By: Emily Joyce, 2022-23 SCS Advising Leader
As we navigate the second half of the semester, it is easy to get caught up in focusing on upcoming midterms and finals and neglect thinking further into the future. However, this is an important time to start focusing on scheduling classes for next semester. Time tickets to register for classes have been sent out and registration will begin in November, therefore it is important to schedule an appointment with your advisor to make sure you have everything you need to be successful next semester!
In-person appointments will be in 110 Noyes lab in the office of your corresponding advisor, depending on your last name. If you are unable to make an appointment with an advisor, express advising is available as well! Express advising can also be virtual or in person and is helpful for both SCS majors and anyone not yet in the program who is interested in learning more. Express advising is better for quick questions since these appointments are 10 minutes rather than 30 minutes for a typical appointment with an advisor. However, they are a helpful resource for any transfer questions, registration issues, or other quick topics. The link below can be used to schedule an appointment, both virtual and in-person appointments are available this year. Just click on the tab with the range your last name fits into then schedule an appointment at the link shown.
Virtual or in-person appointments (30 min): https://scs.illinois.edu/academics/advising/advising-team
Express advising:
https://scs.illinois.edu/academics/advising/express-advising
In addition to looking forward to spring courses, this is also an important time to start thinking of summer plans. Freshman, since it is typical to start internships after freshman year, this is a great time to start thinking about other summer plans. Taking summer classes or potentially getting involved in research over the summer are both great opportunities. For sophomores and juniors, this is a great time to start thinking about finding an internship for next summer. This is helpful to build up your resume as well as gain experience in the field to help you know what types of jobs you want to look for upon graduation! For seniors, this is a perfect time to start deciding what industries and jobs you are interested in pursuing upon graduation. For both internships and full-time jobs, applications are open, and interviews are being conducted for chemistry and chemical engineering jobs. Two important resources for job applications that the SCS team provides are Handshake and the SCS Career Services office.
Handshake is a great tool for finding jobs related to your interests and starting applications. On Handshake, you can focus on the industries you are interested in by filtering and sorting through jobs. Handshake is also a useful tool since a lot of jobs posted there have employers that are looking for UIUC students, and a lot of the time they will reach out to you individually if they think you would be a good fit for a position. Even as a freshman, it could be a great time to set up your Handshake account to start getting a look at potential jobs you could be interested in in the future. With the SCS Career Services office, you can get your resume and cover letters reviewed to make yourself a competitive applicant when applying for jobs. The team in the Career Services office knows what employers are looking for and can advise you on how to put your best foot forward in your job search. If you are already getting interviews scheduled, they can also be a great resource to prepare for interviews. They can run through mock interviews with students to get a feel for what the experience will likely be like before a big interview. In addition, if you need a quiet space to complete an interview, they offer interview room reservations as well. Appointments can be made with SCS Career Services through Handshake.
Handshake:
https://handshake.illinois.edu/
SCS Career Services:
https://scs.illinois.edu/academics/careers
Good luck with the rest of the semester and on future endeavors for next semester and beyond! Reach out to scs-advising@illinois.edu for any additional help.