All in University of Florida.
Sthefanny is an Associate Scientist at Breedlove, Dennis & Associates, Inc. Environmental Consultants.
"This week was the first time I worked over 50 hours at my big girl job and by the end of the week I was hands down the happiest person in the world. I love what I do SO much that on Fridays I already can’t wait for it to be Monday again! Ideally, that is what everyone wants in life and I am so grateful to have it. Question is... how do you get there?
"When making the decision to go to graduate school, I took into account a wide variety of options. Field, professor, and funding were the most important variables. I had already been conducting undergraduate research, and this gave me an edge for knowing which fields I would be interested in. I was able to create a list of about twenty schools that I considered applying to. This later became a list of a top five due to budget constraints. Applying to graduate school ended up being about $100 per school after averaging it all out. I recommend applying to all the schools you are interested in.
"A medical school wants to be confident that their students have the potential to become excellent physicians. That being said, applicants must prove they have the qualities necessary through their application and credentials.
"Without a doubt, previous internship experience was fundamental in securing my second internship offer. Starting off as a student with no practical technical experience, landing my first internship was a huge challenge. It seemed like every company I spoke to was not interested in taking a chance on a student with no experience. Giving me an internship opportunity was a risk for recruiters, as I had no knowledge or experience of working in a professional engineering environment. Despite attending numerous career fairs, it seemed like I was stuck in the classic vicious circle of unemployment—no experience meant no job, and no job meant no experience.
"Studying abroad challenges you to learn in new and different ways. Throughout the early part of our lives we have been challenged to learn the same way—via textbooks, teachers, testing, projects, and class participation.
"One of the most valuable lessons I took from the experience was learning when to use my strengths to lead, and when to use them to assist. Throughout my high school years, I preferred leading a group and doing the job myself, and that meant doing it right. I disregarded individual talents and believed that a solid finished product created by myself was more attractive than a cohesive collaboration from a team. Being put in a situation where I was forced to be dependent on my co-staffers was difficult at first, but I was rewarded.
"I feel that being involved in extracurricular activities, including sports teams and volunteer organizations, made me a better candidate for graduate school. The experiences that I had as a member in these organizations taught me one of the most valuable lessons in life—How to work as a member of a team.
