4 Skills to Master Before You Graduate

Networking As the saying goes, 'it's not what you know, but who you know', and, although your college grades will need to be up to scratch, knowing the right people can give you a better chance of getting your foot in the door. As well as social networking, with LinkedIn being particularly useful for job networking, you will also need to get your name out there in the real-world.  Get some business cards made so you can hand them out to people who you think may be interested in you, and attend employability fairs and open evenings, either run by your college or other organisations.   Writing No matter what profession you go in to after college, you will be required to write something, even if it's just your covering letter when applying for the job!  For this reason, your writing and grammar will need to be right, something you will be able to prefect through writing essays at college and receiving feedback from your tutors.   Organisation Learning to plan your life during college will be one of the most valuable skills you will develop.  By staying organised, you'll be able to manage your time more efficiently and work to the best of your ability when you get a job.  If you are a student athlete, you will be even more experience at this than the average student, as you will need to have scheduled studying, attending classes, and a social life around your training schedule and playing in games.   Handling Criticism You may have experienced this to some degree when applying to colleges and when receiving school grades, but the criticism and rejections you receive in the job and interview world will likely be a bit more harsh, and, depending on your job, could be something that you are required to face on a daily basis. Although it's never easy, try to overcome this by learning from your mistakes, and instead of letting bad feedback deter you from progressing, use it to motivate you to work harder next time so that you can achieve better results.  

Do you think you have what it takes to secure an athletic and academic scholarship to the USA? Apply now for your assessment!