2011 Senior Year Experience

“I’m finally done!” is a typical remark from a college senior who is about to graduate. However, the reality is that in the back of many seniors’ minds is a feeling of panic about how to find a job, how to get started and how they can make the transition from those four years on campus. 

For these reasons, the Senior Class Council and the Offices of Alumni Relations, Annual Giving and Career Services have joined forces to present The Senior Year Experience. It’s a program designed to counter such concerns and provide college seniors with post-graduate insights, as well as a memorable final year in school.

“The Senior Year Experience wraps up that last college year with fun and creative social events, the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on Rider through the Class Pride Gift, and career-focused learning sessions that will help Rider students stand out in the job market,” explains Lynn Schindel, associate director of the Office of Alumni Relations.

Career-focused events will be held throughout the fall and spring semesters on Thursdays, during the open lunch hour, in the Princeton Room of Daly Dining Hall. These seminars will cover topics from how to create a website, to understanding how the students’ experience may fit the jargon of a job posting. With business leaders and faculty guiding the discussion, students will have the opportunity to learn, get first-hand knowledge about their field of interest, and ask pertinent questions about the job market they will soon face.

The first Senior Year Experience session will be held on October 13, from noon to 1 p.m. Dr. Yun Xia, an associate professor of Communication and Journalism, will teach students how to stand apart in the job market by learning how to “Create Your Own Website.” The workshop will include demonstrations and discussions, and students will emerge with the knowledge of how to build an online portfolio to feature accomplishments, photos, video résumé, professional works and more.

Along with preparing college seniors for what lies ahead, The Senior Year Experience also focuses on creating a memorable and social final year for the graduating class. With a number of senior trips planned, as well as Senior Pub Nights to break up the semester, Senior Class President Angelina Franco ’12 aims to give fellow students a year they will never forget.

“We are planning a number of things that will hopefully have the senior student body come together to commemorate these last four years as a class,” Franco said. “We are planning a variety of trips to sports games, Atlantic City, concerts, Broadway shows, and, of course, the Senior Ball.”

By following The Senior Year Experience on Facebook, seniors can comment on discussion boards, voice their opinions, and be reminded about the upcoming events. There is no better way to know what seniors want than to hear it from them, which is why Senior Class Vice President Alexandra Pezzino ’12 actively updates the “Rider Senior Class of 2012” Facebook page with events and prompts discussion topics.

“The Facebook group is intended to reach out to all the seniors in the simplest and most popular way, through social networking,” Pezzino explained. “Our hope for the year is to get everyone as involved as possible in the process of choosing senior events.”

Pezzino said she is pleased to see that the Facebook page currently has more than 160 “likes,” and hopes to see the number increase as the year goes on to create even more interaction among the senior class,”

Along with Facebook, check the Senior Year Experience website at http://alumni.rider.edu/seniors for a full description of this year’s sessions, and the social events scheduled to make senior year your best year yet.