Creating a Professional College Image

When you enter college, the most important thing seems to be obtaining as many sorority/frat/school spirited tees you can, and wearing nothing more than sweatpants and sweatshirts for… every day of the week. There isn’t a care in any freshman’s head for the daunting place called the “real world”, or the possibility of having (or not having) a desk job. However, everything changes when junior and senior year roll around. The focus changes from partying all the time, to partying some of the time and  focusing your days on becoming a professional human. Needless to say, if you’re stuck in the rough transition (and boy, it is rough), here are 20 tips on how to mold your college-self into a more professional image:

1.     Time to make a LinkedIn.

2.     Either take your beer-bonging pictures down, or change your Facebook name to something unrecognizable.

3.     Buy a pair of heels that is not soaked in questionable bar/frat floor juice.

4.     Also, a pair of tights (and not the fish net kind) is a start.

5.     Get involved on your campus, and more than just being involved in your “sorority’s philanthropy”.

6.     Procrastinating is not cool—start working on your time-management skills ASAP to better yourself for the real world.

7.     Get a campus job. And not just a job working for the coolest campus bar, a job that actually pays hourly wages and can be used on a resume.

8.     Take a class that is not required but is something you’ve always found interest in.

9.     Update your wardrobe with more mature clothes… and maybe lose a few of your crop tops and mini-skirts.

10.  Attend career fairs and resume blitzes to build your professional skills and prepare yourself for applying for jobs.

11.  If you have a question about a class, approach your professor. Instead of texting all of your friends, your professor will value the effort you gave to try to learn more in his or her class.

12.  Keep your social media clean. The days of tweeting about getting hammered are now over. Use your social media platforms as networking devices.

13.  Detach yourself from your cell phone. No one is the business world communicates solely through a smartphone.

14.  Try to stop using profane language so frequently. Being on a college campus, this can be hard. But the professional world keeps it clean—so make it a personal habit.

15.  Set goals for yourself. No one should push you as hard as you push yourself.

16. Stop depending so much on your parents. Become independent, and stop relying on them for everything.

17. Surround yourself with people who bring you up. Whether it is in school, your social life, or your future career, your friends should be your biggest motivation.

18. Stop being so hard on yourself–getting jobs, applying for internships, and building a professional image can be stressful.

19. Develop a good relationship with your professors. The days of coming to class disheveled should end.

20. Start paying attention more in class; you may learn something that will carry with you for the rest of your life.

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