CU Live

I'm off to a Recruiting Conference in Chicago tonight, Thursday and Friday.   Many professional organizations for career people include career center practitioners AND recruiters from employers that typically hire college gradautes and interns.   THIS little fact is what makes trips like this so valuable to me.    

While I'm in the windy city, I will also be connecting with an HR Recruiter from US Bank in Chicago who will be attending our Career Fair back here at Creighton in February, 2010.      

The Career Center staff usually tries to make some independent employer visits when we travel to conferences and professional meetings -- this provides us more bang for the buck in our travel budgets.    

_________________________________________________

A Labor market update -- We are seeing some bright spots on the horizon relative to the job market for college grads and particularly for interns.   While certainly employers hare hiring fewer entry-level candidates, most are maintaining or even increasing the number of interns.   This makes it a very good time to be a sophomore or junior!   

JIM  

Creighton University’s student newspaper, The Creightonian, won a national Pacemaker award, one of the highest awards a college paper can earn, at the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas, Oct. 28 - Nov. 1.

The Creighton competed with 228 papers among three categories: four-year dailies, four-year non-dailies and two-year papers, according to the Associated College Press, which directs the competition.

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Coverage and content: Were all aspects of student life covered (academics/sports/clubs/local news, etc.)? Was the use of wire/syndicated copy limited (especially on pg. 1)? Was there evidence of sound news judgment?
• Quality of writing and reporting: Was the writing concise and the reporting thorough? Was writing free of opinion (with the exception of editorials or columns)? Was the copy edited for consistent style?
• Leadership on the opinion page: Did staff editorials, cartoons and letters supplement personal columns? Did the staff demonstrate sensitivity to controversial topics? Was the content of the editorial page consequential?
• Evidence of in-depth reporting: Did major stories show evidence of multiple sources? Are series or depth pieces prominent in entered issues?
• Layout and design: Was the look of the paper clean and contemporary? Was a consistent modular page makeup used throughout the publication? Did designers establish a clear visual hierarchy for readers?
• Photography, art and graphics: Did visuals enhance the verbal content and draw the reader in? Did visuals improve the reader’s understanding of the accompanying story? Were photos properly credited? Was the quality of photos and art technically excellent?
  (from ACP website)

Read more about the award >>

Read the Creightonian Online >>

Research is a big deal at Creighton. It should be. After all, nearly half of Creighton’s undergraduates intend to major in science--FIVE TIMES the national average.

In fact, Creighton was recognized yet again this year by U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges" for undergraduate research and creative projects. Of the 50 universities and colleges listed, many of which are elite institutions, Creighton is the only Jesuit and the only Catholic institution honored.  

Recently, eleven undergraduate students who participated in the 2009 Ferlic Summer Research Scholar program showcased their original research at the fourth annual poster presentation on Monday, Nov. 2.

The posters are summaries of what the students learned and discovered over the summer on topics including tooth remineralization, the role of butterflies in the eco-nature of the prairie, and understanding the molecular structure and growth of bacteria.

Read more »

One of my favorite classes this semester is Pre-Med Seminar.  I don’t say this because it is a zero credit hour class or that you get a passing grade for just showing up.  I say this because it is very beneficial for all students looking to be entering medical school one day.  The Pre-Med Seminar is a brand new program this year.  Lasting five semesters, it begins the second semester of your freshman year and ends the second semester of your junior year.   The goal of the program is to educate students looking to go to medical school about the application process and the necessities needed to be a qualified prospective medical school student.

        If you complete the program, and you do this by simply showing up to class, you will receive a University letter.  Medical schools highly recommend having a University letter and some even require it.  The letter basically states that Creighton endorses you as an excellent and highly qualified student to be entering medical school. 
         And while this letter is a perk for completing the program, the course itself is full of perks.  No one in my family is a physician.  I am COMPLETELY clueless about how the application process works and am sort of in a bind when it comes to finding doctors to shadow.  This class walks you through the application process and takes the time to explain what medical schools are looking for in students.  Last class, they brought the Dean of Creighton’s School of Medicine and one of the School of Medicine’s interviewers to come talk to us about what they look for in students’ applications and what stands out to them.  It was incredibly beneficial to hear from individuals that may be interviewing me in two years what can set you apart.  
       I learned from the Dean that Creighton’s School of Medicine highly values shadowing.  For me, shadowing is a challenge because I don’t have anyone in my family that could set me up with physicians to shadow, and not being from Omaha, I don’t have any physicians here that I know or am a patient of.  The directors of the program are currently compiling a list of doctors in the Omaha area that are willing to let students shadow them.  Another nice thing about this program is HIPPA regulations often make physicians wary about having students shadow in their offices.  One of our classes coming up will be dedicated to getting us all HIPPA certified.
       Overall this class is enlightening and incredibly beneficial for students looking to be pre-med.  I highly recommend any students that come to Creighton remotely interested in being pre-med to take this class. You won’t regret it! You know a class is good when it is on a Friday afternoon and consistently the 300 students enrolled in it show up week after week.

Today is the last day of Fall Break, and I am entirely UNready to return to school tomorrow...However, I really appreciate that Creighton gives its students a whole week off to rest and relax after a vigorous 2 months of school and work, as not many schools have an opportunity like this. The students here make exciting plans, for example a few of my guy friends went backpacking thru New Mexico for a few days, while others took advantage of the break and drove to places such as Chicago, Colorado, and Madison. Many of the students drive or fly home for the week, and a handful stick around campus. To me, the best part about coming back together is hearing the stories they all tell and what everyone has done for the past week. Last night I met up with my friend Steve and he told me about his adventure in New Mexico backpaking and camping...two of the days it actually snowed, which made it hard to set up camp and also find the trail!

As for me, I had a fabulous time in St. Paul visiting friends. The highlight of my trip was visiting the Mall of America and going to one of my favorite grocery stores called Trader Joes, found mostly on the coasts, but St. Paul is cool enough to have one. We ate a lot of home cooked food by Lee's family, and also had the chance to try some of the restaurants well known in St. Paul. The weather was ideal there, and I had the chance to run outside and see all the yellow, orange and red trees along the Mississippi river. Minnesota is definately a beautiful place to live and visit in the fall.