Oh, the places you could go

UC Denver does more than just take your money in exchange for a degree. There are several programs available on campus designed specifically to find students jobs. So not only can they pay back student loans, but also become proud alumni working in the same field which they pursued for four (or way more) years.

The Experiential Learning Center's goal is to immerse you in hands-on learning outside the classroom, where your experience is at the heart of the learning process, according to the web site.

The center specializes in providing students with internships and co-op opportunities—paid jobs related to their majors—community engagement activities, and undergraduate research.

Loraine Fishman, a student working at the center, talked about one of the main objectives at the Learning Center: internships. "We're here to help. When you get an internship through the center, you won't just be delivering coffee or running errands—you'll be receiving experience alongside school credit," said Fishman.

"We try to stay away from internships where the students are the slave of the office," Fishman continued.

Each semester the Learning Center places somewhere between 150 and 200 students in internships alone, according to Tam Barthel, interim director.

"We certainly haven't been underutilized, it's amazing we stay so busy," Barthel said.

26 percent of the internships through the Learning Center are paid, and the average wage, according to Barthel, is $12.90 per hour for undergraduates and $16.71 for graduate students.

Co-ops are another service provided, but they don't count toward credit. "Co-ops are only a paid opportunity—a job where you're doing something within your major that will help you in your future career," Fishman said.

In addition, the organization's web site has an internship database called "internlink," where students can find local internships. This resource allows students to search through pre-screened, and therefore legitimate internships, upload a resume, and apply directly to the selected program.

Undergraduate students must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average or higher—2.75 if they wish to receive academic credit, enroll in 15 credit hours, and be of sophomore standing to utilize the Learning Center's services.

Graduate students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and enroll in at least six credit hours per semester.

Barthel encouraged students to come in for a consultation their freshman year, "so that they can start to volunteer and get an idea—in conjunction to what the career center offers them—so that by their junior year they have gotten money back [through a Co-op], figured out what they want to do in regards to internships, and also have participated in the Alternative Break programs."

"Unfortunately students will come in the first day of their last semester senior year, and even though we try to help them find a job or an internship, it isn't an overnight affair," said Barthel.

More information and handouts can be found at the Experiential Learning Center's office, Tivoli suite 260.

http://www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/ExperientialLearning/

303-556-6656

The Career Center developed a principle called, "Just ASK!" The acronym "ASK" stands for: assess, search, and knock.

Wendy Vue, a UCD student who works at the Career Center, said that the center offers different assessment tests to students that will help identify both their strengths and their weaknesses, as well as their personality types so that they have enough tools to figure out a major, and furthermore a career.

"Basically, [the career center] tries to help students who are contemplating their major," Vue said.

Mymajors helps students select majors they may not have otherwise considered. FOCUS 2 is a career guidance program that assists students in making decisions about their own career goals. To compliment that, Career Leader is a comprehensive program designed to help students find out which career will suit them best.

"Search" includes job searching strategies, producing clean résumés and cover letters, and guidance for online job hunting. Knock also offers mock interviews, "[Knock] helps students get their foot in the door," Vue said.

The center offers 30-minute drop-in sessions to assist students in any of the steps along the way to getting the career of their dreams. One-hour scheduled appointments with career advisors are also available for students looking to develop job searching, networking and interviewing skills.

This service is available via e-mail as well, or students can download their resume guide online free of charge.

Brent Miller a junior at UCD said that he's not familiar with either the Experiential Learning Center or the Career Center, but that he might go in the future to have a better sense of what options are available, and to see what's out there.

More information and handouts can be found at the Career Center's office, Tivoli suite 267.

303-556-2250

http://www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/CareerCenter/

With two centers on campus specifically geared toward helping students find good jobs, there isn't much room for complaining about not being able to get one.

The 'how-to' resource for scholarships

Need more money? The Scholarship Resources Office informs students regarding the scholarship process and supplies students with a gateway to those scholarships.