Take ownership of your grades, part II

Last semester I taught a class for first generation and low income college students on preparing for graduate school. Teaching this class also meant that I was grading students. I had a student (not-so-tactfully) disagree with some feedback I gave on an assignment.

But dealing with my student pales in comparison with an email one of my colleagues received. Check it out:

"Is there anyway you can possibly give me a high grade? I did try very hard in class but it was not able to translate my hard work onto the practicals.. I'm not asking for anything big, but to be raise to a C+ or a solid C please? I hope you have a great winter break as well. They will not accept me into Physical therapy school if I don't have a strong GPA. Please consider doing it out of the kindness of your heart."

EPIC. FAIL. Welcome to college, where you are expected to act like an adult and take ownership of your grades. This kind of behavior is totally out of line.

Professors and instructors do not give out grades, students earn them. As I've said before, you are responsible for your grades and what you did (or didn't do) to earn them. If you are in academic trouble or worried about how you're doing, work to prevent academic difficulty or deal with it appropriately.

As an instructor, I don't expect students to be happy with poor grades, but this email takes the cake... Please don't do this. EVER.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Should I list a previous school on my resume?

A reader writes:

"Should I list a school I didn't graduate from on my resume? I'm 24 and, after many setbacks, will be finishing up my Associate's degree soon. On my resume I list my current school and sometimes my previous school (it's an art school that I attended as a fashion major so I'll usually only list it if I'm applying for something fashion oriented). I attended from 2007-2009, right around the time the economy went down the drain, so I don't have any work experience for that time period. I figured showing that I was at least in school is better than it looking like I did nothing for almost three years of my life, but at the same time, I didn't graduate. Should I keep the previous school on to show that I was doing something during that time period or take the old school off? I'm afraid that the combination of not listing my previous school and only having a 7 year work history will make me come off younger than I really am and that'll work against me."

You're not alone in being a first generation or low income college student who ended up attending more than one school. Most of the time, you would not list a school that you no longer attend and didn't graduate from on your resume when that school is not related to the jobs you're applying to. But, if you are going to list your old school, try to make it relevant to the employer.

A great way to make you attractive to an employer even when the position you are applying for isn't related to your previous study is to tie your fashion skills to the position in your cover letter. Check out Ask a Manager's "wee answer Wednesday: 7 more short answers to 7 short questions," specifically question number 7 and the comment by Mike C. for awesome guidance on making the connection between unrelated areas relevant for employers so it can be an asset for you.

Also, at 24 years old with 7 years of experience, you really don't need to worry about coming off younger than you are. Many 24-year-olds do not have 7 years of experience, so if anything it would age you up instead of down.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Can I list classes I haven't taken yet on my resume?

In response to Should I list classes on my resume?, a reader writes:

"What do you do if you are taking relevant coursework in the Spring semester, long after the application is due? How do you include the Spring coursework on your resume?"

You should only be listing classes that you have completed or are currently taking on your resume, so it would not really be appropriate to list classes you have not yet taken.

I know you want that potential employer or internship coordinator to know what you are planning to take that matters to them, your resume is just not the place to do it. Instead incorporate it into your cover letter by tying those classes to the position for which you are applying.

For example, you might say, "I am very excited to get my feet wet in design project management through your interior design internship. Next semester, I will be taking project management and an advanced design practicum, which will compliment my previous design experience and the grounding in design fundamentals you are looking for in an intern."

The same way you should be tailoring a resume to the position or internship you are applying for, you should be doing the same thing with cover letters. Your cover letter is the perfect place to talk about classes that you are planning on taking when they are relevant to the position.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Get FREE business cards from InternMatch!

This is a guest post by Ashley, a first-generation college graduate. Ashley is the Community Manager for InternMatch, a free online internship database based in San Francisco, CA with positions all over.

As a first-generation college student I encountered many challenges when it was time to apply for internships. I didn’t know about the importance of interning, like that the majority of full-time employment offers are extended to students who have interned. I was also clueless about creating a professional cover letter and resume, finding positions that would be a good fit, and networking at internship job fairs.

Luckily for me, all was not lost! I discovered a great support system through my school’s career counseling office and professors. As a result, I completed several awesome internships in cool places like New York City and Cebu, Philippines. Now I’m the go-to girl for other people looking for awesome positions!

Many students don’t have the kind of support that I had, which is why sites like Ask an Advisor and InternMatch are such critical resources. It is our goal to make sure that the internship process is as effortless, effective and rewarding as possible - and that students are competitive for top positions.

This is why InrernMatch launched our free student business card campaign:

What's in it for you? InternMatch believes that every student should have a business card when interviewing with employers. Not only is it professional, but it's also a great way for you to demonstrate that you're serious about your career. It's also a unique way to standout among your peers.

You would be surprised at the number of students who don't have a business card! Once we realized this problem, we partnered with Moo.com to create this campaign.

Signing up is easy! First, register for a FREE InternMatch account. Once registered, you will be re-directed to a special page to begin designing your business cards, with the option to choose from hundreds of templates or design your own. Students often design cards based on their academic majors, extracurricular activities and hobbies.

In addition to free business cards, registered students will have access to InternMatch's over 4,000 internships with companies like CBS, Kiva, Yelp and Pixar - as well as access to lots of resources and how-to guides on applying for internships and tackling tricky interview questions.

What's in it for InternMatch? Nothing... We're just spreading some good karma! We know that students who complete internships are usually the most competitive for post-graduation employment. These resources prepare students to land their dream internship - and they’re also the first step toward their long-term professional development.

Finding internships means acquiring a slew of new skills, a process that often feels daunting in the beginning. However, once equipped with the tools needed to do well at job fairs and interviews, it becomes much less intimidating - even fun!

Business cards are not only easy and simple to create, but they’re also a great step toward getting ahead of the pack and InternMatch is excited to help!

As part of the campaign, InternMatch is offering to FREE custom design business card templates for student organizations. If your group is interested, please contact ashley@internmatch.com to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Got other questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.