Preparing for a life outside of college is often as time-consuming — and rewarding — as one’s course load. Few people at Scripps College know this better than the staff of Career Planning & Resources — CP&R for short — particularly in the aftermath of their annual conference, Life After Scripps.
Originally hosted in springtime for graduating students, Life After Scripps upgraded its time slot and programming to appeal to all students in the fall. The week’s worth of events gave students not only more activities to immerse themselves in, but greater freedom to work around any potentially hectic schedules. Over 120 students attended events throughout the week, with about 42% attending more than one session. “While roughly one-third of the participants were seniors, each class was represented,” says Vicki Klopsch, Director of Career Planning & Resources. “We even had 5 first year students join us!”
More than 25 alumnae, faculty, and friends participated throughout the week, including Whitney Eriksen ’09, who was happy to share her experiences as a recent graduate with current students.
“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Whitney says. “I have a job, my own apartment, a car, and all the wonderful responsibilities that go along with these blessings —long hours at work, paying bills, and making sure to get my oil changed. Finding out how to balance everything with the rest of our life plans and ambitions can be difficult to say the least.
“So when I was asked to return for my first Life After Scripps event as a graduate, I was both flattered and curious. I realized what a unique position recent graduates are in — one foot still at Scripps (even if only in our hearts), the other toeing the waters of the wider world. We know how difficult it is to balance writing our thesis with conducting job searches, the difficulty in finding apartments from the other side of the country, and the agony of applying for 10 different graduate schools while finishing 100 pages of reading for one class. Not too long ago, we were in your shoes!
“Where older, wiser alumnae are phenomenal resources, younger alumnae can show you how to get through the day-to-day, stress the importance of learning how to cook before you get your own place, and how to get off your duff and go meet new people. The beauty of the Scripps’ alumnae network is that we are all tripping over ourselves to lend a hand to our younger sisters.
“Everything is a learning opportunity. Scripps offers a springboard for these lessons, both in the class room and out of it, from professors, staff, and alumnae. At Scripps we learn that failure is not an option, because failure does not exist. Relationships you cultivate there will always support you, the breadth and depth of knowledge you gain will always set you up for success, and the arms of your sisters will always be there to catch you and pull you up to your next adventure.
“Each day that takes me farther away from my graduation brings me closer to Scripps, to the empowerment and scholarship that was instilled in me there and to the understanding that you can always ‘fall back’ on your Scripps education.”