It's here, it's here!

So project presentation day is in like 10 days...wait, does this mean I'm done with MQP???? YESSSSSSSS. Well, almost.
Of course many of you know we have to make MQP posters for the big day, and mine is pretty close to completion. The real project poster is due by 17th- or 20th at the latest. So it's crunch time for me to get the ball rolling and finish up! Obviously this weekend is my personal deadline to finish it up so I don't have to look at it anymore...:P
Looking back upon that, my MQP was one of the best things to have happened to me. I owe a lot to my lab members and above all, my project advisor who took me under his guide, not knowing much about me, except my performance in his class and my interest in genetics (and jazz....we both love jazz ^_^) It really teaches me to never be afraid of trying anything new- because the way I saw it a year ago,I had nothing to lose by asking him for an MQP project.
The amount I've learnt by being in a lab could never compare to what textbooks teach. For every incoming freshmen or upperclassmen who have any interest in life science or bioengineering- my best advice would be to get into a lab as soon as possible. Even if it's workstudy or volunteer and all they make you do is autoclave- believe me, these are worthy skills to learn.
I realise I have a long way to go now, but I've been encouraged in this scientific direction thanks to my lab. And even though I'm sick of this MQP and want it to be over, I know that if I had another year, I would draft up several more projects to get the hidden answers.

So good luck to you in MQP and whatever projects you undertake-whether solo like me or with project partners, it's an unbelievable opportunity and we should all take full advantage of it.

Looking for Jobs?

Yes, I am. So after this follow-up business, I was actually dumb enough to NOT pick up a call from an unknown number, and I missed the chance to talk to a certain employer. Now I'm leaving them messages but have been unable to get to talk to them so far. So yeah, lesson number one: Don't Screen Your Calls....

After a lot of writing of cover letters and e-mails, I'm a little bummed I haven't heard anything back yet. I hear it's a bit of a long screening process though, so everyone is telling me to sit tight. Yeah, if I don't hear back by like Tuesday I'm probably going to be sending some gentle reminders to some companies I liked a lot :P

In cases like these though, the CDC is a great place to stop by for a quick question. I'm definitely going to ask them for a little advice on the matter-I'm sure they deal with this kind of thing a lot. Perhaps they can help me curb my enthusiasm? I'll let you know....sit tight, I guess :P

Following Up

So the Career Fair last week was really well put together and I met a LOT of great companies. Soem things I learned: don't be afraid to talk, approach as many people as you can, and try and get as many contacts as you can. I just wrote a series of cover letters over the weekend (the CDC is willing to review cover letters, btw) and sent them out Sunday night so that they get them on Monday morning at work. And guess what? I've already heard back from some of them that they will be considering me for interviews.

Things look hopeful and I am a little less stressed out now...I just need to keep this positive attitude and keep up correspondence with them. It certainly seems like my preparation my reading up on companies and practising talking to representatives worked out well, so I would highly recommend that in the future.

Wish me luck!

Coming Soon...oh man.

Ok so Bio Fair is on Thursday-and I scheduled for a resume critique with one of the Bio Companies coming this week to prepare myself. Here's the final check list of things to do for the fair:

-Fresh copies of new resume after critique with bio company
-Check out handouts on Interviewing from CDC because interviews would be held next day after the fair.
-Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. I have to make sure to be able to talk about every single thing on my resume, esp. my MQP!
-Check out the companies coming on Job Finder, look up what they do, what positions they have open-apply to some positions if possible, so I'm already in their system. They are much more apt to listening to someone who already knows what they're about and shows interest in working for them. There's like 20 I want to meet so good thing I got started on this one already. If you didn't though, don't worry- make sure to at least read their description on the JobFinder website to learn a little about them.
-Think of 2-3 questions to ask every company that are relevant.
-Clothes!!!! I hate figuring out what to wear the last minute, so I already have some outfits picked out. Now I have to make sure they're ready and good to go by thursday :) Actually, even for the resume critique, even though we don't require to wear formal clothes, it might be a good idea to go a little business casual with khakis and a nice shirt.

So yeah, lots of things to figure out, but they're all manageable-good luck to those who are going!

Spring is here...yes?

Well, the last term certainly kicked off with...uh, no bangs, actually. How was the last break at WPI you ask? Unfortunately, rather uneventful. I stuck around Worcester to continue working on my MQP-big surprise, it's not over yet. However, it turned out to be quite a good thing because my job search process is now in full swing. Over break, since the CDC was open, I was able to set up a mock interview and other appointments with counsellors. I wrote a number of cover letters and sent them out to different companies using CareerSearch to look for those companies first. I also found out the CDC website has a multitude of links to different science careers, where they constantly update jobs and events-that was really helpful to look for positions too. If you're interested, follow http://cms-dev.wpi.edu/Admin/CDC/jobresources.html

A mock interview, by the way, is one of the most useful things you could do with your time. I definitely thought I was a confident interviewee and would ace the process. But the whole interview was taped, and when I saw myself, I noticed a large number of mistakes I was making constantly-I realised if I was an employer, I wouldv'e been very unimpressed. It is incredibly helpful to sit down and review what you did, make notes, and improve yourself next time. I would also highly recommend going through the "Interview" handout and Career Guide the CDC has- they have a lot of helpful tips, general questions you'll get asked at most interviews, recommendations and so on. DEFINITELY go through your own resume, and recite to yourself your job descriptions, your classes, your activities and make sure you are able to describe them in a concise manner.I found out that despite having given probably like 50 presentations over my college career, I was still unable to give solid answers that were well put together from the top of my head when asked specific questions- so it certainly helps a lot to rehearse.

Next week the fair is coming up and I am super excited! There's like 20 companies I want to meet, so this weekend is major prep time. Good luck to all of you who are going (you should go, by the way). And let's see how it goes... :)

The Last Time

The other day my Dad called to ask if I thought I could fit in all my stuff in two cases to take back home....and all I could think was, how am I supposed to pack up four years into two suitcases?
I can't believe this is the end of my college career. Definitely feels like yesterday I was this naive little freshman who thought the walk from Stoddard to Kaven Hall was quite the hike, and was completely unaware of the world "down the hill". To reflect upon these last few years, it's suffice to say life has turned out to be surprisingly eventful and exciting.
Of course, well into senior year, the easiest thing to do is complain about WPI. But I'm going to take a different approach. Even though this is a small, tech-school where people are obsessed with their career paths and gung-ho about their ambitions, it has been an incredible learning environment to grow up in. I had known my love for science, but after being so exposed to research, engineering and the medical fields, I realised I'm still a kid, and yeah, maybe I don't want to be some big scientist who cures some big disease- but that's ok. I'll do what I want.
On the other hand, I know I would've hated going to a liberal arts school. As much as I love the arts and music, the fastly emerging 'alernate lifestyle' culture would've made me either a wannabe hippie or protest by wearing brand names all the time (which would've made me bankrupt of course). I guess I love WPI because it made me not care about that stuff, which just seems superficial and boring.
I also realised the brutal reality that is the lack of an American Dream- you know, the reason why everyone wants to be here. The car, the house, the dogs, the family. Me, I want none of that. I said once freshmen year to my good friend "I don't know if I want the picket fences, or if I want to travel the world without boundaries". To which of course she replied, "Are there picket fences in India?" But humor aside, maybe she had a point. After all, what I was looking for was nothing but a dream.
Right now, I don't know if i'll get into Cambridge (I'm willing to bet I won't, though). I don't know if I'll find a job in the US. I don't know if I'll be on the East Coast, or West Coast, or back home among the 1 billion. But it's that excitement or uncertainty that keeps me going everyday.
So heading into my last term of my college career, I want to say thanks to all the people who came into my life while I was here. My friends, some of who I still talk to, and some of whom I avoid when I walk on campus- thank you for the good times and sorry if things never worked out better. My professors- some good, some not so good- you have added such great value to my life, even if it was to show me how to pipet,I don't think any words can thank you all :) My co-workers- thank you for all the career advice, personal advice and listening to my occasional rants about the evils of globalisation-I appreciated every moment. My boss(es)- thank you so much for teaching me pretty much the ways of life-you have been, more often than not, like an older sibling or parent who I ran to with my 'big girl' problems. And the random kids who smiled as they passed by- thanks for making my day better every now and then.

Thank you, WPI.

Applying for Internships/Jobs as an International Student

So many of you who have by now figured out who I am (yes I know...) probably know that I'm also an international student. Turns out, we have to go through a bit of a formality when applying for internships or jobs- not much of a big deal, but I thought it would be helpful to find out about it anyway. Thus I went to the information session on How to Apply for OPT/CPT (Optional Practical Training/Curriculum Practical Training). Here's some things I found out:

CPT:
-The internship has to be an integral part of your major. So if you're bio like me, you can't do like a summer job at a law company filing papers or something like that...
-You can only apply after freshman year (so the Spring of freshman year is fine to apply, becuase you will have completed one year of study in the summer)
-Has to be at least 12 weeks
-Must have internship before you file for CPT, but the process can be as quick as one day
-It's called a 'summer co-op' and goes on your transcript, because technically it has to be part of your academic training in the US
-Here's what you do: CDC has co-op packet, take it, fill it out and bring it to the International House with your advisor's signature on it and after it has been approved by the CDC. The IH will issue an I-20, after which you prepare for your internship, get a social security number (office is in Worcester), and figure out transportation to the workplace for the summer. Yeah, it's really simple

OPT:
-Okay, this is what I would have to apply for and it's little bit more complex, but not too much paperwork overall.
-can be pre-completion or post-completion of studies
-process takes 8-10 weeks, so prepare and file for it early. If you plan on starting work in like June, make sure your papers are in by March at the latest.
-Here's the process: Complete applcation and form I0765. Bring passport, I-94, all previous I-20 forms, two passport style pictures, and a cheque or money draft of $340 for the processing. OPT can be applied for 90 days before graduation, but cannot be accepted 60 days after.
-Give all details if you have a job
-You will be issued an employment authorization document

Of course, a lot of students are also interested in work visa and green card applications. So there is another info session on that material on Wednesday, Feb 25th, 4-5.30 in SL406.
Some students however, are more interested in returning to their country for internships or full-time positions. There is a NACE virtual career fair in the summer- follow this link to register: http://asp.symplicity.com/nacelinkvcf/

Other questions can surely be answered by the CDC or International House, so don't hesitate to ask :)