| AQ Parents |
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| Your son or daughter is now an Aquinas Saint. This doesn’t mean your Saint will always be “saintly”. He or she will make mistakes as they transition to adult life. Our goal is to enhance their development academically and personally. Aquinas College aims to enable students to have a well-rounded experience and to be ready for the world when they graduate. |
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| At Career and Counseling Services we know that there can be challenges along the way. Students will be exposed to new ideas and a diverse culture that will be exciting and exhilarating. As they become involved with clubs and activities, latent interests and strengths will surface. Professors will become mentors and encouragers. Even so, students may be more stressed than ever as they feel pressured to excel academically, be active socially, and work part-time all while deciding specific career paths. Your Saint may have no idea what to major in let alone pursue as a career. Career and Couseling Services is here to help. |
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| Assisting College Freshman |
| During this stage of choosing a career, the goal is to assess skills, interests and abilities. Freshman and Sophomores are strongly encouraged to take CD 200 at this time. (CD200 is a course required for graduation.) This Career and Self Exploration course helps students to find out about themselves and how their personality styles coordinates with various occupations. More career and self-awareness should help them if they are uncertain about choosing a major. They will also be developing a resume and learning about the job search. |
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| Encourage your son or daughter’s exploration of new interests and activities. The more clubs, volunteer work and other opportunities they participate in, the more they get to know what they like and don’t like. Talk about the courses they are enjoying. Remind them of their strengths. Suggest they visit Career and Counseling services if after taking CD 200 they still are unsure of career direction. |
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| Guiding College Sophomores |
| If your Saint still hasn’t selected a major, don’t panic. Encourage them to talk to their advisors, professors or our career advisors about careers. If they haven’t take CD 200 yet, encourage them to take it. Suggest they do some “informational interviewing” with people who are working in careers they may be interested in. Your son or daughter can contact Career and Counseling Services for names of alumni and others to talk to. |
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| Be accepting if your Saint chooses a major that does not seem to have a direct tie to a career. Majors in English, history or other degrees can prepare students for the work world. Strong oral and written communication skills are a high priority for employers as well as the research, analysis and problem solving skills developed in these majors. |
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| What do Juniors need? |
| This is a good time for students to be involved with internships and other types of experiential learning such as volunteering and study abroad. Career and Counseling can assist students in setting up internships and other experiences. If your student is planning on going to graduate school, they can take practice tests for the various graduate programs through the Dean of Students Office. |
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| Finally Seniors |
| Students will be actively organizing their job search and exploring graduate schools. Your student will be exploring options in a more serious manner and may come to you for guidance. Be in tune to how much advice they want from you and back off when you can tell it is rubbing them the wrong way. They need to make their own decisions. Listen to their excitement, fears and dreams. |
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| They will be going to career fairs and graduate school fairs. Don’t go with them. As part of their professional growth, they need to attend these on their own. They will have many opportunities to learn how to interact professionally at these events through the Career and Counseling Center. There are two CD 401 classes available for Seniors. One is geared towards Seniors seeking employment after graduation and the other is designed for students planning on attending graduate school. Encourage your son or daughter to enroll in one of these very valuable classes. (link more info about these classes.) |
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| Support your student through the ups and downs of the job search and graduate school process. They may experience disappointments and they are very busy. They will need your wise perspective from time-to-time. You may want to purchase them a suit for interviews and work. Be certain to check with you own insurance provider to determine when any medical insurance benefits will be discontinues. Some plans end the day of graduation others end with the calendar year or benefit year. If necessary, your Saint would probably qualify for the COBRA plan to extend benefits. Contact your Human Resources or insurance representative for information. |
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| Call Career and Counseling Services at any time to speak to our professional staff. |
