Goals for Sophomore Year

Hello all!

I am super excited to be back this semester serving as an Admissions Social Media Intern! If this is your first time following me, my name is TJ Robertson, and I am a sophomore from Rock Hill, SC majoring in Politics & International Affairs and Sociology.

 

Regarding first semester of my sophomore year, I have 3 main goals:

 

1. Maintaining an academic/social balance

As I’m sure you’ve heard, in college it is insanely difficult to maintain a balance between academics and your social life. Both are extremely integral to one’s college experience, but sometimes it’s easy to put more attention toward one than the other.

For me, I always have so much to do during the week—ranging from attending meetings to swim practices to hosting FUSAB events. My social life heavily revolves around my extracurriculars. Often, because of all these commitments, I will find myself up in the late hours of the night doing work which affects my next day.

This semester, like many of my friends, I hope to put more time toward getting schoolwork done. While my involvements mean so much to me, at the end of the day there’s no point in being super involved if you cannot maintain a good GPA (in my opinion!).

 

2. Begin to look into research/internship opportunities

Unfortunately, I no longer have the privileges of a freshman where I don’t have to worry about life after college. It is time to start exploring future career and/or graduate school opportunities through research and internship opportunities.

Our Malone Center for Career Engagement is putting on several events throughout this semester to give students access to these engaged living experiences. I plan on going to some of these events to explore careers in the fields of Education, Policy, or Business Management. If I could gain an internship during the summer in one of these fields, it could potentially project me on the right path for a career!

If I do not pursue an internship over the summer, I would love to research with the Politics or Sociology departments! Topics of Education Policy, Family, and Gender/Sexuality norms. A lot of times, you can approach a department with an idea for research and they can refer you to a professor to complete it! Many of these are funded by Furman throughout the summer, so it’s almost like you’re getting paid to conduct research!!

 

3. Prepare for my semester abroad

In the Spring of 2023, I am going abroad to Newcastle, Australia!! While I could not be more excited, there are so many logistics that I must go through to go abroad.

My program is an Affiliate Program at the University of Newcastle, so I’m going abroad with only 3 students from Furman, and I am taking classes at another university for Furman credit. Because of this, I am currently in the process of choosing the classes I would like to take while I am abroad. As of right now, I’m wanting to take classes in Australian Politics, Marine Biology, Criminology, and Social Management! I normally wouldn’t take these classes at Furman, so I’m stoked I get to attend this program.

In addition, there are so many details that students must go through such as getting a student visa and plane ticket, securing housing, and having spending money. While these details can be overwhelming, Furman Study Away does an amazing job of assisting students through the process.

I hope you all have success carrying out your goals for the upcoming semester!!

 

Best wishes,

TJ