posting this in case it's useful to anyone :)

Maria’s College Advice for the Younger RBS:

 

Hi everyone –

 

I wasn’t able to be on the call last weekend because my phone was having issues. However, I had written up some notes and posted to a listserv I’m on in preparation. Here’s a running list of advice I wanted to share. As always, I’m available at XXXXX if you need someone to talk to, want someone to read over a paper, or have any other questions about going to college.

 

1)      If you have to work on campus, try to get a job with a professor you love. I worked as a research assistant for my minor advisor, and she changed my life.

a)       This is especially important if you want to go to grad school. You’ll need at least 3 professors willing to write a recommendation for you, and it’ll look really good if they’ve known you for longer than a semester. Plus, if you need someone to go to bat for you (in my case, I wanted to transfer in my credits from another university, and my major advisor wasn’t feeling that) they’ll be more likely to take that risk for someone they’ve worked with.

b)      This doesn’t need to be a faculty member of color – it just needs to be someone you connect with.

 

2)      Get involved with someone in the administration… especially in the dean’s office. I worked a lot with the two deans who dealt with institutional diversity and multicultural affairs. They put me in touch with many opportunities that I’m still reaping the benefits of, like scholarship organizations for grad school.

 

3)      Take a position in your dorm. I was a social events planner and eventually joined ResLife. While I didn't always LIKE my housemates, I felt really proud that I worked so hard to change house community for the better.

 

( Read more... )