A thank you to my grandma

Below is the beginning of an article I just posted on Fox News Latino about my Grandma who passed away this past Monday. Thinking about where you've come from is such an important step when it comes to thinking about where you're going in college:

"It’s Hispanic Heritage month and my Grandma just died this morning.
What do those two facts have in common?

My Grandma is Hispanic. She is my heritage. And I have no idea how I can ever fully thank her for what she’s done for me...Read the rest of the article on Fox News Latino here.

My grandma Isabel and my late grandpa Tito.

Why to dance alone in college

To all my wonderful regular followers, I'm so sorry posting has been and will be a bit sporadic for the next few months as I'm in the middle of the crazy traveling speaking season. I am still trying to write every second I get, and think about you every day I miss. Things will be more regular by November, so in the meantime please enjoy my sporadic posts and past posts. And if you have any great resources to share or stories you want to send to have considered to be featured on the blog as a guest post please email me at isa@communitycollegesuccess.com. Thank you!

This weekend I went to a delicious Cuban restaurant with a live band. When the band struck their first notes the dance floor was empty - except for one white-haired lady. She salsa danced by herself. And it was clear wasn't trying to get attention. She actually didn't seem to notice anyone was watching. She was just enjoying herself, by herself, and it was beautiful to watch.

How many times have you been scared to do something alone? I know I have. When it comes to extra-curricular activities in college, it can be really hard to try something new by yourself. But often that is the best way to to do it. Branching out by yourself grows you, and can actually inspire others. 

It wasn't before long that people saw that lady having so much un-self-consious fun that soon the whole floor was filled. When you step out and do something new, you will often inspire others to do the same. But the worst mistake you can make is to wait for someone else to go first, or go with you.

There are things (and clubs) only you can start. There are people you'll only meet if you do something by yourself.

So this week, pick an activity on your college event calendar and go by yourself. Make it a goal to make a new friend, or to just find a way to metaphorically dance by yourself. You might be surprised by how much fun it is.

When should you take an unpaid internship?

I've had many students ask me when it is okay to take an unpaid internship. Or rather - when is it really worth it to work for free?

Obviously anytime an internship is paid it's a huge bonus - but pay should be just that, a bonus, not what you look for first.

The goal of an internship should be to gain valuable work experience and make connections in an industry you think you'd like to work in one day. 

So below are the questions to ask yourself when considering taking an unpaid internship:

1. Does this company have a good reputation?
2. Would you really want to work at this company one day?
3. Will working at this organization enhance your resume and help you get a job you really want after college?
4. Are there people who work at this company that you want to meet?
5. Are there skills you could get at this internship that you couldn't get anywhere else?
6. Will this internship teach you a lot about what you want to do with your life? 
7. Does doing the work described in the internship sound interesting to you?
8. If you spent time doing this unpaid internship will you still have time or resources to cover your necessary expenses?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions then you should absolutely take the unpaid internship. It is going to give you much more than money. 

If you answered no to most of the questions, then keep looking for an internship that would really encourage your professional growth and give you a great return on your time and effort. In short, choose internships that excite you. 

Five tips to getting a great recommendation letter, everytime

After a speech I just did in Iowa (like literally 5 minutes ago), a professor asked me if I would focus on the part of my book where I teach how to approach professors about recommendation letters when I give my student speech (which I'm about to do - yay).

She said she loved that part because she gets so many requests years later, and can't remember the students, and they don't give her all the information she needs to write the letter and send it to the right place.

At first glance, recommendation letters seem like an annoying thing you have to do for scholarship and admission applications. But they can be the most powerful part of your application. And the way you approach your professor about writing one can be the difference between getting where you want to go, and not.

So below are my top five tips to get a great recommendation letter -everytime - that will lead you to scholarship money and the transfer universities of your dreams:

• Don't wait until you need a recommendation letter to talk to a professor. Meet every professor during their office hours early and often to ask for advice and build a genuine relationship. You never know who you will need to write you a great letter later.
• Sit in the front row and do your best in class. Instead of having to "remind" the professor who you are, you want to be such a great student that they know you instantly by name.
• As soon as you know you'll be applying for a scholarship, transfer university, or graduate school, figure out the professors who know you best and ask them ahead of time if they can write a letter, even if you know you won't need the letter for months. Then ask them to tell you their preferred method of receiving the directions and when they'd like you to remind them about it again.
• The rule of thumb is to give the professor at least two weeks notice before you need a letter. This is good, but the earlier the better. If you find out about a scholarship you want to apply for late, ask a trusted professor in person.
• When you email the professor, ask if they have time to write the letter (don't assume they owe you) and don't leave any of the following details out. If you do, the professor will feel annoyed, and that's not the mindset you want them to be in when writing about you:
• What you're applying for
• When the letter is due
• What class you had with them and when
• Any special projects you want them to mention as relevant to the application
• A resume
• Any special things you were involved in that they helped you with or saw directly your impact on the campus
• How they should send the letter (e.g. email, snail mail, scanned and emailed, on a website, to the university, directly to you, etc?)
• Whether or not the letter needs to be signed and on letter head
• A word limit for the letter if applicable
• A stamped and addressed envelope if the application requires them to mail the letter directly

Most people get the best jobs and opportunities because someone else recommended them. Starting these habits early will serve you well both in college and in your career.

10 things to do before you graduate college

I recently read an article on a college website that said things like getting a fake ID and getting drunk in vegas were "must-do's" before you graduate college.

A lot of the items on their list seemed more like good ways to get arrested than to have a successful college experience.

So...

My list is a little different. It might not be attractive to the college party-hards out there, but it's guaranteed not to have you found passed out on a street (unless having a rockin' awesome successful college experience makes you faint). ;)

10 things to do before you graduate college 

1. Travel outside the country
2. Join a club based on a culture outside your own
3. Visit your college career center
4. Become president of a club
5. Take a random elective that fascinates you
6. Job shadow someone with a job that interests you
7. Do something that's always scared you
8. Mentor a HS student or freshman to help them through college
9. Have a conversation with a professor outside course content
10. Lead a new initiative, project, or event on your campus

Feel free to add to this list by adding a comment below or sharing an item from your list at Facebook.com/CCSuccess!