Stevens Admissions: Katie's Blog

Jeopardy!

Last night, Stevens' Class of '09 graduate Mike Munley was on Jeopardy!  Mike was an Engineering Management major (like me) and currently works as a Digital Analyst for Johnson and Johnson.  Current Stevens students and alumni flocked to a local bar where we all gathered to watch Mike on the show.  He came and gave a quick little speech before and after the show.  

It was great to see the sense of school spirit and pride all packed into that tiny bar.  Everyone was cheering for Mike on screen (and booing for his competitors).  There were people of all age ranges, and even some professors came out to see Mike's jeopardy adventure.  

Although Mike lost in the last round, I don't think he could have asked for more than the bar full of peers and colleagues all coming out to support him!

 

Dining Services Upgrade

Coming back from spring break I noticed that my usual coffee kiosk located in the Burchard building was gone. That is a problem for me. I NEED my morning coffee fix.
However, upon rounding the corner I discover the brand new and improved Burchard Cafe, now known and the Red and Grey Cafe. It is beautiful! There is a much larger menu (they still have the same great coffee) and now there are even places to sit and relax. I can definitely see myself spending time here relaxing or doing homework between classes!

Career Fairs and Interview Days

The next three days on campus are going to be filled with business suits and resumes.  Today is the Spring Career Fair, and Thursday and Friday are Co-op Interview Days for students looking for summer co-ops.

The Career Fair is open to all Stevens students and run by the Office of Career Development.  Today the whole gymnasium in the Schafer Athletic Center was filled with tables and companies all looking for summer interns and full-time hires.  Stevens students lined up in their business formal attire in hopes of finding that new job or internship.  Although I didn't attend (since I will be joining the Peace Corps) I stopped by to see some of my old co-op employers!

Co-op Interview Days, run by the Office of Cooperative Education, are for those students enrolled in the Co-op Program.  These students will be interviewing for either Summer co-op terms or Summer/Fall co-op terms.  These are very formal interviews and students are required to dress in full suits and carry around black portfolios containing their resumes.  

Last semester I won an award from the co-op office for my resume.  Here is a picture of all of the resume award winners! (I'm the short one!)

A Reflection: Co-op

As graduation looms closer and closer, I decided I am going to take the time to reflect back on various aspects of my past 5 years here at Stevens.  

First up: The Cooperative Education Program

I joined the co-op program as a freshman majoring in Civil Engineering.  The co-op program is a great way to figure out what exactly you want to do when you graduate.  You get anywhere from 3-5 different opportunities in different companies, different areas within the same company, whatever you'd like. 

My first co-op assignment was at a civil company called The Louis Berger Group located in Morristown, NJ.  I worked in the traffic department and got to do a lot of cool calculations.  I was in charge of determining how to best build access roads for construction workers, as well as calculating where guide-rail needed to placed along a major highway.  As cool of an experience that was, this co-op made me realize that made me realize that maybe civil engineering wasn't the right discipline for me.

My second co-op was at a company called Hamilton Sundstrand located in Windsor Locks, CT.  This was great because it meant that I got to live back home with my family in Hartford, CT.  I worked in the Business Development department of Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems.  I fell in love with the company and the job.  I got the chance to talk interact with engineers of all disciplines and assist with the efforts of all incoming projects.

My third co-op was again back in Windsor Locks at Hamilton Sundstrand.  This time I worked in the Project Engineering group.  I got to work on systems that were up in space on the US Space Shuttles.  In my group was an Stevens Alumni who I still keep in touch with to this day. 

My last co-op was at the same company (I told you I fell in love with the company), but in San Diego, CA.  I worked in Quality Management Systems and got to work on training modules and a rotor failure investigation!  You can read all about my adventures in California if you go back to the beginning of this blog!

Sunset Yoga

Due to the relatively small size of the population of women at Stevens, there is a fantastic Woman's Programming organization on campus.  They put together various events for women and by women throughout the year.  These events vary from motivational speakers, book clubs, apple picking trips, etc. 

One of my absolute favorite events is Sunset Yoga.  All of us women gather on Castle Point hill overlooking the manhattan skyline and zen out for a wonderful hour full of sunset yoga.  

Spring Break in Portland

On Sunday, March 10th, eight students one faculty member, and myself, leave for Portland, Oregon for our Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break Trip!  I am super excited about getting to volunteer my time while still getting the opportunity to explore a new city.  We will be in Portland from Sunday - Saturday, and we will be working full days Tuesday - Friday.  That means we have all day Monday to explore!

One other exciting addition to the trip is a meeting we have scheduled with a Stevens Alumn who was in the Peace Corps in Kenya and taught science and math. (Which is what I will be doing in Liberia!!)  He is currently in Law School in Portland, and is willing to meet with our group when we get there.  I can't wait to sit down with him and pick his brain about what I should expect when I start my Peace Corps Service.  

DC Trip #2

This past weekend I took my semesterly trip down to Washington DC to see friends of mine and the large group of Stevens Alumn who live down in DC.  It was such an eventful weekend!

My first night there I got a chance to see one of my best friends from home.  She goes to school in Connecticut, but was on a school trip down to see the museums in Washington DC.  I got to hang out with her and catch up on all that I've missed since I've been in New Jersey.

The next night, I met up with a girl I met back when I was in California.  As I took my road-trip up the coast, I met her in a hostel I stayed at.  We traveled together for a few days, and now we try and get together every time I am in DC.  

Finally, I got to meet up with all the Stevens folks in the area for brunch.  Between the alumn and myself, there were 7 of us all coming from Stevens.  It is crazy how many Stevens students are spread out in the Northeast.  We are everywhere and there is always a place to turn to.

Mamouns

I had never eaten a falafel until I can't to Stevens, but now, I'm pretty sure that I could live off of them for the rest of my life.  Mamouns is a falafel restaurant on Washington Street in Hoboken that has the best falafels I have ever tasted.  For only $3.00 you can get a falafel sandwich in pita bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes and tahini sauce.  I always add hot sauce to mine to spice it up a bit, but you cant add too much or you will be reaching for that second cup of water before you even finish the first!!

I highly encourage you all to try one at your earliest convenience! 

Organization Skills

I have to say that one of the best things that I have learned in the past 5 years at Stevens is how to get and stay organized.  For the past 3 years I have been using an excel sheet to organize all my homework assignments as well as tests and other various school assignments. It has come in handy keeping track of what is due and when.  

I used some of the skills I acquired in my classes such as conditional formatting and various formulas.  I have been using a similar sheet for the past 4 semesters and it has helped DRASTICALLY in keeping me on top of my work.  As you can see right now I have a few days til anything is due (except for my application for candidacy which I need to submit for my miner - ooops)

Portland, Oregon

We're going to Portland, OR for the Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break Collegiate Challenge this year!  Tickets are officially booked.  We will be in Portland from March 10th - March 16th working with the Portland Habitat for Humanity on whatever they need help with.  

Our tickets are booked and tomorrow we have our first informational meeting.  We are flying from Newark, NJ to San Francisco, CA and then to Portland, OR.  The flights there sounds quick and easy (since we gain 3 hours with the time changes) but the way back we lose 3 hours so I can't say I'm looking forward to that.  But we will probably be so exhausted from working all week that we can sleep on the plane!

Lunch with my Roommate

It's always nice to have a break in my day that matches up with my roommates. Today we both had a break in our busy schedules to meet up for a quick lunch date. We went to Karma Kafe which is an Indian restaurant on Washington Street. The restaurant takes Duckbills AND they have a lunch buffet for only $10. After we stuffed ourselves silly with obnoxious amounts of food I felt rested and happy.

It's great that Hoboken has so many food options for Stevens Students. Many places on Washington street accept Duckbills and great options for a quick lunch between classes!