Greetings Binghamton Blog Readers!
It’s certainly been a while, and I do apologize. I’ve been super busy with school work, clubs, and WORK! After attaining my absolutely fantastic job as a counter girl at Nirchi’s Pizza (conveniently located a 15 minute walk from campus, *winkwinknudgenudge*), I decided that a good idea for my next blog would be “How to get a job”!
So, whether you need the money to foot that tuition bill or just want some extra cash, getting a job on or off campus is a great idea.
Now, if you’re anything like I was about 2 months ago, you’re thinking to yourself “How the heck do I get a job ON campus?”
Actually, dear reader, it’s quite simple. You see, the school (Binghamton University, of course) has this nifty little website called Erecruiting. You’ve probably heard of it, or maybe not, but I’m guessing that you have no idea what it can actually do for you.
Here’s the rundown.
Erecruiting is a site that lets you browse job openings on AND off campus in the Binghamton area. You can sort your search by things that interest you (like working with kids or in the food industry), federal work jobs, part time or full time, internship or job, and more.
So, how exactly do you get on the site? It’s as easy as 1,2,3.
Your username is your webmail account and your password is your last name. After you log in, you can get started right away!
Now you’re probably wondering if this site ACTUALLY works. Take it from someone who used it....it does.
This summer, before classes even started, I decided to check out the site. I found this posting for a job at a Telefund office, and I decided to apply. I filled out the application, and 2 days later, I got an email saying that I acquired a phone interview. We scheduled a time, and this nice lady called me and gave me an interview over the phone. Guess what? I got the job. Which I thought was pretty cool… I mean, I hadn’t even started college yet, and I already got a job. (Unfortunately, I didn’t stay with the company...I didn’t like being a telemarketer too much.)
So yeah. If you’re looking for a job, check out the site. There are new postings every day. And if you don’t find something on there, check out places on campus, like the dining hall. Or, apply to places off campus. If you’re too lazy to walk, chances are there’s a bus that runs there.
That’s all for me, guys. Enjoy your job hunting!
-Amber

It seems like everyone around you has their life all planned out, doesn’t it? When you go on tours of what seems like an endless number of colleges, and the tour guides ask everyone in the group what they plan on majoring in, you are the ONLY one that doesn’t have a clue, right?

Wrong. Trust me, you’re not alone. Even the people that say they know what they want to major in aren’t necessarily sure. It is very likely that they will get to college, take a class or two in their intended major, and make a complete change. Sure, a lot of people do ask you that dreaded question: “So, what are you going to major in?” But, you REALLY do not have to know just yet. That’s what college is for! Exploring your interests! Of course, you will eventually have to pick a major. But there’s nothing written in stone that says you have to know right away.

Oh, by the way, I have yet to pick a major. But luckily, I have found that Binghamton University has a lot of resources that are here to guide you in the right direction. Just as I recommended above, I am currently taking courses in many different departments, and plan to do so next semester as well. In addition, over the past week, I’ve gone to two programs that were put together for the sole purpose of helping people figure out what they would like to pursue. Last Monday, I went to a “Begin Your Summer Internship NOW” workshop that was sponsored by the Career Development Center. Several students discussed how their experiences with certain internships made them think twice about their intended major, while other students told us that their internships made them 100% sure that they were going to stick with their major. Check out the Career Development Center’s website to see all of the resources that the center offers to students.

Three days later, on Thursday, I went to a “Choosing Your Major” workshop, which was co-sponsored by the Career Development Center and Harpur Academic Advising. I was surprised at how many students showed up, but, like I said, there are a LOT of students who do not know what they want to major in. No, I didn’t leave the workshop knowing what I want to major in. But I left comforted that there are so many others in the same position as me, and knowing that your major is not the most important part of your time in college.

If you know what you want to major in, that’s GREAT! But, if you don’t, you’re not alone. You still have plenty of time!

-Helaine

Hey everyone!
Did you know that on some days, dining halls around campus have special themed nights like Italian, California, and just last week, Dessert night? I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love dessert. So on dessert night, there was an assortment of cakes like turtle cheesecake, oreo pie, 5 layered chocolate cake, and more! Everything was simply delicious.

It was also my birthday Friday (I’m 18 now!) and to celebrate, I went to Olive Garden down Vestal Parkway with some of my closest friends. We called for two vans and we got there in about 15 minutes. The cab only cost twenty dollars for about twelve people and we all had a very enjoyable time. 

It is actually really easy to go out and eat if you don’t feel like having dining hall food one day. Yesterday, my friends and I walked over to Panera Bread for dinner and we also got bubble tea at the teahouse across from the tennis courts.

So if you are worried that you’ll get sick of dining hall food, don’t worry because there are always new things and many restaurants!

Until next time!
Flora

Hello everyone!

So I have been so caught up with all the things I have to do here that I didn’t have a chance to blog last week.
But let’s see, something new and fun that came up was a mandatory mock career fair for freshman students in the School of Management. PricewaterhouseCoopers Scholars pretended to be firm recruiters and managers, and students would walk up to them and introduce themselves and have a professional conversation. It was a great way to practice how to speak to professionals in the business world and I personally had fun meeting new people and dressing up in business professional attire.

Another School of Management-related event that happened recently was an information session called SOM Essentials for Success. Jillian Kroll, who is the Director of Placement spoke and gave invaluable advice on what you should do to be ahead of the game and be prepared for the next four years of college. Brian Perry, who is the academic advisor for SOM, was also in attendance and gave everyone information about registering classes and transferring next semester.
Did you know only SOM has an in-office academic advisor? Also, we frequently have visitors from companies from firms like Morgan Stanley and Ernst & Young in addition to workshops to events like the mock career fair that helps you build your resume, leadership, and other important skills.

By the way, I changed my major to accounting a couple of weeks ago. It was a very simple process that only required me to fill out a short form since I am already in SOM.

Until Next time!
Flora

Hey everyone!
Midterms are finally over! My midterms were all spread out over the span of 3 weeks which has is good and bad- it’s good because I have more time to study for each but bad because I had to stress out for three weeks!

In this blog I just wanted to touch on Hall Government in College-in-the-Woods, the community I live in on campus. There are 5 positons in hall government- President, Social Vice President, Academic Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. There is also as SA Rep who attends our hall meetings but is not associated with our hall’s E-board. At the beginning of the academic year, those who want to run for one of these positions send in a letter-of-intent. Then elections are held. Before election day, I made posters and cookies and walked around door-to-door getting to know everyone in my building and getting my name out there. I got elected to be our hall’s Academic Vice President. As an AVP, I put on a minimum of three programs per semester that teaches our residents how to do something. My first program was on Halloween, which taught residents how to make caramel apples. There was a great turn-out! The rest of my programs include Condom Wars which will teach about sexual education, Learn-to-Strech program, Learn-to-Knit program, and possibly Legends of Werewolves and Vampires for the Twilight Saga: New Moon movie coming out. Being on hall council is a time commitment though, not only do I have to dedicate time to put on programs, I also have to attend three weekly meetings. There is an E-board meeting with the 4 other members, an RA, and our Resident Director, there is a hall meeting that invites our whole building, and there is an area-wide meeting for all the buildings in a community. Attendence to these meetings are mandatory. Being on hall government is a lot of work, but it is also fun and rewarding!

Halloween is here and gone and the wait for Thanksgiving is upon us.

In the several months between the start of the school year and Thanksgiving, a lot of students will find a reason to go home.  Whether it is for holidays or another excuse you can think of, most students will make a trip home at some point before Thanksgiving comes.  For the rest of us, it is hard to leave Binghamton - even for a weekend.  Any day that I am not in Binghamton, for whatever reason, I feel like I am missing out.  But in these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, you suddenly come eager to go home.  No matter where you go to school (if you aren’t a commuter student), there are some things a school can not replicate from home: your parents, your own room, your favorite restaurant, etc.

This feeling is amplified because this is the time of the year when work starts to pile up.  I don’t even have Friday classes yet I was on campus all day for group meetings, projects and homework. 

But of course comes the inevitability - once you do come home, you want to come back.  You will tell your home friends all about your school experiences and they will share their stories as well.  And while you’re sitting there reminiscing, you’re wishing you could return… to school. 

Random Thought of the Day: The first basketball games of the season are this week.  For all of you who are coming to visit the school this weekend, I strongly suggest checking out the Bearcats Saturday night in the Events Center.

Did you know that Binghamton University has won seven awards for internationalization?  Did you know that we have nearly 2,000 international students from over 90 countries?  I’ve always thought that the greatest benefit of college is that it is a young person’s first opportunity to really expand their view of the world, their surroundings, and academia.  Chances are good that in your high school, you don’t have the option of taking a class called “Existence and Freedom”, or “The Rise and Fall of Rome”.  Chances are also good that you’ve never lived in an environment with people from all over the world.  Binghamton University offers students the opportunity to experience things they’ve never thought of before, and that’s what college is all about.  We live in an increasingly global world, and for students to gain the skills necessary to communicate across cultures, there is no better place than Binghamton University!