Hey 1st years,
Congrats on finishing your first (and most students say the hardest) semester!
Here’s my To-Do List for y’all over winter break. FYI – I will be here until Dec. 20th and will be back on January 5th. I am happy to meet or chat by phone about any of this!
FIRST YEARS – WINTER BREAK TO DO LIST:
1.) Update your resume/ incorporate BC experience. If you need a reminder about what we talked about in the resume workshop, here’s the deck w/ advice and examples.
2.) Purchase your domain and create a website “framework.” Most students use wix, squarespace, wordpress and cargocollective. They all have templates to choose from. Here are the sections for your site:
- About me
- Work (2-4 examples)
- Resume/Contact
- Art/Side Projects (if you have them).
You will likely get more work samples in the first half of 2nd semester, but over break, you should polish any work you did 1st semester that you think you’ll use for your portfolio and add that to your site. By the start of spring semester, your goal should be to have the overall framework, About me, and Art/Side Project sections completed so all you need to do Spring semester is polish work and drop it in.
Re purchasing your domain name, try to make it your name so it’s easy for recruiters + it’s something you’ll keep during your career. (eg. www.ashleysommardahl.com)
3.) If you have a side project or something you’ve been wanting to do, try to get it done over winter break. You don’t have to have one but sometimes these side projects help set you apart/ make an impression. They can also be a good way to showcase related creative/maker skills. Here are some of my favorites over the years. They also don’t have to be serious or scholarly projects! They showcase the student’s creativity, sense of humor, storytelling ability, etc.
4.) Look at the Class of 2025 portfolios. They’re on our site under “Portfolios.”
- How do they set up their work? Remember the person looking at your site has no idea what the assignment/objective was. Help them understand what they’re looking at.
- How do they talk about their specific role/contribution to the team?
- How do they credit their teammates?
- What type of projects do they include?
- How do they do their “About Me” section? Here’s some advice from our alums on your About Me section.