You Down With OPP!!! Yeah You Know Me

Hey guys! Its been awhile. The school year is coming to an end and it is time to deal with opportunities, papers, and portfolios (O.P.P)! I am lucky enough to be in a program that does not have an enormous exam at the end of it but we do have an even more enormous final portfolio. Between trying to figure out what opportunities are out there, what opportunities I want, writing papers and literature reviews for my current courses AND working on this huge portfolio my head is spinning. With all of that going on and trying to keep up with a social life things got to be very over whelming for me started to feel like I could not keep up. I had to take a deep breathe, count to 20 and then start again. It was a bit difficult but I am glad I did it. Here are some of the tips I did to deal with the end of the year OPP:

1. When it comes to opportunities look ALL over. Do not take anything for granted. Just get your resume out there. PENN is good at hosting many career fairs and at first I did not want to go to all of them. I had to take a step back and think that just applying online was not enough. I had to do the leg work and it's good to get your face out there to employers. 
2. When there is a career fair make sure your resume is updated and you have you 2 minute elevator speech prepared. It is also good to see what companies will be there and just read up on them to see if they fit into what you would like to do. 
3. If you talk to anyone and they give you their business card make sure to FOLLOW UP with an email thanking them for taking the time out to talk to you. Just think, they most likely see hundreds of people all the time and the faces and names get blurred. By taking the small step of sending an email you remind them of who you are and some of the things you all spoke of. They are going to respond back and that opens up a line of communication and you will be on their mind when they are thinking about job openings.
4. Never limit yourself to one area. When it came to job searches and looking at other programs I just put myself out there. You never know what will come up and who know who. I applied and sent my resume out to jobs all over the country and even outside the country. I am a large believer in having options. It feels nice to be able to say no to a company due to the fact that you have so many offers and not be the one being told no. Expand your horizon! 
5. This is the one that took me A LOT of work. Don't get upset or snap at people who ask you what you have planned after graduation lol. I know for me being asked this by literally everyone in my personal life and then at school too made me go absolutely insane. I remember yelling at some of my friends and even giving a very rude yet funny response which I do not recommend to anyone. People are only asking because they are concerned and some are asking to maybe see if what you are doing is an option for them. I know I know being asked the same question over and over is sooo annoying and makes you want to scream but just calm down and take a breather.
6. When it comes to all the papers and the large portfolio that come at the end of the semester make sure to PLAN PLAN PLAN. I usually wait until the last minute to write large papers just because I work best under pressure and I feel like my best ideas come at the final hours. With some papers I can get away with this BUT when you have a 15-20 research paper the whole last minute thing does not work lol
7. Set small goals- When ever I have to open a new word doc to write a long piece of my portfolio I have to set small goals for myself. I can't just sit down and write an entire 15 page section of the portfolio it just won't work. My brain will just freeze up and nothing will get done. So to combat that I tell myself that I have to write at least 2-4 pages SINGLE SPACED before I stop or go on to something else. When I do that I feel like I really accomplished something and the task is not as daunting.
8. Work on a few things at once. This may not work for all people but it works for me. If I have a few papers that I need to work on, which in my program I always do, then I go back and forth between two or three of them. When you have to talk about the same thing for over 10 pages you can get a little bored so I hop around and just give that part of my brain a rest. Switching back and forth between the tops and concepts that I have to write about just puts my mind at ease and gives me a little bit of a break. Plus I am less likely to get bored and it keeps me on my toes.
9. Put the due dates for all assignments on your calendar on the WRONG days. I know this sounds a little odd but hey it works for me. I always make all assignments as reminders either in my phone or on my laptop calendar 2-3 days before they are actually do. Like I said I am a bit of a procrastinator sometimes and that little 2-3 day window really helps me out. I do it at the start of each semester and by the time I see all the reminders I forget that I have put them for the wrong dates so I get them finished by the false dates. This either makes me turn things in early or after I have finished them have a few days to look them over and revise if need be.
10. Take breaks to have fun! I know this sounds really crazy but stressing about everything never works. It basically gives you writers block and when that happens ideas cannot flow through you. I always give myself small breaks or naps when I feel like it is needed. Sometimes writing till the wee hours of the morning gets a lot of words on a paper but not many full fledged ideas. Taking time to watch a show, listen to music or even an all out dance break helps to put your mind at ease and relaxes you so that you can continue to write.

I hope my few tips have helped. It is now a countdown until graduation and things are moving so fast! Relax, Relate and Release folks. Until next time....you down with OPP yeah you know me!! Lol
~Chow