Earning & Saving in College

December 5, 2018 Isenberg WiB

Author: Victoria Jeschke Patton

I know many students feel like they’re a broke college kid with student loans, but getting an education doesn’t have to be so dismal. I want to tell you that it is still possible to earn and save even when you’re in college! With the towering costs of higher education, colleges know that every penny counts, and UMass has great work study opportunities to help offset the costs. Below is my personal advice on how you can feel less burdened and find the resources you need.

Campus Jobs

The UMass Student Employment Office (SEC) has a wonderful website (https://www.umass.edu/umfa/seo) that can tell you nearly all you need to know. If you are eligible for work study (check your financial aid package on Spire) there are many options, and the most common ones include working in dining halls, cafes and the W.E.B DuBois library. I’ve personally asked a couple students about their jobs to get the info students actually want: pay. One student works at the library and makes $11/hour, the minimum wage in Massachusetts currently. Another student works in dorm security and and makes $11/hour as well. Most campus jobs will pay minimum, though there are exceptions. I know someone who works at the student union for off campus housing who makes $12/hour!

Fortunately UMass is right next to the Amherst town center, where many small businesses are located. If you can, personalize with the owners or managers to make a connection or ask for advice about where to look (something they’ve no doubt been asked before). The Hadley mall has bigger businesses and retail, though it is farther down route 9 and requires transportation if you have a car or are willing to take the bus.

Saving

Necessities such as food, transportation, and bills/high interest items come first no matter what. If you are receiving regular paychecks, cut a percentage of it and place into a savings account (for many banks, opening a savings account is easy and may require a minimum balance to maintain, an extra incentive for you!). Typically 20% of your paycheck is recommended, though many students can’t work enough hours to save 20% and pay necessities, so start with 5-10% depending on your situation. Small amounts like that will take time to accumulate, but the goal is not how much you save, but building the habit and having financial breathing room and confidence. It will be rewarding in the end!

If you have the option to sign up for direct deposit, do it! Personally I am a check/cash person, but app services such as Venmo or Zelle are easy for busy women like you. If you like to save in cash like me, there are Bank of America ATMs located throughout campus, and if you feel safe enough, take a $10 bill or so out of each paycheck and put it away. Otherwise, deposit your money into a savings account that will accrue interest annually as an incentive, and watch your green grow slowly but surely.

Bottom Line

Regardless of your situation, there are so many resources at UMass to choose from! There are so many faculty who want to help you during this stressful time and our school cares about its students and understands the balance of education and finances. The link I pasted above is very easy to access and has plenty of information and a FAQ section you might find helpful. You are in charge of your money and your time. They are powerful tools, so use them wisely and build your financial confidence!

Interview Essentials

November 28, 2018 Isenberg WiB

Author: Tyler Spellman

There are many things you can do to prepare for an interview. This can involve researching the company you are interviewing for, practicing behavioral questions, and preparing questions to ask the interviewers. Something not spoken much about is how to prepare for the actual day of the interview. Interviews can seem extremely daunting, so being prepared the day of is essential for your success. I have listed a few tips below to help make your interviews less intimidating.

Plan for Travel Time

For my first interview, I had to travel to the company’s Boston office, which is a two-hour drive from the UMass campus. I also knew that rush hour traffic combined with the strict parking regulations would add an amplified amount of time to my travels. To account for this, I decided to drive home from UMass the night before and take the train into Boston. As a result, I avoided all traffic and took my time. I chose a train time two hours in advance to avoid any conflicts such as the train arriving late. The day of your interview, it is important to consider these aspects in order to give yourself enough time before the interview. It also shows a good first impression arriving a little bit early. If your interview is on campus, it is much easier to handle. However, it is still important to take these factors into consideration.

Pack a Small Bag

The day of your interview you may want to bring a few things with you, but it is a hassle to carry everything, especially dressed in business professional clothing. If you have a nice, small, neutral-colored bag, I recommend you bring it. You can place your phone, wallet, pens, and anything else you may want without filling your pockets. Some essentials for my interview bag are a small snack (usually a granola bar), water, and gum. If you are low on energy, it will benefit you to have a snack on hand. Also, chewing gum right before you walk in couldn’t hurt. Lastly, make sure you check the weather for rain. The day of my interview it was pouring out, so I made sure to bring an umbrella. I did not want my outfit getting rained on!

Bring a Padfolio

The most important item to bring to an interview is a padfolio. I wrote down 5-10 questions I had for the interviewers in my padfolio in case I needed to glance at them. I also put in several copies of my resume. In my padfolio I had a few notes about the company that I looked over before heading in. Bringing a padfolio is important because it gives you a place to take notes during the interview. These notes may come of great use to you in the future. Not to mention, it is also extremely professional.

Follow Up

Last but not least, don’t forget to follow up with the interviewers. Sending a personal thank you will leave a great, lasting impression. It may even make the difference between you and another candidate. Although this task is small, it goes a long way.

I hope that these tips that I used for my first interview help when you go for your interviews! Hopefully completing these small tasks will greatly reduce the stress that comes with interviewing as it did for me.

What's Wrong With Being Confident?

November 14, 2018 Isenberg WiB

Author: Nicole Keeley

First impressions, though important, provide only a glimpse into one’s personality. More intricate characteristics - like trust, patience, indecision, and loyalty -take time to acknowledge in a person. Confidence, however, is instantly recognized and long remembered.

A shared attribute among the women I admire most is a self-assured confidence. I believe confidence is one of the most valuable, albeit overlooked, skills you can have. It requires self-assurance, satisfaction, and staying true to oneself and exists in many forms besides the extroverted version of confidence that most readily comes to mind.

Growing up in competitive figure skating taught me invaluable life lessons, and especially stressed the importance of confidence. For a short period, I let my success as a skater influence my confidence which negatively affected my overall happiness. As a perfectionist, this meant great self-criticism and insecurity that stemmed from failure. But through a combination of maturity and strategies (10 of which I listed below), I developed the sound confidence I possess today.

10 Ways to Improve Your Confidence

1. Practice positivity – Confidence, a “feeling of self-assurance”, comes entirely from within. Positive thoughts lead to belief in oneself. Pay attention to negative self-talk, transforming negative thoughts and self-criticism into positive ones. Only you have the power over your mind.

2. Reframe failure – Instead of viewing failure as a personal shortcoming, view it as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and move one step closer to success. Avoid over-reacting by maintaining perspective, understanding the situation for what it truly is.

3. Do what makes you happy – I’ve personally found the happier you are, the more confidence you radiate. For me, happiness comes from working out (I’d highly recommend Rec Spin with Brooks or Boot Camp with WIB’s own Mackensie), spending time with friends and family, or simply a productive morning at Starbucks.

4. Surround yourself with good people – Although it comes largely from within, external support and positivity boosts confidence. My family, friends, and coaches encouraged the confidence in myself that I am so grateful for. I turned to them in times of self-doubt, and they reminded me to trust myself.

5. Self-reflection and recognition – Reviewing progress towards one’s goals, by recognizing even the smallest victories, enhances personal satisfaction. It’s important to remind yourself of how far you’ve come. A confident friend of mine recommended looking in the mirror and saying five good things about yourself to remind yourself of your strengths.

6. Work hard – In skating, I was told over and over again, “If you practice how you compete, then you will compete how you practice”. For anything, with preparation comes self-assurance.

7. Be yourself – Staying true to oneself leads to the serenity and self-assurance that characterizes confidence.

8. Avoid self-put downs or downplaying success – Don’t criticize yourself, apologize for something you didn’t do, or downplay your success if confidence is what you’re after. Embrace your imperfections as part of what makes you unique and be proud of your success and the hard work required to achieve it.

9. When necessary: fake it ‘til you make it – This is the weakest strategy on the list, but useful if you need a quick confidence fix. Standing tall, drawing your shoulders back, and holding your chin high portrays confidence through body language. It’s best to come across genuinely confident, which you can start by reminding yourself to be confident until it becomes automatic. When I need a further boost of confidence, I’ll wear my favorite pair of heels or a bracelet of special importance to me. This is less reliable than natural confidence, but I believe in the same way smiling can help you feel happier body language or physical goods can be used to enhance confidence. But at the end of the day, Blake Lively points out “The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence”.

10. Be humble – As Kendrick Lamar advised, “Sit Down, Be Humble”. It’s important to stay grounded to avoid becoming over-confident or acting superior to others.

These are just a few of the tips that helped me attain complete self-confidence. Achieving it, however, requires real commitment. And like insecurity, it’s an ever-changing and constant work in progress. There are certainly days where thoughts of self-doubt find their way back into my mind, only to be fought with confidence. Everyone’s experience with confidence is unique but is one that should certainly be explored.

The advantages span countless contexts, from one’s social life to education, but are particularly applicable to business, especially in regard to women. The Atlantic published a story entitled “The Confidence Gap”, reporting evidence that women are typically less self-assured than men. With competence mattering as much as confidence, this is a critical issue that must be addressed. Having interviewed some of the most influential women, the authors were surprised to ascertain the level of self-doubt they suffered from. They found women often derive confidence from perfection (or near-perfection) which hinders their confidence development and ultimately causes inaction that holds women back. Within an organization, the most admired and listened to individuals are the most self-assured. To have the greatest influence in the workplace, it’s important women both today and in the future are bold and confident. Demi Lovato asks, “What’s wrong with being confident”, and to that I’d respond, absolutely nothing.

Check out the article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/

Why Creativity is So Valuable — and How You Can Have a More Imaginative Mindset

November 7, 2018 Isenberg WiB

Author: Jackie Wright

Whether you are a self-made artist or a CEO of a massive accounting firm, creativity is an essential quality. The ability to come up with unique ideas, concepts, and to think differently is something that is truly priceless. Our ability as humans to be imaginative is something truly unique and something no computer can ever take place for. The google definition of “creativity” is “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work”. This definition implies that creativity is generally most applicable to artistic endeavors, while these professions do survive off unique ideas, having a creative mindset is important to be successful in any sort of work. Creativity is particularly important in the business world, as without creativity and innovation, every company would stay stagnant and never come up with new ideas, marketing techniques, and products. It is the creative individuals with all the ideas that are most likely to get ahead in their careers. That being said, there is a variety of ways you can boost your creative thinking (no matter what level you are at).

4 Simple Ways You Can Have A More Creative Mindset:

1. Stay active! Whether it is through hitting the gym or joining a sports team, studies show engaging in physical activities increases left brain thinking. This interesting business insider article goes more in-depth on the topic: https://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-benefits-brain-creativity-stress-2016-11

2. Consume engaging media. Watching a critically acclaimed film, reading books, and listening to podcasts are all ways you can easily stimulate creative thinking. By viewing the work of others and seeing the world through another person’s lens, along with learning new information, you can further expand your mind and thus open up your mind for more imaginative thinking.

3. Create Things. I personally believe that your brain is the most active when you are actually creating something. Whether that is just coming up with a unique idea or literally creating something, like a painting. I personally think the easiest way to do this is to doodle or draw, and if art is really not your thing; writing is another excellent option. You certainly don’t need to be a Leonardo Da Vinci to create, all you need to do is what works best for you and is up to par with your abilities. I think doing something like doodling, although it may seem silly, really allows you to be your most creative self and just have some fun.

4. Do something you love! Whether you love to hike, build things, play games, or maybe write short stories, never underestimate how much value hobbies like these can have. Doing something you enjoy both boosts your mood and brain activity. Think about how much fun you had as a kid and how wild your imagination was– there is definitely a correlation between doing things you enjoy and how you think. I know when I am able to spend more time painting or drawing, one of my favorite things to do, that is when I am thinking the most creatively in all aspects of life.

4 Simple Ways You Can Have A More Creative Mindset:

The Spookiness of Public Speaking: America’s Number One Fear

October 31, 2018 Isenberg WiB

Author: Alexa Wilcox

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hopefully everyone’s October ended with a bang; soon we will be saying goodbye to all of the beautiful fall foliage, sweater weather, and wonderful seasonal coffee flavors. Personally, I’m going to miss SyFy’s 31 Days of Halloween, for I’m a giant fan of horror movies. Even outside of Halloween season, there is nothing like sitting back and enjoying a classic like A Nightmare on Elm Street or a psychological thriller like Gone Girl. Horror movies, however, aren’t for everybody.

Some people watch a scary movie and have nightmares about spiders crawling everywhere or zombies pounding on the door. Spiders and dying are both on the list of America’s top fears. To some, however, neither are quite as scary as standing up in front of a crowd with index cards in your hand and a slideshow behind you.

Did you get chills simply thinking about that scenario? Did you groan at the memory of a midterm/final presentation you gave in class that was 50% of your grade? If you answered yes you are not out of the ordinary. For years, public speaking has been considered the number one fear in the United States. To many people this is common knowledge, but how can public speaking be put above spiders and dying? To understand why public speaking is cause for some to run screaming from the podium, it is important to look deeper into the roots of this fear.

Oftentimes a fear of public speaking coincides with a fear of rejection. What if I stutter? You think, Or what if I trip on my way up the stairs? Both of these questions have the same answer that you tell yourself: People will judge me. But everybody judges everybody all the time. Why is it suddenly more scary in front of a crowd?

Numbers.

Over the past million years, humans have evolved into a social species. What that means is that we tend to function effectively in groups. According to the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, “[b]eing part of a group can be extremely beneficial to animals as a way to obtain food, defend themselves from predators or cope with environmental changes”. One of the most important benefits of being in a group was protection from predators. In groups, animals can alert other members of their squad and take action together. Glenn Croston Ph.D of Psychology Today stated that “The advantages of living in a group probably are the reason why early humans and other large primates evolved to be social, and why we are still social today.”

So where does rejection fit into this? Following the logic of being stronger in a group, it is quite possible to be weaker alone. Even worse, one could be ostracized from a group, which had lead to starvation and attacks by predators. Today, rejection could mean that you don’t get your dream job or you aren’t accepted into grad school. Millions of years ago, rejection meant a death sentence.

Since humans have evolved to live in groups, that fear of rejection has stuck around. Today it serves more of a purpose to motivate us to be part of groups. Nowadays we are much less likely to be struck down by lions, tigers, or bears. Yet the fear stands.

So then we come back to standing on that stage, all alone with your slideshow. How do you know there isn’t a bobcat in the audience waiting to pounce at the end of your presentation? If this goes well, are the people in the audience going to jump to protect you? Or are they going to roll their eyes and let the bobcat get you because your slide color choice was mediocre? And how about if you run into that bobcat as you’re leaving the auditorium? Whether your presentation goes well or not, it is not likely that a bobcat will maul you while people stand idly. But your fear still stands. Thanks, evolution.

The fear for your fate in a bobcat attack is not exactly the first thing on your mind, however. The first thing that would come to your mind is how people will perceive you during and after your speaking. There is a fear that people will joke about you or belittle what you are speaking about. Both are perfectly valid concerns to have. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

Another branch off of the fear of public speaking and people’s judgement is the stereotype threat. According to social psychologists Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson, “stereotype threat is being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one’s group.” Steele and Aronson conducted famous experiences demonstrating the effects of stereotype threat. Black and white students were given a difficult oral test. In one study, the students were told that the test was a measure of intellectual ability, thus presenting the risk for black students to confirm the racial stereotypes about intellectual ability. In another study, the students were not told that the test measured intellectual ability. Black students who were under influence of the stereotype threat did poorer than white students, while those who were not under its influence did equal.

The stereotype threat can be applied to people of many backgrounds, such as people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and more. As a result, public speaking can be scarier with the stereotype threat present.

As upcoming businesswomen, we will have to do a great amount of public speaking throughout our careers. But even then, there is no shame in having worries about it! As mentioned before, public speaking is the number one fear in the United States. You are not alone if you are afraid! Everyone has the willies once and a while about giving an important speech or presentation. With that, everyone also has the capability to overcome it and kill that presentation like Jason from Friday the 13th.

If you find yourself unable to cope with your fear of public speaking, there are plenty of resources to seek out! Having a supportive group of friends is always a great step, and finding a professional to talk to is awesome also.

Once again, have a Happy Halloween!