Archive for September, 2010
Three things you need to ask yourself about an internship opportunity
Thursday, September 30th, 2010If you’re in college, recently graduated, or looking to do an internship as part of a midlife career change, here are three things you need to ask yourself about an internship opportunity:
1- Will the internship give me experience similar to what I want to be doing in my first (or next) job?
2- Will it give me valuable skills I can use in any job? For example: Proficiency in new software, navigating office politics, learning to work on a team-based project, organizing my workload, etc.
3- Will I be working with seasoned professionals who can mentor me, perhaps teach me something about working in the business that I didn’t learn in school?
Be prepared to find out the answers during—if not before—your interview. Then, after you complete the internship, take stock of what you learned and document your newfound experience, skills, and accomplishments on your resume. It doesn’t matter that you were paid peanuts (or nothing at all) as long as you gained the “relevant work experience” employers want to see.
Source: PONGO Resume
Do need help with Internship and Job research? Check out our one on one workshop here.
What type of experiences are you linking for in internships? Tell us how in a comment below.
Making life simplified for International and Exchange Students in the USA
Monday, September 27th, 2010Hello,
I hope you are enjoying your week and off to a great start.
Some month ago, I had the pleasure to be interviewed by France 5, a French National TV Network.
They were filming one of their most famous documentaries called “Echappées Belles” in California. The documentary consists of several French people who spoke about their American dreams and their experiences in California.
In the video below, I talk about my American Dream. I explained that I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
I also mentionned the company that I founded, “U in the USA”, which simplifies international students’ and foreign exchange visitors’ lives, helps them interact more effectively with Americans, and assists them in achieving their goals. We encourage our students to take advantage of our services to create connections and even make lifelong friends.
I thank you for allowing me to enhance your American experience.
Enjoy the video.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
What do you think about my French accent?
That thing you do on the sand …
Saturday, September 25th, 2010Hey,
What are you up to for this sunny weekend?
Let us introduce you to Skimboarding. Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing which takes place near the shore. Skimboarding dates back to the late 1920′s when Laguna Beach lifeguards used to skimboard on pieces of wood.
Look at this video of Shonna Cobb. She is a top amateur skimboarder who, along with a half a dozen or so other women skimmers, will go pro this year.
Shonna Cobb is among the top female skimboarders
Today skimboarding is one of the most high-tech water sports anywhere, while continuing to be one of the smallest. The boards used by professional skimboarders are built using technology adapted from aerospace to attain maximum lightness, buoyancy, and rocker. The board used by the average skimboarder is far more technologically advanced than that of the average surfer. Even though skimboarding is a fairly old sport, it continues to be a small sport. While skimboarding has become more and more globalized in recent years, Laguna Beach California has long been the “north shore” of skimboarding. Historically, most of the top professional skimboarders of the world have come out of the Laguna Beach area. Continue here
More resources:
- Skimonline here
- How to Skimboard here
- How to Skimboard (video 2) here
Enhancing your overall American Experience
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Hello,
I hope your week is going by well.
To enhance your American experience and provide more tools to realize your American dreams, we added another member to our American and International team.
It’s now my pleasure to introduce our new member, Michael.
Michael Lauchlan is a junior at the University of California, Riverside, where he is majoring in Philosophy/Law and Society. He recently transferred to UC Riverside from a California community college located in the northern Los Angeles area where he received an AS degree in Small Business Management. He has experience with entrepreneurship, government agencies, political organizations, and environmental conservation. He was born and raised in southern California but has also done a fair share of traveling around the world. Some of the countries he has visited include: Mexico, Spain, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Morocco. He has experienced the many obstacles that people encounter when going abroad and knows the value of having a friend in the country he is visiting. For these reasons, he is always available to be your friend in the USA and help you whenever possible. When he finds time between his studies and work he enjoys discussing business opportunities, experiencing different cultures, staying fit, cooking, traveling, and exploring.
Michael is globally minded and has a desire to network with international students; therefore I believe Michael can be a key asset in enhancing your overall study abroad experience and helping you succeed in your future endeavors. He is always looking to meet new international students like yourself and help them better understand the USA or American culture while also learning more about their countries of origin.
More information about Michael, click here
In the days to come, we will organize some interesting events for the international student population located around Riverside, California. Stay tuned!
Michael Lauchlan
Junior at the University of California, Riverside
Philosophy/Law and Society
I appreciate your help in making Michael feel welcome in our community.
Thank you.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
Community Colleges: Gateway to Opportunity
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Roughly 1,200 two-year community colleges in the United States offer more than 11 million students an opportunity to begin their higher education in a small, community-based environment, often at lower cost than a four-year institution.
Credit to American Association Of Community Colleges
More resources:
American Life : learn more about community colleges here
Free resource on community colleges in the United States of America here
Top 200 World Universities
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010For the 7th year Times Higher Education have published Top World University rankings. The 2010-2011 world university rankings represent the most accurate picture of global higher education they have ever produced.
The video below explains
- Why new rankings methodology is followed this year?
- Why 72 U.S. universities dominate the top 200?
Top universities by region
Top universities by subject
- Engineering & Technology
- Life sciences
- Clinical, Pre-clinical & Health
- Physical sciences
- Social sciences
- Arts & Humanities
For even richer and deeper analysis of more than 400 institutions, download their Times Higher Education World University Rankings iPhone application, which allows you to create your own methodology, filter results by country and region, and match your personalized rankings against cost-of-living and tuition-fees data.
How to understand the differences between British and American English
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010Trousers or pants? Can you tell the difference between British and American English?
Here is an enlightening video on the differences between American and British English.
Test your knowledge here
More resources:
- Differences between American and British English here
- Find the American English equivalent of these British Expressions here
- Spelling differences between British and American English here
- American and British English differences here
Helping you make a smooth transition into American culture
Monday, September 20th, 2010Hello,
I hope your first weeks in the United States went by well.
To better assist you and provide you with more personalized services, we added another member to our American and International team.
It’s now my pleasure to introduce to you our new member, Shannon.
Shannon Bigornia is currently a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College majoring in Communications. She has experience with public speaking, creating budgeting plans, marketing and sponsorship, and teaching. Shannon has served as a Student Ambassador in Australia and has traveled to several other countries (Canada, China and Mexico) along with many states here in the U.S. She enjoys scuba diving, traveling, tennis, cooking, and meeting new people.
Shannon wants to help international students make a smooth transition into American culture, bridge cultural gaps and spread knowledge. I believe Shannon will provide you with clearest insights into the American culture to make your ways through daily life.
More information about Shannon, click here
In the days to come, she will connect with you to discuss your interests and questions about the American Culture to help you reach your goals.
Shannon Bigornia
Sophomore at Santa Barbara City College
Communications
I appreciate your help in making Shannon feel welcome in our community.
Thank you.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
Top Ten Things I wish I Had Known in College
Thursday, September 16th, 2010This post written by Rob Ianelli will help you make the most of your college experience, guarantee your success in the long run, but way more importantly, your personal confidence and happiness.
1. Your room for improvement is always your biggest room — so spend some time filling it up.
2. How do you combat inexperience? Over preparation.
3. There is never a substitute for enthusiasm: not skill, not talent, not expertise– the person with enthusiasm always wins.
4. In ever adversity, there lies a seed of equal or greater benefit.
5. Five years from now, your future will be most determined by the books you read and the people you associated with.
6. Many of the rewards in life come when you are out there on the extra mile.
7. You have to have some principles that you can believe in and that you won’t waver from.
8. Never forget where you came from…and you helped you get there.
9. There is no luck in success. Success is where opportunity and preparation meet.
10. Observe what the masses of people do, and then do the opposite.
Source: Rob Ianelli, Entrepreneur
Published by Under 30 CEO
What do you think? Let us know what are some things you wish you knew in college in the comments below!!
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010Sometimes, the best way to experience another culture is through your stomach.
September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month and a perfect excuse to get out and sample what could be an unfamiliar cuisine.
Hispanic Heritage Month is the period to recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week was approved by President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
“September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18 and September 21, respectively.”
Most of us are familiar with the Americanized version of Mexican food, found in virtually every corner of the US. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it. Indeed, sometimes a cheesy plate of beans and burritos is ideal comfort food. But there’s so much more.
Authentic Mexican food is a bit more difficult to find but well worth the effort. Restaurants specializing in Peruvian, Brazilian, Chilean, or Cuban cooking are even sparser, but again, it is absolutely worth the trouble to seek them out. You may be surprised that one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country is located in Minneapolis or that humble Greenville, SC, has a fantastic little Brazilian place.
That said, here are 10 suggestions for good, even great, Hispanic food in sometimes unexpected locales. Continue here
Source: 10Best
More resources:
- National Hispanic Heritage Month here
- Facts here
- Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in Los Angeles here
What do you think? what is your favorite Hispanic restaurant?
