CAREER SERVICES AT ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE | SANTA FE | NOVEMBER 2013
Medical School and Great Books with Daryl Breithaupt (SF13) by Allen Matsika
Daryl Breithaupt is a graduate student in the SJC Eastern Classics program. He graduated from the undergraduate program in May, 2013, and applied to the Graduate Institute, where he was accepted for the 2013 fall semester. He has always had his sights set on medical school and has already taken his MCAT. His maturity struck me instantly as we started talking. Asked whether he is stuck at St. John’s College, he replies good humoredly with another question, “Is that question referring to the fact that I am not 18 to 22 years of age?” “Not at all” I reply. The ice was broken and two people were smiling. Daryl Breithaupt, graduate student in the SJC Eastern Classics, and aspiring doctor.
Q: You have always had a strong inclination towards medicine and medical school. Why take another year at St. John’s? Why not go straight to medical school? That was necessitated by a conversation I had with Mr. Aigla. He recommended that I take more biology or bio-chemistry classes, in addition to the organic chemistry. My original plan was to take the MCAT during the summer after junior year and apply to medical school during fall of my senior year. Mr. Aigla recommended that I take a few more pre-med classes, so I took biochemistry, which proved to be invaluable when I took my MCAT. I recommend taking even more biology classes, because that was my weak point. Because I waited one more summer to write my MCAT, it necessitated taking a gap year. I have always been interested in Continued on page 2
CONTENTS Dedicated staff left to right: Barbara Lucero-Sand, Margaret Odell, and Lise Lookman.
> Great interview and insights into preparing for medical school
> Six weeks in Washington, DC, at the Hertog Political Studies Program.
> GAMING INTERNSHIPS! > Tips and invaluable links about social networking and careers
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Profiles Continued from page 1
the Eastern Classics, and a gap year seemed to be a perfect time to sit in on that. Since I will be busy for the next several years, I decided this was the best time to do it. So that is the rationale behind me being here for graduate school. If I had not been doing the Eastern Classics I would be doing something else, but it wouldn’t be medical school because I applied for it for next fall. Q: You came to St. John’s already knowing you wanted to go to medical school. How did coming here help you attain this goal? Coming to St. John’s was partly independent from my desire to go to medical school. I had gone to school and searched for something to eliminate insecurities within myself. I was always a bright kid. I was told, “You have potential but you don’t seem to be living up to that potential,” and learning to me was always a random process. I had no control over my learning, or seemingly had no control. If I did well, it was great and, if I did badly, I did not understand why that happened either way. It was not until St. John’s that I found a program of self-reflection and wrestling with facts that let me figure out who I was as a learner. I had an inkling this would happen and that was the push for me to come to St. John’s. I thought if this can happen, then this dream I have of going to medical school can also happen. It was a gamble and so far it’s paying off. Q: How has it been paying off? John Brookes (SF15) Ariel intern at the University of Nebraska working on Neuroscience research. Another way of preparing for medical school..
I have done well at the traditional classes that I took over the summer. I now know who I am as a learner and how to use this knowledge to achieve goals and do good things. I think I now have the capacity to perform consistently well at a higher level because of my experience here at SJC. Q: That will be good for patients right? Yeah it will be (chuckling). Q: I am guessing that the traditional classes you took have something to do with the scholarships that St. John’s College offers – namely the Braziel-Lynn and Thorne scholarships for Pre-Medical Study. Would you say they were instrumental in your goal of applying to medical school? Yes, I received both scholarships, actually, and they were very helpful. I would not be applying to medical school without them. The application process was pretty painless. The timeline was relaxed: you hand in your application before the end of the first semester and you get your decision in February when you get back for the spring semester. Q: Many people want to be doctors because they want to help people. Others do it for prestige. Why do you want to be a doctor? When I was in high school, teachers noticed that I was good at memorizing material and I was also good at science, so they asked me if I had ever considered medical school. When I did my first undergraduate degree right out of high school, I met the stereotypical pre-med students. They were more superficially motivated—for money, for prestige, or for a high-status career. I asked myself, “Do I want to spend my career with these kinds of
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people?” and my answer at that time was ‘NO’. I stepped back a little, but I was always interested in health issues. It wasn’t really until I got to the Peace Corps that I realized I could work with ‘bozos,’ and that I shouldn’t let bad experiences with people keep me from pursuing something that I think I may be good at. That started a ripple effect and I started thinking that medical school was something doable. I also felt that if I didn’t do it, it was something I would really regret for the rest of my life. Q: Do you have any advice for would-be doctors or people who are hesitant about applying to medical school? I think if you have an inclination towards medicine in freshman year, then you can make it work. You won’t have to do a post-baccalaureate program if you can hustle over the summers. The MCAT is also in transition. The questions and pre-requisites for the exam are going to be changing. I am hoping that the Braziel/Lynn and Thorne sscholarships will note this because I think the MCAT will at some point include social sciences like psychology or sociology and more biology, along with the usual chemistry. I hope that with some Alcibiadean persuasion they include these courses on their list for possible funding. Daryl and I ended up by talking about my political ambitions coupled with my waning desire to be a doctor and how they could be collated in a masters of health degree program. His advice had me teetering on the brink of persuasion: I might just revisit those biology texts again.
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Profiles
The 2013 Hertog Fellows pause in front of the entrance to the Supreme Court of the United States after an audience with Justice Scalia. (Allen Matsika in the back row on the far left)
Six weeks of studying politics in Washington, DC by Allen Matsika
The Hertog Political Studies Fellowship offers an opportunity to study politics in the heart of the capitol city of the United States. Asked about my experience at this program, I feel divided between what I did and how I grew as a person. I have spent time reflecting on my six-week experience in a fast-paced, East Coast environment. Having a very visual memory, I vividly remember most of the eye-opening events and wince at some of the memories. Washington, DC, made me realize there is a great gulf between who we are and what we do. What I did in Washington, DC, and why. Politics is the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of Washington, DC. I studied politics and the practical sides of this rudder of people’s livelihood. I had an awesome experience. The first thing that impressed me was the architecture of the city. Washington, DC, is a beautiful city whose architecture reminded me of Roman and Greek styles. This impression gave an atmosphere of purpose and seriousness to the political topics we were to study. The curriculum was very rigorous, with texts drawn largely from the store of great books we study at St. John’s College. Every week we were required to write a 500-word essay. This writing exercise helped me hone my writing skills and has proven to be invaluable in writing recent St. John’s papers. I was part of a group of students who were passionately dedicated to diverse causes. The caliber of students, professors, scholars, and guest speakers I met through the Hertog Fellowship gave me a higher standard to aim for. They helped me to seriously consider my dream to be president of Zimbabwe someday. We visited a number of monuments and museums and I had so many engaging discussions, both inside and outside of class, with the other students. I think if anyone is interested in a serious program that will take one far in one’s political thinking, he or she should definitely give the Hertog Political Studies program a shot. 4
I applied to the Hertog because of my interest in political issues. I have been informed by various well-wishers that the future of politics belongs to those who have an international perspective on situations. I felt that immersing myself in American politics and Western culture would help me in creating this world view. I hoped to create for myself an understanding of the world whilst turning myself into a cosmopolitan being—an Afropolitan. The results have been wonderful, with a seemingly slight blow of culture shock, from which I am still recovering. Who I am because of the Hertog experience in Washington, DC. The question of who I am because of the Hertog experience carries for me two other ideas: who I was before DC and who I was in DC. What do I stand for now; what would I die for? As human beings we are always changing. I think the question of who we are requires not an answer that alludes to a stagnation but one that points to a perpetual process. It is a very huge question, yet I would like to give it a small bite. First and foremost, I was a black person in Washington, DC. I had never encountered as huge a population of African Americans as I did when I went to Washington. In an instant I realized I was black, but not their kind of black, and they were African but not my kind of African. I don’t even know what I mean by this, but I know that someone looked at me one day after we had a good laugh and some fun together and he said innocently but, I will also add, disconcertingly, “I don’t know why, but I get along with black people very well.” I did not know what to say and did not understand what he meant. Why was he making a distinction between getting along with one race of people, as opposed to getting along with people in general? I am not a stickler about race issues and I wish my entire experience was not somehow colored by this experience, but it was. His remark disturbed me, but I told myself to develop a thicker skin. The next day I discovered I was indeed black. Soon we were making a few remarks about my skin and I was laughing too. Soon I was not only a black person but a good-looking, buff, black young man—not so bad! I did not realize just how much all this was making me uncomfortable until I became self-conscious of my own accent, the sometimes inscrutable way I expressed myself in English, and some of my weird pronunciations. All of a sudden I had been moved from being a human being like everybody else, to being a black young man from Africa. Things had changed and they affected the way I thought. This is just one aspect of who I was in DC, but it cast so many things in a different light. I quickly began to sport some of the biases towards a certain demographic in certain policies we studied. I quickly began to notice where lines could be drawn between peoples – Jews, non-Jews, victims, non-victims, Anglo this, American this, American that (so many distinctions in this one), third-generation immigrants, etc. Even gender issues carried so much profundity and tension now than I had ever realized. All of a sudden someone had given me magnifying glasses in place of contact lenses. Politics suddenly seemed like being sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. One no longer had to look just at conservatives and liberals but also at ethnicities, skin colors, countries of origin, religious beliefs, and other small things that distinguish us fromone another other. This sounds like a paradoxical way of approaching and fostering unity among a people, in a country or in the world. I look back now and I am grateful for such an experience. It was not necessarily fun when I was in the heat of things, grappling with various cultural and personal issues, not to mention the political material we were encountering. Now, I am glad to say, I look in the mirror today and I smile proudly at the color of my skin. However, I am quick to reassure myself 5
Allen Matsika
that I am more than a skin color, religion, or denomination; I am more than a gender or a sexual orientation; I am more than a title I get from what I do, more than a future politician — I am more than what I do. I am a human being, but to me that simply means I am a work in progress, and the work goes on. I would love to say I am more than a human being, and that all creatures are my equals, but I am still working on that aspect of my own being. It might take another sixweek fellowship on Environmental Awareness in the Caribbean Islands to learn more about that.
Internships Ariel Internship Alert! How are you doing on your Ariel Internship research and Application? Remember, Career Services staff are glad to help in any way they can to assist you in getting this prestigious and enabling award!
Internships Teaching internships Groton School, a coeducational boarding school of 370 students in grades 8-12, located in Groton, Massachusetts, is offering, for the thirty-seventh year, the Charles C. Alexander Teacher-Intern Program. This program serves recent college graduates interested in working under supervision, helping them to develop the varied skills required of secondary boarding school teachers. The program offers as wide an exposure as possible to all aspects of boarding school life. The fields open to interns are English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Religion, and Arts. Interns can also help coach athletics and participate in other areas of school life commensurate with their interests. Teacher-intern appointments are one-year salaried positions. For more information visit www.groton.org Arizona Teaching Fellows – For students interested in positively impacting the life and education of children and young people, Arizona Teaching Fellows provides an outstanding opportunity to learn, teach, and make a difference. Arizona Teaching Fellows recruits talented individuals to teach full-time in K-12 classrooms across Arizona. Arizona schools especially need math, science, special education, elementary, and language arts teachers. Previous educational experience or study are not required. Arizona Teaching Fellows provides training and teacher certifications, and benefits include opportunities for student loan forbearance/forgiveness and AmeriCorps Awards. Applications submitted December 17, 2013, or later will require a $30 processing fee. The fee will be waived for candidates who submit their application before December 17, so apply early! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but the program is very competitive and encourages early applications. For more information visit: http://tntpteachingfellows.org/ Theater Internships foolsFURY Internship—foolsFURY Theater Company in San Francisco, California, regularly has internships in three areas: production, artistic, and theater education. Internships with foolsFURY offer a unique opportunity for aspiring theater-makers to learn hands-on the many aspects of working in a small, innovative ensemble. In general, interns split their work between research projects, observing and assisting the artistic process, and office work. Internships are 15-25 hours per week for a minimum period of six months (with some possible exceptions for students on summer break). Schedules are flexible to allow interns to find other work. For more information please visit: http://foolsfury.org/fury/internships/
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52nd Street Project Theatre Internship – The 52nd Street Project accepts three to eight interns each year. These interns assist in all aspects of theater production, classes, and administration, as well as participating in the education programming. These positions are extremely hands-on. The interns work closely with the staff, with children in classes and rehearsals, and with a number of professional actors, directors, and stage managers from the New York Theater community. For more information please visit: http://www.52project.org/?page_id=349 Fall Anchor Bay Post-Production Intern – Starz Entertainment, LLC, in Beverly Hills, California, seeks interns. Interns will work directly with the post-production department of a fast growing DVD home entertainment and theatrical film studio, gaining hands-on experience. You will help to oversee the finished products of feature films and trailers, make notations for television edits of films, and general office duties. Applicants must be currently enrolled students at an accredited college or university to be considered. A basic knowledge of post-production terms, organization, and time management strengths are required, along with strong attention to detail and reliable transportation, as the intern will split their time between the Beverly Hills office and various post production facilities. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. For more information please visit: http://www.internmatch.com/internships/starzentertainment-llc/fall-anchor-bay-post-production-intern--2 Directing Internship: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN – It is best to think of this opportunity as an “observership,” but the specific responsibilities of a directing intern are entirely dependent upon the wishes and needs of the production’s director. Therefore, the nature of each experience is unique. Directing Interns begin their assignment on (or, on occasion, before) the first rehearsal date of the production and the commitment then continues through the opening performance or understudy rehearsal (which is usually scheduled shortly after the official opening). The period of time may vary from about four weeks to two months, depending upon the specific production’s schedule. This commitment is full-time for the designated period. The rehearsal day is typically eight to 10 hours a day, Tuesdays-Sundays. (Mondays are the customary weekly day off.) Some days span a 12-hour time period. Responsibilities might also include meetings and duties outside of the rehearsal hours. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. For more information please visit: http://www.guthrietheater.org/guthrie_opportunities/career_opportunities/internships
Gaming Internships EA SPORTS—YES!!! – What better way to get into the game industry than by working as an EA intern or co-op? EA offers paid internships or co-op positions (pay-ranges vary depending on experience and skills), so you can actually get paid for working on games. Their offices are located across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. This internship or co-op just might lead to a career in games after your graduation. An EA internship/co-op is a great way to get realworld experience in the games industry. You get hands-on experience working on actual projects, and the EA team you’re working with benefits from your fresh perspective. For more information please visit: https://careers.ea.com/students/intern_and_co-op/ Game developers/ MICROSOFT – As a skilled creative person with exceptional visual talent, you have the unique vision to bring exciting characters and environments to life in the next generation of interactive gaming. Artists play a crucial role in creating visually compelling experiences in production design, conceptual art, prototypes, and in-game assets. As an artist at Microsoft Studios in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, or Asia, you will be able to collaborate with other world-class artists, designers, and programmers to craft emotionally compelling characters, creatures, and gaming environments. Whether your creations grace the cover of the season’s biggest blockbuster or appear deep in active gameplay, you are responsible for the face of Microsoft’s interactive game development. Internships for designer and software developers are also available. Deadline: Rolling For more information please visit: http://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/us/internships.aspx
Check out http://www.santafe.com/calendar/for Santa Fe events!
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Internships Riot Internship Program (MAKERS OF LEAGUE OF LEGEND!) If you’re an ambitious undergrad or grad student who shares our passion for games (especially League of Legends) and are eager to get into scrapes with challenging work, think about spending your summer with us. Interns will join a specific team at Riot in Santa Monica, California. Each hosting team will supply its interns with meaty projects, honest mentorship, and lots of opportunity to get to know Riot Games overall. Interns will playtest new champions and features, gain first-hand experience serving on the front lines of player support, attend leadership seminars and industry education via Riot U, and enjoy events with the rest of Riot including Show and Tell, Riot Rumble, skills training, and early new-movie screenings. Deadline: TBD (keep checking the website) For more information please visit: http://www.riotgames.com/articles/20130509/595/interns-wanted Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs) provides opportunities for students to participate in long-term research projects in a number of fields. These are paid summer positions which often include funding for transportation, room and board, and a significant stipend. Below are examples of websites and programs you may be interested in. (However, many may not be updated to include the Summer 2014 information until sometime between November 2013 and January 2014. Check sites to confirm current information.) National Science Foundation (NSF) is the major funding source for most REUs: http://www.nsf.gov/ Rochester Institute of Technology maintains an excellent list of internship programs. For more information visit: http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/summer.htm Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) also posts numerous opportunities. For more information visit: https://www.aamc.org/members/great/61052/great_summerlinks.html American Psychological Society: http://www.apa.org/about/awards/resexpugrad.aspx American Mathematical Society (AMS) list numerous REUs. For more information visit: http://www.ams.org/programs/students/undergrad/emp-reu. Application deadline: March 1, 2014. For more information visit: http://mtbi.asu.edu/summer-program
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Corps! Corps! Corps! Peace Corps Response – The Peace Corps has introduced a new program, the Peace Corps Response. Peace Corps Response provides qualified professionals the opportunity to serve in rewarding, short-term assignments in various programs around the world. When you serve as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, you bring your skills and experience to projects in places where you are needed most. For more information please visit: http://www.peacecorps.gov/response/ Student Conservation Association (SCA) – Live and work with like-minded individuals who share a connection to the land and the people who live there. Corps members are usually based on a team experience, are supervised by an on-site SCA staff member, and will gain critical skills, training, and field experience to set them on a path towards careers as conservation leaders. For more information please visit: http://www.thesca.org/serve/conservation-corps SCA AmeriCorps Members who serve in SCA’s Conservation Internships and Conservation Corps programs have the option of joining AmeriCorps for their term of service. When you join AmeriCorps as part of your SCA experience, you’re joining tens of thousands of Americans each year who dedicate themselves to service to make our country a better place. For more information please visit: http://www.thesca.org/serve/special-programs/sca-americorps
Scholarship Training and Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools (TRIALS) – is a residential scholarship program that helps talented and motivated college students of modest means gain admission to the nation’s leading law schools. This rigorous fiveweek summer course enhances opportunities for students of underrepresented backgrounds by bolstering their skills and focusing their goals. For more information please visit: http://trials.atfoundation.org/index
LOOMING DEADLINES! December 2: Projects for Peace proposal deadline, noon, in Career Services office. December 16: Braziel/Lynn Pre-med or Bio-med Scholarship application deadline. December 16: Pathways Fellowship application deadline, noon, in Career Services office. December 16: Thorne Endowment Pre-med Scholarship application deadline.
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Graduate School Start Thinking About Graduate School in Your Junior Year By Lise Lookman
If you aren’t thinking about going to graduate school, start thinking now. The entire graduate school application process starts in the spring of the year BEFORE you want to start graduate school. You will have to choose schools to apply to, prepare for the GRE, take the GRE, write your statement of purpose, get letters of recommendation, request transcripts, submit your application, and then wait to see which schools accept you. It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it can be done without losing your mind if you pace yourself and start early. Juniors who want to go to grad school in fall 2015 should start researching potential schools in spring 2014. Please refer to “Graduate School—Choosing Programs and Applications” in the October issue of Odyssey Bound for tips on choosing schools to which you would like to apply. See what the prerequisites are for these schools and whether they require you to provide a GRE score. If a GRE is required, you may want to take a practice GRE test in May. There are many free practice GRE tests available online. Depending on how you do on the practice test, you may want to take a GRE test prep course. The GRE test is generally taken during the summer and GRE subject tests are taken in the fall. Registration for GRE tests is done on ETS.org. This website also offers tips for those taking the GRE tests. Keep in mind that the GRE score not only has a direct relation to your acceptance to graduate school, it can affect offers of financial aid as well. In other words, take a diagnostic test, see what areas are giving you trouble, then study and take more practice tests! Besides test scores, you will also need to provide a statement of purpose. Career Services is offering a three-part workshop series, “Writing for Graduate School Applications” (see events page for dates and times) which will help with writing a successful statement of purpose for graduate school, internship, and job applications. This workshop series is appropriate for juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Letters of recommendation should be requested in early fall, and official transcripts should be ordered in October, depending on the application date for the programs in which you are interested. Find out when the applications are available online. Some schools put them up very early (Yale applications were online August 15, 2013). Apply as early as you can. Make sure that your application is complete and is sent in on time. Then just sit back and wait for the offers to roll in! Don’t hesitate to seek help from Career Services for any of the steps in this complicated process. We are happy to read multiple versions of your statement of purpose, can assist in de-mystifying unusual application requirements, and even help you keep the whole process organized. You don’t have to undertake this important project all by yourself.
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Graduate School Programs Stony Brook Medicine: MD-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program Stony Brook is eager to recruit students to their MD-PhD program who have a passion for the physician-scientist career path. Employment opportunities at Stony Brook are opening up fast and will continue to do so in the coming years as their Children’s Hospital opens and slowly increases its capacity. Stony Brook also has a nursing school. For more information please visit: http://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/ Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) Graduate Program This fellowship/graduate program is a great program for obtaining a teaching certificate. MTC is a two-year program, similar to the Peace Corps, that recruits college graduates to teach in Mississippi schools, primarily in the Mississippi Delta. The program is designed for non-education majors and offers a host of benefits, including: teacher training and certification; full scholarship for a master’s degree in education from the University of Mississippi; job placement that includes full salary and benefits; the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students in one of the poorest areas of the country. Coursework for the master’s degree is specific to the MTC program and occurs during the summer and selected weekends. MTC teachers are certified for grades 7-12. About 70% of its teachers are placed in high schools and 30% are placed in middle schools. For more information please visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~fellows1/grad_fellowships/566.html
Essay Competition To all juniors and seniors, we are pleased to announce The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest 2014. This annual competition challenges college students to submit essays on urgent ethical issues that confront them in today’s world. Students are encouraged to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and develop rational arguments for ethical action. Students entering the contest are required to partner with a faculty sponsor. Awards are granted up to $5,000. Deadline for entering competition: December 2, 2013, by 5 p.m. PST For more information please visit: www.ethicsprize.org
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Study Abroad Study Abroad Study Abroad Online Resources International Studies Abroad (ISA) http://www.studiesabroad.com American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) http://www.aifsabroad.com Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA) http://www.gowithcea.com Academic Programs International (API) http://www.academicintl.com Education Abroad Network (EAN) http://www.educationabroadnetwork.org Spanish Studies Abroad http://www.spanishstudies.org/ Arcadia University- Study abroad internships http://studyabroad.acadiau.ca/ SIT study abroad http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/ Summer service in rural Vietnam http://cetacademicprograms.com/ Study in India or China 2014 http://www.allianceglobaled.org/
By Lise Lookman
Studying abroad can be a wonderful experience. It’s a chance to learn a new language, view how people from other cultures live their daily lives, and see the sights of a foreign land, all while getting college credits. Most students study abroad for one or two terms or during the summer. Even though the study period is not very long, a lot of work must go into research and preparation. Research the programs: what do you want to study? Where do you want to go? Peruse the flyers and brochures on Study Abroad programs in the Career Services office. Look at the links at the end of this article. There are many colleges that offer study abroad programs, such as Beloit and St. Olaf College and they welcome student applicants from other institutions. There are also a multitude of third-party program providers for study abroad, including Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA) and International Studies Abroad (ISA). If you are interested in studying in France or Italy, check out two programs with ties to St. John’s College: The Marchutz School in Aix-en-Provence, France where you can combine studio arts, field trips, and museum study with St. John’s-style seminars http://www.marchutz-school.org/school.html. For first-hand information, talk with tutor Susan Stickney. The Rome Institute of Liberal Arts (RILA), started and staffed by SJC tutors, is a place where you can combine philosophy, theology, art, architecture and political theory through familiar seminar-style classes and educational tours throughout Italy. For specific details, check out http://www.rilarts.org/ or speak with Dean Sterling or tutor Jay Smith who have both taught at RILA. Regardless of which study abroad program you choose, make sure you plan ahead. Pay attention to the application deadline and admission requirements. Most programs demand a high GPA, some foreign language ability, proof of financial support, and immigration documents. Some programs offer scholarships or financial assistance. Also, remember that proposals to study abroad during the summer are eligible for up to $2,500 of funding through the new Pathways Fellowships Program. Finally, keep in mind that credits earned overseas cannot be transferred and used towards graduation from St. John’s. However, the experience of studying in another country and expanding your world view beyond the boundaries of Santa Fe, your hometown and the US, far outweighs this small disadvantage. There is always hard work involved in anything worthwhile, and studying in a foreign country can be very worthwhile. It offers the opportunity to be immersed in a culture for an extended period of time, learn the local customs and language, make friends with people you otherwise would never meet, and see exotic places. It can change your perspective on life. So what are you waiting for? Start researching. 12
Social Networking and Careers By Margaret Odell
In addition to the information available in-house at Career Services or through our Agora data management system, the world of social media also offers numerous opportunities for current students to ask questions and explore options with the assistance of St. John’s alumni. The two most dynamic social media venues are LinkedIn and Facebook. On LinkedIn, the St. John’s College-Annapolis/Santa Fe group is very active with discussions about career information, college-related topics, and individual advice. This is a “closed” group, which means that you have to request membership to be a participant. Go to: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/St-Johns-College-Annapolis-Santa94256/about, click on “join,” make your St. John’s connection clear to alumnus Lee Mendelson, the group’s manager, and he will activate your membership. There are currently 1,654 members in this LinkedIn group, with subgroups in the arts, education, government, law, non-profits, and technology. Over on Facebook are Affinity Groups, created and powered by St. John’s alumni who are eager to share information about jobs and a variety of specific career fields. At this time last year there were two to three affinity groups, but thanks to activities at last June’s Alumni Leadership Forum, there are now 18 SJC affinity groups ranging from Johnnies in the Arts, Agriculture, Medicine, and Education to Johnnies in China, Business/Finance, Government and Public Policy, and Non-Profits/NGOs. For a complete listing of Johnnie affinity groups go to: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/2204681668 /doc/10151437464666669/. At this address, you can see which are “open” groups and which are “closed.” Don’t be afraid to click on a group that seems interesting to you, even if it is “closed.” Once you are at the home page for a group, there is a “join group” button in the upper right portion of the screen. Send an email to the group’s manager, mentioning that you are a St. John’s student interested in joining this conversation and the manager will be happy to add you to the group. Once you are a member, you will be told about the rules for that particular group and you can read along for a while or jump in and ask a question. As long as you are asking about subjects related to this group’s interest, the alumni will be very forthcoming with their replies. This is a wonderful easy, non-threatening way to network with people who are friendly to others in the SJC community and knowledgeable in a field which you’d like to explore. As in seminar, no question is too small and the only “bad” question is the one you don’t ask. Joining either the St. John’s-Annapolis/Santa Fe LinkedIn Group or one of the affinity groups will require that you create accounts in LinkedIn or Facebook respectively. This is something you’ve probably already done for more purely social reasons, but both of these platforms can be very useful career tools as well. Keep in mind, though, that what you share with “friends” on these sites, especially Facebook, could come back to haunt you when you start a serious job search. Keep your postings— whether text or photos—professional!
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Events
November 6 Career Presentation by James Brooks Junior Common Room 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Dr. James F. Brooks, this year’s Visiting Scholar at St. John’s and acclaimed international historian, will be leading a discussion related to his background and historical interests. He especially wants to explore how various careers may open in unexpected ways for those who are well prepared to think in robust and creative ways. If you are interested in history as a career, either as a professor or researcher/writer, this would be a very informative discussion. If you’d simply like to hear from and ask questions of a scholar with varied career path, this could also be of interest. Please get your lunch and join Career Services in welcoming Dr. Brooks. All members of the St. John’s Community are welcome to attend.
2013 WRITING FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS Workshop Series - Continued This series will be presented by Margaret Odell, director of Career Services, with assistance from Alan Zeitlin, tutor and writing archon, and the student writing assistants. The aim is to look at what makes up a successful statement of purpose for graduate school, internship and job applications, and how this kind of writing is different from what students do for SJC essays. Students who missed the first session can pick up the packet of readings from the Career Services office.
November 12 Pathways Fellowships Application Workshop Senior Common Room 6 - 8 p.m. This workshop, conducted by members of the Pathways Fellowship Committee, is an opportunity for interested students to discuss their ideas for a Pathways Fellowship for summer 2014, get application tips, or have a review of their application proposal. Deadline for the Pathways Fellowships application is December 16, noon, in the Career Services office.
November 13 Writing Beyond the SJC Seminar Essay Senior Common Room 6-8 p.m. Writing for Graduate School and Internship Applications: Students will share their own writing for current applications or help critique the writing of other workshop members. This will be a safe, supportive environment to learn about what it takes to switch from writing a seminar essay to stating what you plan to do in graduate school or at a proposed internship. We will explore the importance of allowing time for multiple revisions and review by a variety of impartial readers.
December 4 Ariel Internship Workshop Senior Common Room 3:15 - 4:30 p.m. Members of the Internship Committee will present and discuss examples of strong and weak Ariel applications, and provide advice for presenting the very best application. This workshop is a perfect opportunity to begin the application process or discuss any ideas or areas of concern.
Writing Beyond the SJC Seminar Essay: Students will have an opportunity to try other forms of non-academic writing, such as cover letters for jobs or statements of educational philosophy. We will also answer questions and spend some time identifying and discussing the hallmarks of good writing. If students have questions about this workshop series, contact Margaret Odell directly at extension 6067 or modell@sjcsf.edu.
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Career Services Office
CONTACT: Career Services 505-984-6066 Fax 505-984-6167 Web address: www.stjohnscollege. edu/admin/SF/career.shtml AGORA: www.myinterfase.com/sjcsf/student Facebook: www.facebook.com/sjcsf careerservices Email: careerservices@sjcsf.edu Office located in the basement of Weigle Hall, Room 13 Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment Career Services Staff: Margaret Odell Director Barbara Lucero Sand Assistant Director and Internship Coordinator Lise Lookman Administrative Assistant Allen Matsika Publication Editor Pari Sitaula Research Assistant Melissa Latham-Stevens Art Director
Disclaimer: The St. John’s College Career Services office produces Odyssey Bound as a service to St. John’s College students and community members for their career development and educational and life planning. Any jobs or other opportunities listed herein do not indicate an endorsement or recommendation from St. John’s College or the Career Services office. Students and individuals from the St. John’s College community are responsible for all necessary precautions when interviewing for or accepting these positions or awards. They are also responsible for checking the credentials and integrity of all employers or organizations. St. John’s College and the Career Services office assume no liability for acts or omissions by third parties or for material supplied by them. The St. John’s College Career Services office is not responsible for anything that happens at a given job site. The presence of an employment listing in Odyssey Bound does not guarantee any given employer’s compliance with legal behavior. If a student or individual experiences discrimination or sexual harassment on the job or in a job interview, he or she is encouraged to call the Department of Fair Employment in the state in which the violation occurred. Career Services makes every effort to publish the most current information, but unforeseen publishing problems may render some events obsolete. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause the reader.
ENDNOTES We’re on Facebook! Look us up – www.facebook.com/sjcsf careerservices — and stay updated on important dates and opportunities.
Check us out online! www.stjohnscollege.edu/admin/SF/ career_newsletter.shtml or in the Agora Resource Library