I have been reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg a lot on my college visit to Rochester and not only is it incredibly relevant in terms of my project, but I found that it has been a great resource for this trip. --briefly, I want to talk RIT for paying for my trip, unfortunately, I have decided they are not the school for me, now the decision is Trinity University of University of Rochester-- Sandburg talks a lot about how women should and should not represent themselves. I am going to describe how this book just helped me make some invaluable connections.
Sandburg spends a lot of time in her book urging women not to be afraid, to raise their hands, to take seats at the front of the class, to make sure to be noticed and confident. She has observed that women don't want to be seen as abrasive or aggressive. Sandburg sees this as one of the major factors holding women back. She wants women to be confident, brave, and unapologetic. On the topic of confidence, she gives the advice of faking it, until you feel it, noting that many women are conditioned to be self-conscious while men are encouraged and tend to be self-confident.
At rit and university of rochester I decided to use just this technique. I was very nervous. I was one of the only students, if not the only one, that was not accompanied by her parents. So I decide to be (or at least act) confident. When asked "does anyone have any questions?" I was consistently the only student to respond. I also would pipe up and actually ask questions without being prompted. When going to classrooms, I sat front row. I also choose not to be afraid to talk with people I didn't know. I happened to sit across from a gentleman on my plane who was also returning from u or r after a simon business school event. We talked for the whole flight and be gave me invaluable advice about my future career path. This connection could possibly help me in the future when I am looking for internships or even just more advice, and I probably never would have made it if not for this project.
In one chapter, Sandburg says how in her COO position she once had an acquaintance call her asking for a job, but instead of listing references and experience she asked in what area did Facebook need help. The applicant made it about the company, not herself, saying she would do whatever she need to do in order to help the company and fix any areas that needed help. Sandburg hired the applicant on the spot in the human resources department, an area in which she had no experience. That women still works in that position to this day.
When I visited the financial aid office, that is what I tried to do. I made it about the university, asking what they need me to do for them, honestly telling them that I would do whatever I need to do in order to earn all financial aid they were willing to give me. The response I got was amazing. Also, I used some advice from Amber Smith, and greeted them with a firm, not a floppy, girly, handshake.
I am incredibly happy with how my college visit went and it is because of this project. From observing how people like Amber and Linda act in professional settings, I was able to emulate them which I think made me stand out from the over 150 other students on my college tours. I am incredibly happy with the opportunity this has provided for me. I could write more, but I simply don’t have the time right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment