Working alongside my coworkers and helping students and prospective families.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have been training for tours sooner than I was.
Advice
Jobs, especially ones on campus, give you great networking opportunities. They also allow you to get experience that you otherwise wouldn’t have. When I first started this job, I was just a front desk assistant, but since then, I’ve become a Student Ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences. If you work hard, eventually you’ll be rewarded with more responsibilities that will only give you more chances in your future career because of your experience.
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Event Intern
May 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I love how fast paced it is
What I wish was different
I wish I had more time for myself
Advice
It feels good to work hard and see the results
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Student Marketing Assistant
July 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Amazing people to work with! My boss is very helpful and trained me from the ground up on what I need to do.
What I wish was different
I wish I started earlier. I didn’t start earlier because I went on a holiday.
Advice
Ask whatever you don’t know.
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Humanitarian Team Leader
May - July 2019 • Mytilene, North Aegean Region
What I liked
As the founder of the WMU Global Leaders Program I was incredibly proud of our fifteen 2019 Global Leaders for establishing and embarking on a program to provide direct aid to refugees across the world
What I wish was different
Advice
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Psychology Research Intern
May 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I enjoyed helping to plan sessions and facilitating instruction and feedback. I had the pleasure of working with a supportive group of researchers who were all heavily invested in the work.
What I wish was different
I wish I had had more time to dedicate to the study. I was balancing a summer job with this research internship and devoted time in and out of the lab but would have desired to have done more.
Advice
I would suggest giving yourself extra time before and after each day to be able to talk to those around you and not have to rush out.
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Administrative Assisstant
August 2015 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Great coworkers. Good learning experience.
What I wish was different
More pay.
Advice
Good on-campus job for working students.
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Orientation Student Leader
May - July 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
It was a great experience. I liked being able to interact with incoming students.
I liked connecting to Westerns campus and staff on a deeper level.
What I wish was different
The length of the days. Also a better system for creating groups.
Advice
Always be positive and believe in yourself. Stay out of drama with coworkers. Whatever you put into the job you will receive it back tripled.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
June 2015 - April 2017 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I loved getting to work with other students who share similar career interests and hobbies.
What I wish was different
I wish I didn’t have to purchase a parking pass for summer months just to go to work on campus.
Advice
Make connections with your professors! I shared my interests with a professor and she helped connect me to university staff who could match me with a job that was just right for me, and went along with my major.
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Student Technology Aid
January 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I love working at OLLI for the relaxed environment and rewarding interactions.
What I wish was different
Hours are 8-5 Monday-Friday so there were lots of early mornings.
Advice
Organization and professionalism is everything.
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Summer Orientation Resident Assistant
April - July 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Ability to work with first year students.
Flexibility to work while enjoying the summer.
What I wish was different
More compensation for the hours worked. The stipend is hardly enough to get by, let alone safe money for the school year.
Advice
Be prepared to work quickly and efficiently
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Student custodian
June 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
The work is easy.
What I wish was different
Better pay rate.
Advice
It’s a great way to get experience in an office space.
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Fall Welcome Intern
October 2017 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I was able to grow in a professional setting and get outside my comfort zone.
What I wish was different
A bigger office :)
Advice
Work ahead of schedule. When you get going on your bigger projects, you will probably fall behind. So working ahead on the smaller projects will help you stay less stressed.
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Digitization Assistant
August 2017 - July 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
- Laid-back atmosphere
- Flexible hours
- Kind manager
- Working with Adobe Creative Suite
- Developing experience with camera work
What I wish was different
- Manager was prone to forget or confuse easily.
Advice
Be consistent and remind the manager. .
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Group Leader
May - July 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Working with students
What I wish was different
Wage was higher
Advice
It was great! But you do have to keep a pace
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Student Ambassador
September 2017 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I love the people and the experiences I’m offered!
What I wish was different
I wish I could have been even more active in this job!
Advice
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student library assistant
March 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
doing research
What I wish was different
nothing
Advice
not get too into researching
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Orientation Student Leader
May - July 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Fantastic leadership growth opportunity and great way to make a difference at the university along with meeting great people.
What I wish was different
Hours were long and tiresome and for the duration of the job had no time off.
Advice
Very good for a younger driven student looking to develop themselves more personally.
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Supplemental Instruction Leader
May - June 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
I loved being able to help my students understand tricky concepts from class.
What I wish was different
I wish had had more time to prepare materials for my students, especially for exam review.
Advice
Stay on top of the lecture schedule, even ahead if possible.
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Front Desk Receptionist
May 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
Socialization with residents
What I wish was different
Advice
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Resident Manager
April 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI
What I liked
The autonomy of the job. I am told what I have to do and when it has to be done, but I can do it on my own time and in whatever way is most beneficial for me.
What I wish was different
There have been some unnecessary meetings. Things that have been discussed could easily have gone in an email, rather than making me come into the office for 10 minutes and then dismissing me.
Advice
You have to be able to balance your time extremely well. You think you have a lot of time, but then when you start doing a lot of the job requirements, you realize how much time they're actually going to take. So you need to balance school with work very efficiently.
