Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

I have hit a turning point in my internship. I had the most terrifying phone call of my life today.

Today began as a day just like every other. I picked up the phone to call some prospects in California around 11:15am (8:15am their time) as I do just about every day. I am greeted by a calm man, and I proceed to share with him why I am calling him. He allows me to introduce our firm and I feel a slight wave of relief as he listens without interrupting my pitch. As I finish my last sentence, I am taken aback when the man erupts into a fiery rage. He has gone from cool and collected to livid and hollering in about 10 seconds.

As I respond to his hollers rapidly with the responses I practiced in training, I can see my coworkers gather around me in anticipation. I continue to do my best to try to calm the prospect and hide my shocked reaction at the same time. Unfortunately, my face is already tomato red. My coworkers stare at me for the tiniest bit of explanation for my red face. To them, it sounds like I am having a productive phone call with an inquisitive prospect. Little do they know…

In another attempt to appease the executive on the other line, I hand the conversation over to a senior wealth advisor. The conversation continues between them – emotions still roaring – with no success.

I was left confused, offended, hurt, and very red from blushing in shock.

The experience has both scarred me, and empowered me. I still have no understanding as to why the man on the other line was so wild, and I probably never will. That’s not what matters though. For me, this served as practice to be on point. It reminded me how crucial it is to know your material, for any and all positions you hold, and to know how to articulate that material.

At the end of the day, the man on the other line earned nothing from his behavior. I, on the other hand, gained more practice and confidence. So, I move forward!

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

I have officially chosen gas over mascara. As I stared at my online banking account, it was clear to me that I had to choose to spend my last available 20 dollars on one of these two necessities. My heart leaned toward mascara, but my brain knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it to work unless I made a sacrifice. So, I filled my tank.

This is only one of the many pivotal changes that have occurred this summer due to my new responsibilities as an intern. Below, I will list some others.

1. I no longer listen to Kiss 108 or 103.3 AMP Radio. The upbeat hip hop and pop songs that once represented long beach days and late nights now ring in my ears and seem to be limited to about 5 songs on both of these stations. Instead, I have resorted to 92.5 The River and Oldies 106.7 which calm me, and don’t remind me of my commute to and from work, filled with traffic and anticipation of my arrival home.
2. Emails are no longer a professional buffer and alternative to phone calls and texting. Instead, they are an everyday tool for communication between both people I know very well, and don’t know at all.
3. My collection of flats has transformed from cute shoes I wear with cropped jeans to shoes sitting at the floor of the passenger seat in my car, only retrieved as a functional shoe to wear while driving.
4. Weekends are no longer a time to hang out with whomever whenever, but are instead a time to strategically plan activities and people to see. My time has become more valuable and I certainly don’t want to waste the limited amount that I have free.

I am quickly learning that internships teach you more than how to be professional and how to write a signature on an email. This summer is teaching me how to manage my time, and how simple luxuries such as music and attire hold much more value as you enter the professional world.

On the upper hand, most of my work involves phone calls, which means that the people on the other line can’t see my mascara-less eyes, right?

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

We are finally in the prime of the summer. The rain of May has dwindled into flowers and beach weather in June. Vacations have begun and the fourth of July is around the corner.

The view is a little different than usual on my end this summer. Instead of waking up slowly and working late into the night as a waitress, I am waking up with the rest of the commuters and hitting the hay shortly after the sun sets. The yellow that surrounds me is not that of the rays of the sunshine, but the light yellow-tan color of the walls of an office building and the blue of the clear sky has been replaced by the blue background of the desktop that I work on seven hours out of the day.

This summer I am working at a private wealth management firm in Marlborough, Ferris Capital. My job, along with five other interns, is to help the firm with business development. I am to learn the ins and outs of the company in order to learn Ferris Capital’s specific mission and value-add and to broaden my knowledge of the finance industry, and to reach out to prospective clients.

When I tell people my summer plans, they either think that I am “on the right track” or absolutely crazy to willingly give up my summer as a 20-year-old to an office job five days out of the week. Only time will tell which is true…

Here, I plan to write roughly once a week about my experiences during the internship. I am posting the first three a little late, so bare with me on the order of the posts.

Feel free to reach out throughout the summer by commenting on the post via Facebook or emailing me at Thalia_Chodat@student.uml.edu with questions about resumes, internship/co-op searches, interviews, internship attire, time management, etc.

Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

UMass Lowell is a trick. It has the immense variety and amount of resources that universities tend to have, but at the same time it has something different mixed into the large community. What makes UMass Lowell different is that it gives students the opportunity to become a tightknit team of professionals and students who have the same goal: to learn & to do their best in every endeavor.

I can speak to this specifically from my experiences as an undergraduate studying at the Manning School of Business. The first week of my freshman year I was thinking, “Does anyone know that I exist? If I fail, does it even really matter to anyone here?” Boy, was I foolish to think that. It didn’t take long for several of my professors to know me by name and to inquire about my life and background. And, they actually cared.

Now, as I conclude my sophomore year, the same community from the Manning School of Business is supporting my efforts to better my academic and professional careers. One individual in particular who I have had the pleasure to meet and spend some time with is Dean Kathryn Carter.

Dean Carter seems to be this omnipresent figure at the Manning School of Business whose job is to advocate for our education and success on a large scale. It’s easy to forget about her daily tasks to support the Manning School of Business because she is not present in our classes or dorms. Fortunately, the Manning School of Business’s Dean’s Student Leadership Council has organized the first ever Dean’s Forum to increase one-to-one interactions with students and the Dean.

In her own words, Dean Carter describes the Manning School of Business in her Dean’s Message here: http://www.uml.edu/MSB/About-Us/Deans-Message.aspx. A quote from her message that explains why the Dean’s Forum is so important for the MSB is, “The Manning School of Business is administered with a ‘students first’ philosophy, which makes professors, advisors, staff, administrators and the dean accessible to students.”

The Dean will be in Pasteur 301 on Thursday April 17^th from 12:30pm to 1:45pm. She will chat a little bit about the Manning School of Business advising changes and the new Pulichino Tong Business Building to be completed in 2016. Afterward, she will leave the floor open for students’ questions and comments about anything at the University and specifically the Manning School of Business. The purpose of the forum is to let students know that the Dean is a resource for them and that she treasures students’ perspectives.

Registration for the Fall 2014 semester begins April 15th! The Manning School of Business offers drop-in advising sessions to cater to your busy schedules. These sessions serve as a stress-free resource for you to continue your educational career. To help you decide what classes you need to take, we have organized Drop-in Advising Sessions in Pasteur 205 on the following days:

Friday, April 4th 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Monday, April 7th 1:00am to Noon

Tuesday, April 15th 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Wednesday, April 23rd 9:00am to 11:00am

There will be faculty members on-hand as well as a representative from the Dean’s Office who will be happy to answer any questions you may have. We can help you figure out if you are on track, what classes you need to take to move forward with your degree, how to add/drop concentrations, and more.

To learn more about what you need to do to prepare for next semester, look here: http://www.uml.edu/registrar/

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

There is no bigger tease than the warmth of the sunshine after months of snow and icy wind. Spring break was a taste of the freedom of summer. The next six weeks are going to be absolutely crazy. There are spring events every night during April, then the last day of classes is May 2nd, finals the following week and finally, SUMMER!!

Often, I look forward to breaks throughout the school year and then when they arrive, I realize how much I took for granted during the school year while I waited for the break. Almost instantly, I regret dragging my feet on my way to class and overlooking the events and activities on campus. Upon retrospect, I realize that hanging out in my bed was definitely not cooler than taking advantage of the resources I pay for on campus to guarantee my future success.

This spring break I had an epiphany: college is bootcamp for life. Experienced adults work as professors to warn us about the ups and downs of life. When they tell us to show up on time, it’s because they were fired for not doing so. When they tear apart our essays, it’s because they know that the challenge will train us for our dream job. When they push us to do better, it’s because they know that we are capable of more. So, yeah they do want to ruin out lives in a way. But only to show us how capable we are of rebuilding it even better than before.

I forget this stuff ALL OF THE TIME. Instead, I sit in class, pretend to write notes, and make a mental list of all of the other things I could be doing to better my life. My resolution for the last month or so of school is to think more about how I can take advantage of everything on campus instead of numbing reality by dreaming about the summer clothes I can’t afford to buy anyway. After all, why not try to listen in class and learn how to make money instead of thinking of ways to spend it on useless things?

So, hey! That’s my spring resolution. Welcome back to school! I hope the spring treats you well, and that you treat it well, too.

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

IT’S SPRING!!!! Well, maybe not until the 20^th but its sure feels like it on campus. I’m serious. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who left my room for a couple of months, but salvation is here! This weekend, I saw more students out and about in one day than I saw this past winter in total.

Weather reports may predict snow amid the sunshine this week, but I choose to deny science. The fact that the 3 foot walls of snow on the way to the dining hall have shrunk down to 3 inches is enough to prove to me that winter is over. I know that spring is here and that the next two months will fly by due to the activity that arrives on campus as soon as the sun shows its face.

Look out, spring, here we come!

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

Do you know the Dean of the Manning School of Business? Shouldn’t you? Better yet, shouldn’t she know you? Well, here she is!

To the right is Dean Kathryn Carter.

The Dean’s Student Leadership Council is introducing a Dean’s Forum for the Manning School of Business! The Dean’s Leadership Council (DSLC) serves to enhance the educational experience for all students by providing a vital connection between the students of the college and the Dean.

Their next step in enhancing the educational experience for the Manning School of Business is to make sure that you all know who the heck runs this place. Knowing the MSB staff is crucial to your experience and educational career at UMass Lowell. Meeting the Dean of the college and more about what she does for the college and for you is one of the many steps in doing just that.

By the end of this year, the DSLC will organize a continuous Dean’s Forum where the Dean will share some of her current work and goals and answer your questions!

What do you want to learn from her? What are your questions and ideas regarding the MSB? Share with us and share with Dean Kathryn Carter!

The UMass Lowell Marketing Club participated in UMass Lowell’s First Annual Chili Cook Off yesterday, Saturday, February 15^th.

The Chili Cook Off took place during the women’s and men’s basketball double header against StonyBrook at the Tsongas Center. Competitors included UMass Lowell clubs, faculty, departments, student groups, and Lowell based businesses/organizations. Attendees were given the opportunity to try all of the chili recipes and vote on their top three favorites. At the end of the basketball game, five judges voted on the texture, flavor, consistency, spice, taste, aroma, and color.

The team who received the highest score from the judges, which was the Hawk’s Nest on South Campus, was named “Chili Cook Off Champion”. The team who earned the highest score from the attendees received “People’s Choice” which was the Inn and Conference Center. Although the Marketing Club didn’t win either of those awards, their chili recipe will be served as a special at Hawk’s Nest South because the judges still enjoyed it.

Six teams participated in the Cook Off, and the Marketing Club was the solo student group. Next year, your club can be the winner of the Second Annual Chili Cook Off! Keep your eye out for opportunities for you clubs.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Marketing Club, feel free to contact them through email at: umlmarketingclub@gmail.com. If you want to learn more about student events and activities, contact Student Activities here: http://www.uml.edu/student-services/student-activities/.

Lisa Armstrong is the Coordinator of Student Success at the Manning School of Business. Her position is new this year and is meant to provide an individual person solely to help in the advising process for first-year students. After completing her first semester in the position, Lisa has some advice for everyone.

Hi, all.

I hope that the spring semester is off to a great start for all of you!

I thought I’d share some tips to hopefully make for a successful semester:

ADVISOR. Get to know your advisor.  I care and want to see you succeed at UML! Stop by and see me in Pasteur 305 anytime.  You do not have to wait for the advising period to meet with me.

FACULTY. Try to get to know at least one new faculty member this semester. Faculty at UML are very approachable.  This can be very helpful if you should need some assistance with the course.  Take advantage of their office hours.

GET INVOLVED. Participate in a club activity or sport. This is a great way to meet new people and have some fun participating in your favorite activity, or learn a new one! Visit https://umasslowellclubs.collegiatelink.net/Organizations for a list of the clubs and organizations.

HELP! Don’t wait to get it if you need it.  They semester will fly by.  If you are struggling early in the semester visit the Centers for Learning or check out the tutoring schedule: http://www.uml.edu/CLASS/Tutoring/Drop-In-Tutoring.aspx

SLEEP. I know you are laughing right now, but try to avoid the all-nighters!  Get plenty of sleep.

STUDY BUDDY. Find a few friends to study with. The thought is you would be able to help each other fill the knowledge gaps.

TIME MANAGEMENT. Plan your time. Schedule study time. Keep a calendar of all your assignment deadlines and exams.  If time management is a problem for you, visit the Centers for Learning.  They offer study skill workshops in Time Management that prove to be very helpful.

UPCOMING DATES. The advising period for the Fall 2014 semester begins on April 7th through April 22nd.  Please do not feel like you need to wait until then to talk about any concerns, issues or plan for your fall courses.

Another date to keep in the back of your mind is April 9th.  This is the last day for you to withdraw from courses with a grade of “W”.

Lastly, if you are interested in a Co-Op you should plan to attend an information session.  There are (3) being offered: March 10th 12:00 – 1:00pm and 5:00-6:00pm.  March 27th 5:00-6:00pm and April 4th 12:00-1:00pm.  Location is TBD.  Pre-registration is recommended.  http://www.uml.edu/student-services/Career-Services/Cooperative-Education/Co-op-Info-Sessions.aspx

Again, have a great semester and I look forward to see you all during the advising period, if not sooner.

Best,

Lisa