It is officially no longer the first month of our last year of university, and I’m sure many of you McGill collegiettes have been answering the question I’m often faced with: “What are your plans for next year?” I hope that most of you are feeling more confident in your answer than I am, but if not, I have compiled a brief list of services or events at McGill that exist purely to aid unsure students. While it is only October, it is never too early to start thinking about plans for next year (especially for those of you considering applying to grad schools!). Even if a much-needed year off after what seems like decades of schooling is your choice, it is wise to take advantage of the many career or future planning services that McGill has to offer.
CaPS Office:
CaPS is the Career Planning Services Office at McGill — located in the Brown building. It can also be visited via their website: http://www.mcgill.ca/caps/. CaPS is constantly sending us emails about upcoming events that may or may not go unnoticed by some of us, or ignored by others. Whether or not you’ve gone to any CaPS events before (or even read their emails) it is helpful to look at the website and explore career opportunities for your major. The website also connects students to links for upcoming workshops, that can also be found at MyFuture. I attended a workshop called “What to do with your English Major” in my second year, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that, after graduation, my only options weren’t becoming a teacher or an unemployed author / starving artist.
Grad School and Career Fairs:
McGill offers Career and Graduate/Professional School fairs throughout the semester, and while some have already passed, there are still many more scheduled. Each faculty hosts their own career fair (Management and Engineering have already held theirs earlier in September and October) as well as Graduate and Professional School fairs. The Arts and Science Graduate School Fairs are coming up in the semester and allow students to learn about other school options after graduation. These fairs are a great way to connect with representatives from other schools and ask questions about admission dates and requirements. Here’s the link: http://www.mcgill.ca/caps/students/services/careerfairs/
While these are only suggestions, it is definitely time for us all to start planning for our futures. Hopefully all of you McGill collegiettes are well organized (much more than I am) for next year and are enjoying what little time you have left at McGill!
Good luck with upcoming midterms, and remember that Halloween is a bright light at the end of this academic tunnel.