This week I got to know Regan Giesting, a senior at DePauw. Regan is a computer science major and biology minor. She told me about her DePauw experience and how it helped shape what she wanted to pursue post-graduation.
Her Campus: Hi Regan! Thanks for meeting with me today. What made you choose your major and minor?
Regan Giesting: I am a computer science major and biology minor, but I orignially came to DePauw in hopes of pursuing a biology major. I enjoyed my biology classes, but I wasn’t passionate about biology. During the second semester of my sophomore year, I took Intro to Computer Science and was immediately drawn to the class due to the aspect of logical thinking. I was not only good at coding, but I knew that there were so many opportunities in the CS field outside of DePauw. I switched my major and am so glad that I did.
HC: Wow! Yes, there is a wide range of opportunities for computer science majors; that sounds like a great choice. What other things are you involved with on campus?
RG: One of the best aspects of DePauw is the amount of organizations that students can get involved in. I am currently in the Environmental Fellows Program, the Sustainability Leadership Program, Women in Computer Science, and the Information Technology Associates Program (ITAP).
HC: Have you had any internships?
RG: During the summer of 2016, I was a Digital Assets Intern for the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). During the summer of 2017, I worked in the research labs at Eli Lilly & Company. This past summer, I was an Algorithm Development and Refinement Intern at Roche Diagnostics.
HC: Have they helped you to figure out what you do/do not want to do after graduation?
RG: I have found that my internships have played a huge role in my personal, professional, and academic development. At TNC, I learned how to effectively collaborate in the workplace. At Lilly and Roche, I learned both what areas of pharmaceutical companies I enjoyed and did not enjoy working in. I greatly enjoyed my time in the research labs at Lilly, but could not see myself working in a lab for the rest of my career. My time at Roche exposed me to working with algorithms, which I hope to work with following graduation.
HC: What are you plans after graduation?
RG: After graduation, I will be working at Eli Lilly & Company in Indianapolis.
HC: That’s amazing; congratulations! Was job hunting a hard thing to do?
RG: Finding a job was not hard, but it was stressful. I knew where I wanted to work, but I needed to ensure that I had plenty of options in case my top choice did not work out. Balancing school work, career fairs, networking phone calls, interviews, and interview practice was stressful, but a process that eventually paid off.
HC: Do you have any tips for current juniors for next year?
RG: My biggest piece of advice for juniors is not to limit yourself to one company—apply to internships and jobs at all of the companies that seem interesting to you. The more you apply for, the better your odds of receiving an offer. Also, be true to yourself. I interviewed at a few companies and immediately knew that they were not the right fit for me. It is better to be honest with yourself and the company and dismiss yourself from the interview process than to go through the process and not be invested.
HC: Those are some really valuable tips and definitely something to keep in mind for next year! Thank you for your time, Regan!