Accepted to UCSB: Is it worth going ?

mikemac
Tue, 28 Mar 2017 04:31:52 +0000

IMHO there are too many variables for anyone to give you a reliable answer a priori. Who shows up to interview on campus and what positions are they filling? If you send out a resume does it happen to cross the desk of an alum that gives it an extra look? Do some of your college friends have connections that lead to a summer job for you because it turns out you match what the family friend is looking for? And so on…

That said, it isn’t just a toin coss either. You can do some investigating to make a more informed decision. Look and see who comes to the colleges you are considering for job fairs and to interview. Talk to the career center when you visit each campus (you are going to visit, right?) Get a sense of how helpful they are to a random kid thru the door. See what they can tell you; how many kids found internships thru the career center last year, and do they know how many found slots on their own. Talk to the Comm dept undergrad advisor (might have to set up an appt before your visit). See what the dept does to help out, what they know about kids in the program the past few years in terms of jobs and grad school. Look up the head of a club or two you’d be interested in (maybe the “Eager Comm Undergrads” or whatever). Send an email to the club president saying what day you’ll be on campus and asking if they have 15 minutes to meet for coffee.

Do this (and more that occurs to you) and you’ll have a better sense of the right decision for you.