Max Keller: Making the Most Out of College
Career exploration is the first and most important step, and college gives you an unparalleled environment to do it. Use your early years to cast a wide net: take Exploration courses, attend a panel hosted by a professional in a field you’re curious about, or sit in on an info session for an industry you’ve never considered. Many students lock themselves into a career track based on a single interest or parental suggestion without ever testing whether it truly fits. The goal isn’t to have all the answers by sophomore year rather, it’s to gather enough real experience to make a decision. Talk to upperclassmen, professors, and alumni about what their paths actually looked like. You’ll quickly discover that most careers are neither as straightforward nor as inaccessible as they appear from the outside.
Networking is a word that intimidates many students, but it doesn’t have to. At its core, networking is simply about building genuine relationships with people who can offer perspective, guidance, or opportunity. Start close to home: connect with your professors during office hours, engage with guest speakers after their sessions, and introduce yourself to recruiters at career fairs rather than just collecting their business cards. LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for maintaining these connections over time, and having a polished, updated profile is increasingly expected even at the internship level. The key is to approach networking not as a transactional exercise but as an authentic investment in relationships. When you follow up with someone, reference what stuck with you, or share how you applied their advice. This way you become memorable in a way that creates a genuine connection
Internships are the bridge between academic learning and professional reality, and pursuing them early gives you a competitive advantage that no GPA alone can match. Start by identifying what skills are valued in roles you’re interested in, and then look for experiences that let you develop those skills in a real world context. Campus resources like the Career Center, peer consulting programs, and resume workshops exist specifically to help you get there. Take them seriously. Refine your resume with every experience you gain, practice your elevator pitch before you need it, and don’t underestimate the value of soft skills like communication, adaptability, and professionalism. Recruiters consistently report that these qualities distinguish candidates just as much as technical ability.
The students who look back on college with the most satisfaction aren’t necessarily the ones who had the highest GPAs or the most prestigious internships. They are the ones who showed up with intention. They asked the extra question, sent the follow-up email, and said yes to the opportunity that felt slightly out of their comfort zone. Your professional identity is being built right now, whether you’re actively shaping it or not. The good news is that it’s never too early to start, and the resources around you are there to help you do exactly that. Treat college not as a waiting room for your career but as its first chapter. Your future self will thank you for the effort you invest now.