Present day, sophomore me is thriving as the president of one club and organization, the Membership Coordinator for Black Student Union, and is known as a kind-hearted person that is passionate about broadcast reporting and journalism. She takes risks, chats it up with everyone, and enjoys living her college life like there is no tomorrow.
I wasn’t always like that.
At the beginning of freshman year, I was a ball of anxiety that bit my nails off every time I met people. This was a completely unfamiliar territory. With the exception ofone friend’s ex-boyfriend, whom I barely talked to in high school, I knew nobody. There was no more hiding from the world and praying that career opportunities would magically appear at my doorstep. If I wanted to succeed, I had to do the one thing social anxiety hated: force myself to talk.
And boy, did it work out better than I expected.
What I didn’t mention in the beginning is that I did research on TikTok because I wanted to know how to thrive in college. To someone out there, they may question why I didn’t use Google or Safari. What college students offer on TikTok is authenticity; they’re open about their regrets, the biggest ones being not joining clubs, going to free career fairs offered by their university, and refusing to network.
“…My biggest regret is not making it my number one goal to meet people,” says Yuna Batmunkh, who graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “There is something to learn from every single person you meet in college. They may teach you the person you don’t want to be [or the person you want to be]. Your network is your degree.” They want students to blossom, not shrink. For my anxious communications friends fretting about their new life, I want to be your big sister and see you growlike never before.
Orientation Week is Your New Start
When you hear the word networking, what first comes to mind? Walking through rows of booths at career fairs, a stack of resumes tucked under your arm, convincing a bunch of hiring managers to hire you with a last-minute elevator pitch? Going straight to your dream job and saying, “I’m willing to work for free,” but you want to afford groceries and textbooks?
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, networking is “[exchanging] information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. [Specifically,] the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.” Building professional relationships is more than just trading LinkedIn profiles and surface-level coffee chats; people know when they’re being used, and it rubs them the wrong way.
So how do I start? Orientation.
At Point Park, we have Pioneer Experience. Those five days are to help freshmen feel comfortable in an unfamiliar environment. Ranging from mocktails served by the broadcasting club, U-View Television, to banging a frozen T-shirt on the ground and rushing to put it on first for Battle of the Boulevard, friendships blossom and student mentors guide freshmen so that they don’t feel lost. That is the perfect time to learn relational skills.
Everyone is awkward. I totally was and, of course, wanted to avoid people. However, I knew my career relied on networking and standing out on day one.
Even if I did not want to get out of bed, I forced myself to make candy sushi with my group of friends. I played trivia and connected with the Stage Manager and show producers of U-View because that was their event. I volunteered to play Through The Hoop so that my team won Battle of the Boulevard. Everything was to make myself known to others and make friends. A clean slate where you must build yourself up is the best way to learn how to form deep, long-lasting connections.
Build Your Resume, but Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
After Orientation, I dove head-first into campus involvement. I researched articles I wanted to write for our school newspaper, The Globe, and stayed up late writing broadcast scripts for U-View. It was still the first month of college, so there was not much homework.
Unfortunately, I had to switch to an evening shift for my full-time job. My last class of the day ended at 2:30 p.m. As soon as that was over, I only had one hour to nap, change, and eat. I would not get back to my dorm until 11 p.m., and there was still homework and projects due at 11:59 p.m. to do.
Saying yes to everything was a life changer, but I ended up overwhelmed quickly. Assignments started to pile up. I’d blank out during class and miss important notes. The very thought of going to events began to irritate and upset me because all I wanted to do was sleep. But I kept thinking that I had to build my resume. There was no room for failure.
It took a while for me to realize that I didn’t have to do everything. Being involved in my broadcasting club as a broadcast reporting major was enough. Eventually, I realized that I had to drop the newspaper and find a new job or else I’d flunk out.
Of course, I still encourage joining clubs and gaining experience. But set boundaries. Choose a day to relax. If not a day, at least an hour dedicated to reading yourfavorite book, soaking in a bubble bath, or watching the latest episodes of a beloved television show. There’s no need to go to that engineering fair if you’re on the opposite side of the spectrum. That bingo night everyone is going to? There will always be another. Plus, setting and keeping boundaries in place gives confidence. Know when to stop.
Still, this was a learning experience. There are days when I’m striving and days when I’m lazy. I’m not perfect, and that is okay! What I know is the effort I’m putting in now will make my future a whole lot brighter.