The Winter Career Fair

Ah the UMSI Winter Career Fair. An annual affair that took place from 12-4pm on Thursday, January 26th. First years and second years alike flocked to the event hoping to land coveted internships and sweet full-time gigs with the following employers:

3M Afia, Inc. Arbor Networks ArborMetrix Auto-Owners Insurance Cengage/Gale Civis Analytics Cognizant Technology Solutions Consumers Energy Deloitte Digital Studio Echo360 FICO Ford Motor Company GE

IBM JOOl Health Improvement Path Systems LLamasoft Logic Solutions Lutron Marketing Associates Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN) Michigan State University Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc. NITS Solutions Perficient QuikOrder

SkySpecs TechSmith TechTown Detroit - DTX Launch Detroit Tekton, Inc. TIBCO Software Trinity Health UM Office of Academic Innovation United Shore UMich Information and Technology UMich Office of Technology Transfer Services Venture for America

We all know the reasons why we should go to career fairs:

1. Networking. Developing career contacts.
2. Perfecting your 30 second sell.
3. Learning about companies in your field of interest.
4. Grabbing FREE swag (I got a nice water bottle, a t-shirt, numerous pens, a beauty kit with lotion, listerine strips, …)

But what’s the insider scoop on these things you may wonder? Well I found a couple UMSI students all too eager to share their experience.

“I tend to get overwhelmed by events like this, and having a plan going into the career fair helped me to stay calm and focused. One other thing that really helped me to stay positive was to remember that these companies were there to talk with students like me! There was really no reason to be nervous,” shared Marcy a first-year in HCI.

“I did research before the career fair, so I kind’ve knew which employers I wanted to talk to. [Also] I saw where people were waiting in line and I asked my friends, ‘What is this about?’ and if I felt interested- and there was an internship position open- then I would wait in line,” stated Phoebe a first-year in IAR. She also had some tips to share. “If you don’t have time to do research beforehand, try to do so in line, because there’s always a long line. And you can also do some warm-up, like talk to the companies you are less interested in first so you become more confident.”

Funding Your Degree

Whether you have submitted an application or are planning to, it’s time to start- or continue- thinking about how to fund your UMSI degree. As per last post, submitting your application by January 15th was the best way to position yourself for first-round consideration for a slew of scholarships such as the UMSI merit scholarship, the UMSI diversity scholarship, the Joyce Bonk assistantship, and the Professional Practice Fellows Program.

One of the great things about the School of Information is that they are committed to making the MSI degree affordable to as many students as possible. Be sure to listen to the stories of some previous scholarship recipients:

As you wait to hear back about UMSI funding, be strategic about considering some additional resources:

1. Apply for the FAFSA. You may end up qualifying for great government loans.
2. Consider external scholarship sources. Some useful websites to find scholarships are: Peterson’s, Fastweb, and Unigo.
1. Note: If you end up landing one of these scholarships (within your first year of study), you are eligible for up to $10,000 in matching funds from the School of Information. Talk about a win/win!
3. Look into Graduate Student Assistantships which cover tuition and provide a stipend and benefits.

If it turns out that you don’t receive a UMSI merit scholarship, don’t fret! Scholarships are awarded in multiple rounds. For subsequent rounds admissions staff will consider your motivation to attend UMSI, as well as your financial need. So maintain clear communication with admissions!

For more detailed information on funding opportunities at UMSI, please check out this talk:

Prioritize Your Application

The first UMSI application deadline is in less than a week (on January 15th) and I encourage you to submit your application by then. If you’ve followed the steps in the post Tips for a Successful Application, then you should have a strong application all set.

Submitting your application by the priority deadline grants you first consideration for the following scholarships:

1. UMSI merit scholarships which range from partial to full tuition amounts, with the possibility of additional benefits such as stipends. These scholarships are awarded regardless of the applicant’s residency status for the duration of four semesters of full-time work.
1. And also the UMSI diversity scholarships, which are quite similar.

2. Joyce Bonk Assistantship which provides full-tuition support, health-care, and a stipend. The assistantship requires a 20-hour/week work commitment in the Clements Library. This work entails digitization of collection materials. See the full description here.
3. Professional Practice Fellows Program which provides full-tuition support, health-care, a laptop, and a travel stipend. The program includes a paid 15-20-hour/week work commitment with an industry partner.

All you need to do to be considered for these sweet, sweet scholarships is submit your application in by January 15th. That’s it! Do it!

And no, these scholarships are not too good to be true.

Funding note: Applications received after the January 15 priority deadline date will still be considered for scholarships. However, to receive first consideration for these funds, you must apply by the early deadline.

Keep an eye out for next week’s blog post, which will discuss more ways to fund your graduate degree.