ParentNET
A slice of campus life written by an MTU student

The summer "to do" list

Now that spring semester is officially over, it’s time to start making summer plans. If you are a parent of a perspective student, I highly recommend adding a visit and campus tour of Michigan Tech to your “to do” list. If you are a parent of a student who is home for the summer, then I recommend you talk to your student about becoming a Michigan Tech Ambassador.

Summer Campus Tours
As a campus tour guide, I have a slight bias towards the importance of taking campus tours. However, I was once a perspective undergraduate student, and so I know exactly how your student feels if they haven’t made a college decision yet. Perspective students receive pounds of mail from different colleges and universities throughout the year, and so it’s important to sort through the information and to help your student make a top 10 list of where they want to visit.

It’s important to visit different campuses because although the brochure may be appealing, it may be a whole different story once you step foot on the campus. I know this misperception occurred during many of my campus visits. However, the one thing that helped me make my decision and to become a campus tour guide was my own experience at MTU when I first took a campus tour here. Everyone I met at Tech was so friendly and willing to accommodate my visit. The people at Tech were also the most down to earth people I had ever met compared to my other experiences with campus tours. And I know now, being on the other end of the spectrum as a tour guide, that the students that are hired to be tour guides here truly care about our campus and about the people who are interested in learning more about our campus.

So if you are planning to visit campuses this summer, make sure that Michigan Tech is on your list. I guarantee you will enjoy the beautiful area and the friendly atmosphere. If it sold me (and I’ve lived here all of my life), I’m sure you and your student will like it too! To find out more information about scheduling a tour on our campus, please visit: http://www.admissions.mtu.edu/visit.

The Ambassador Program
One of the last things most students think about is going back to high school after being away at college. However, that is exactly what some of our Michigan Tech students sign up to do. If your student is already a student here at Tech, they can sign up with the Admissions Office to participate in the Michigan Tech Ambassador Program.

Being involved in the Ambassador Program would mean that your student would act as a representative for our Admissions Office and of our University. Because most high school students prefer to hear student experiences from students just like themselves, Michigan Tech has found that many of our students greatly enjoy returning home to visit with their old high schools and to tell their Tech stories. High school students also greatly enjoy it and find that they learn more and can better relate to other students close to their age that came from the same background.

If the Ambassador Program sounds like something your student might be good at and interested in, please have them email our Assistant Director for Recruitment, Bill Roberts, at wrrobert@mtu.edu.

Co-Ops and Summer Internships
If your student is currently working at a co-op or summer internship, or perhaps is planning to for next summer, then this section of my article is for you. I had a summer internship last summer in Saginaw, Mich. at The Rehmann Group, and as I mentioned in my previous article, I have another internship this summer working at Cummins, Inc. (http://www.cummins.com/cmi/content.jsp?siteId=1&langId=1033&menuId=5&overviewId=20&menuIndex=1) in southern Indiana. Most companies highly recommend that students have at least one internship or co-op experience before they seek full-time employment. Some companies even recommend at least two of these experiences.

If you’re wondering what the difference between an internship and a co-op is, it’s that internships are usually 10 or 12 week jobs that can be paid or unpaid. Co-ops are usually formally set up through our Career Center, and are paid jobs that also earn class credit. Co-ops also generally last 6 months, which means they can be nearly double the duration of internships. Most co-ops require students to take a semester off from classes, where as internships usually take place during the summer.  

Because of the value co-ops and internships bring, it is important for your student to start thinking about their summer plans, even if it’s for next year. Make sure they put this kind of experience on their “to do” list before they graduate. Both internships and co-ops offer hands-on, real world experience that is critical in preparing for a career.

Until next week,

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