capable of taking on more. This also helps get you to gain some leadership scholarships that are offered as well.
- Apply for scholarships – When I was in community college, I never thought I could apply for scholarships. It was a foreign concept to me. It turns out, there’s a scholarship for everything. Last year, a professor of mine sent out an email to all the current nutrition majors regarding the John A. Shoudy Scholarship. We were asked to write a short essay. I thought I did not have a chance, but I did. I received the 2021 scholarship my first year at Central. Don’t hesitate, apply because every bit helps towards your education.
Make the most of your college years. It’s the successes that you achieve here that will get you one step closer to that major win. The sleepless nights and busy days, it’s worth every moment. Hang in there, you are closer to your dreams than you think.