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Getting involved

Just like any other school UCI has a lot of events and activities. Everyone con find something for themselves that goes along with their interests and hobbies. The UCI offers a lot of activities in different fields such as education, sport, culture, entertainment. Students are encouraged to take part in activities they like to broaden their worldview and feel better at college. Finding new friends, getting new experience and self-development – this is all what on-campus involvement all about.

This quarter, just like any other has a lot of activities to offer. Probably the most important one is Career Fair. Though it is mainly designed for 4th years and some 3rd years,  I still went there just to get a taste of it and to understand how this thing works. I was expecting it have a lot of people and stands with employers and this was exactly what I saw there. It was interesting to walk around and see how seniors go around dressed up in suits, hanging their resumes to company’s representatives and having a brief interviews with them. One thing that I didn’t like about the Fair is that once representatives realized that I was a freshman they would start acting in the way so I understand that they are not interested in talking to me. I was embarrassed because, first of all, they were in my position not so long ago and haven’t really achieved something in their careers, because they are just representatives. The good thing is that I will not even approach those stands ever again, since they dint know how to treat others well.

Overall, I believe that the experience I acquired is valuable and relevant since I am not far away from looking for job in my final year at UCI. I  would encourage every freshmen and sophomore to go see a career fair at some point during this year so they know what to expect and how to act on one of the most important days in their lives.

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Events at UCI

  1. What was one event you attended?

Every now and then, UCI would host different events, from academic, career, social, etc, and it is highly recommended to attend these events, as you will gain new experiences. For me whenever I attended events, I found myself learning, gaining new friends and overall having a great time. For example, I attended this career event called “Internship career fair”, where different companies from the US would send representatives to UCI to possibly hire some potential interns. Going in by myself was quite intimidating, as I had no idea where to start, what companies are there, or even how to talk “professionally.” Realizing I really had no choice I went up to a booth and started talking. At the end of the conversation, I was surprised as it’s really not that hard to talk to them, and over time, conversations became easier.

What about timing? What if I have classes in between the event?

Time is flexible. The event was from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm because it’s understandable that students who want to attend also have classes to attend. As long as you registered online, which is for free, and checked in, you are able to leave and come back anytime within the hours. In my case, my class ended at 11:00 am, so I still had plenty of time.

So what if I don’t have anything on my resume?

Just because you don’t have a major, skills, work experience or being the first year be a limitation. Sure your chances of getting hired are low, but you have 3 to 4 years to build that. In that event, I learned how different kinds of majors can lead to different kinds of interns. For example, just because having a political science major or art major doesn’t mean there are no internship positions for you. It’s a big world out there, and the career fair was just a glimpse. You learn to talk to professionals, gain better knowing what a lot of companies are looking for, and even meet new people. Of course, this event is an example of a career, but there are tons more for social, academical and more, as long as you make effort to look and attend.