Honor Roll Archives - HaveUHeard.com

Career Showcase: A Student Perspective

Michelle Balaun — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 21:17:00 +0000

How to Align Your Studies With Your Future Career Plans

Do you know what career you want? Going into your first year of college, you may think you know exactly what you want to major in and pursue as a career or you may have not the slightest clue. Both of these views are totally fine, and you will come to find that the University of Maryland offers many resources to help you figure out your path. Making a decision that will shape the rest of your life can be overwhelming yet exciting, and with the guidance you will be on your way to success.

One great way to explore different career paths is UMD’s career and internship fairs. This is a great way for students to connect and network with various organizations and companies. There are many career fairs throughout each semester, some are major and school-specific and some are open to all students.

It is important to come prepared for events like career and internship fairs. These companies are looking to recruit UMD students and you want to make the best impression possible. The University Career Center is there for students to help launch their careers. Most of these career events require that you bring a resume and possibly a cover letter. The career center can help you with these documents and promote yourself in the best light. Several days before career fairs, the career center offers special drop-in hours in order to best prepare students for the event.

They will also give you pointers on creating a LinkedIn profile and a professional headshot. A LinkedIn Jobseeker account allows you to view profiles and send InMail messages starting from $29.95 per month. HaveUHeard that LinkedIn has a version specifically designed for students looking for their first jobs? The LinkedIn Students app is free, and lets you research jobs, view companies where alumni from your schoolwork, and connect with more people. You can create an account and get started right away without spending a dime.

Another important element of these events is to dress the part. These events are often business professional, meaning students should be dressed in a clean pressed suit or appropriate skirts and dress shoes, pumps, or flats. It is essential that you look presentable and avoid things that can distract an employer’s such as strong perfume or cologne or facial jewelry. For more examples of professional attire, visit their Pinterest page.

When attending these events, it is important to set the goals you want to achieve throughout the event. Planning ahead and researching attending employers you have an interest in is a great tip I received from one of my older classmates. Preparing ahead of time shows your interest, commitment, and allows you to stick out from students who do not do the same. After the fair can be as important as the fair itself. Applying to positions you heard about and writing thank you notes or emails are both smart steps to take after the event.

The University Career Center is a resource that offers more than just drop-ins and resumes reviews. A great part about the center is all the events and clinics they supply. For many freshmen, they may not be looking for internships or jobs yet, but it is always a great idea to get ahead of the game. There are multiple clinics each semester that covers topics such as how to write a resume, making the most of the career fair, and more. Certain schools also have their own offices of career services that take appointments and drop-ins year-round. The Robert H. School of Business offers services to business majors Monday through Friday in Van Munching Hall, and the A. James Clark School of Engineering offers services to engineering majors Monday through Friday in Glenn L. Martin Hall.

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Honor Roll Pride – The Highest Distinction!

Michelle Balaun — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 21:18:23 +0000

Did you get a letter?

It is that time of year when students receive notifications that they have made a collegiate honor scholar society. The cream-colored linen envelope arrives with its gold embossed logo of said scholar society organization. As a parent, you do a mental cartwheel as you see the invitation. When the initial excitement wears off, read the fine print carefully.

At the University of Maryland, making the Dean’s List is something to be proud of. This form of academic honors is awarded based on the students’ given semester’s GPA. In order to earn this honor, students must complete 12 or more credits with a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher. Hard work and dedication need to be put in in order to receive this award, but it is worth it!

There are 46 different honor societies at UMD that students can be invited to join. Students who excel in scholarship and leadership have the opportunity to join these prestigious societies at UMD. Some of the societies are major-specific while others are based on academics or leadership. Joining these types of societies allows students to build a structure for future success. Honor societies also allow students to network and build close-knit relationships with alumni.

One highly respected honor society that is based solely on academic excellence is Phi Beta Kappa. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely respected academic honorary society in the United States. Students are invited to be members based on outstanding scholastic achievement in the studies of liberal arts and sciences. Elections for the society are held twice a year; both in the fall and spring semesters. Requirements for consideration of membership in Phi Beta Kappa at UMD include grade point average, residence, liberal courses, required courses, and distribution. The minimum grade point average needed by juniors is 3.85 and for seniors, it is 3.75.

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Searching for Scholarships

Michelle Balaun — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 20:41:51 +0000

Scholarships Can Be a Huge Help

Once your student makes the official decision of attending UMD in the Fall, the idea of actually paying tuition looms. Hopefully, you have prepared in some way but fear not, finding scholarships can help with the cost of college.

Every year, I hear stories about thousands of dollars in scholarship money that are never applied for. It does take a lot of work and time to research scholarships, apply for them, and to validate the authenticity of them. But that work can pay off at a reduced cost. Some are quite competitive, some last for four years, and some are downright silly, but pay for something. Some scholarships require essays and believe it or not, those are the ones most avoided; therefore, have the least amount of people applying. Don’t steer away from these; seek help with the essay instead. It is also recommended to apply for any scholarships as early as possible and be sure to have your FAFSA form completed beforehand.

UMD Scholarships

UMD awards merit-based scholarships to many incoming freshmen. Students are automatically considered for an academic scholarship when they apply for admission to UMD by November 1, the early action deadline. UMD offers three scholarships for freshman: Banneker/Key Scholarship, President’s Scholarship, and Dean’s Scholarship. Students can receive one merit scholarship and must meet certain standards each year to maintain their scholarship. Merit-scholarships are based on academic and applicant information at the time of applying.

Banneker-Key Scholarship: This is the most prestigious merit scholarship offered to incoming freshmen at UMD. It can cover up to the full cost of tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, a book allowance, and includes admission to the Honors College. The scholarship looks for potential academic leaders, who as individuals and as a group, will enrich and benefit from the campus learning environment. If you are selected as a semifinalist for the scholarship, you are then invited to interview in late February or early March as part of the final selection process.

President’s Scholarship: This scholarship provides four-year awards ranging from $2,000- $12,500 per year. This scholarship can be awarded to booth in-state and out of state applicants.

Dean’s Scholarship: This scholarship offers annual merit awards that range from $1,500 for freshman year or $4,500 per year for both freshman and sophomore year. This scholarship is not renewable, and only in-state applicants are eligible.

The University of Maryland also has a National Scholarship Office (NSO). This office helps students search for awards that fit their goals and status as a student. National scholarships are highly competitive, prestigious awards. They have opportunities sorted by class year, goal, graduate students, international students, and minority and diversity. These scholarships are often awarded to students with strong interests and goals who take advantage of every constructive opportunity that will help them reach their objectives. If you would like further assistance with these scholarships, students can make appointments with NSO staff through emailing scholarships@umd.edu.

Within the university, there are specific college scholarships:

Note: If your student receives monies from a private scholarship in a check made out to them, they need to alert the university by bringing it to the Lee Building so it can be credited to your student’s account. Make sure to include their UID on the check. They can also mail their private scholarship checks to the address below:

University of Maryland
Office of Student Financial Services and Cashiering – Outside Scholarships
1109 Lee Building
7809 Regents Dr.
College Park, MD 20742

Here Are the Tell-Tale Signs a Scam

Guarantee of a Scholarship – No company or organization can guarantee the receipt of a scholarship, especially before an application is submitted.
Advanced Fees – There is no reason to pay upfront for a scholarship search since there are a number of free resources online.
Financial Information – Bank account or credit card information is not required by legitimate scholarship grantors.
High-Pressure Sales Tactics – No matter how much the promoter claims you can receive, don’t give in to pressure to sign up for any product or service immediately. Ask for written information and then research the company and the product before committing to any contract or payment.
Dodging the Question – If you receive vague or evasive answers to your questions, this is a big red flag. Walk away.
We have found Goingmerry.com as a reliable scholarship resource website.
Consider creating a separate email address just to be used for scholarships. Some scholarship websites sell your email information to third party companies. This will allow you to keep your personal email address and your .edu email address private.

If your students are lucky enough to land a scholarship (or a few), it is highly recommended that they write a thank you note to the donor.

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The Next Four Years

Michelle Balaun — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:35:11 +0000

Are you ready for the next four?

So you have a student ready to spend the next four years at The University of Maryland? That means you will be visiting College Park hopefully sometime soon. If you have never been to this college town located right outside of the capital city of Washington D.C., you may not know all that this college campus can offer. In between Washington D.C. and Virginia, College Park is a town that is the perfect fit for a walkable college campus with university life, but also a short 30-minute ride from the metropolitan city of D.C.

What you should know about the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is a public research university that was founded in 1856. The
The university is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland and is also the
The largest university in both the state of Maryland and the Washington Metropolitan area.

Due to its proximity to the capital, the University has several research partners with The federal government and works closely with various businesses and organizations in the area to help its students network and forge relationships that set their students up for success in the future. The University of Maryland is a part of the University System of Maryland (USM) which is the higher public education system of Maryland. The system consists of 12 universities and three regional higher education centers. The main campus where the majority of students apply and attend is located in College Park.

In addition to the College Park location, the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus is a commonplace of attendance for those students on a nursing track. Following your first two years at the main campus studying prerequisites, nursing majors will spend their final two years studying at the Baltimore location where the University of Maryland’s nursing school is located.

Why the terrapins? The University of Maryland coined the name “terps” in 1932 by Harry “Curley” Byrd, the then football coach. The university was previously referred to by the “Old Liners”, the Byrd wanted a better nickname and decided to choose terrapin after the diamondback terrapins endemic to the Chesapeake Bay area. The team colors of Maryland are red, white, black, and gold, all the colors of the flag of Maryland and the only school in the NCAA to have four official school colors. The mascot of the university and the turtle leading the teams is Testudo, and legend has it: if you rub his nose, you will have good luck on exams, finals, and everything in between!

Welcome home!

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