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It is only fair to you, the reader, for me to begin by making you aware that the title of this entry is quite misleading.  First, it implies that my days at my summer internship with New Pig Corporation are typical or mundane.  The title also pegs me as an intern who works directly with the methods that deliver products to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible.  While both descriptions are occasionally true, they are not sufficient.  Instead, I have provided an informal look into one of numerous plausible days as an intern at New Pig:

7:15 A.M. - Drag myself to the company gym and sculpt my beach body for the ladies.

9:00 A.M. - Drive to the other end of the company campus where the warehouse and traffic office (mine) are located.  Log in, catch up on email, open MS Excel/Access in addition to internal software applications, and definitely do not quickly check Facebook and Twitter (shhh).

9:15 A.M. - Depending on the status of my project(s), either continue collecting and investigating data or check in with my supervisor to discuss my next objectives.  My long-term goal is to identify sources of profit loss in the entire order fulfillment process and develop solutions to these problems.  Thus far, I have collected a sample of data from 2011 and analyzed it to find missed profit opportunities between what New Pig representatives have charged customers for shipping and what the carriers themselves have billed New Pig.  I am currently putting the finishing touches on a numerical demand-based analysis for inventory optimization in our Reno, Nevada, warehouse.

10:00-11:30 A.M. - Either continue my assignment or attend a meeting.  Often times I am meeting with my boss to review my work and discuss what to do next.  This project is very fluid and can change directions at any moment.  I enjoy being able to have a significant say in what I think are the most valuable subsequent actions in the process.  Other days, though, I meet with colleagues from my previous internship (also with New Pig) to keep in touch and maintain important relationships within the organization.
 
12:30 P.M. - Lunch time!  I usually eat at my desk and take a few minutes to read news, listen to music, and develop my LinkedIn profile (connect with me).
 
1:00 P.M. - Resume or begin working on the most current phase of the project.  Later this week, I will begin work on a cost/benefit analysis of opening a new warehouse in the Midwest.  This particular job incorporates many of the techniques any senior economics student at Penn State would have learned up to this point (theory of the firm, cost curves, regression), so I am looking forward to getting started. *A quick side note: While it may seem like I get a heavy workload, it's only because I ask for one.  I would encourage any intern not to be afraid to say something such as, "Here's that report you wanted. (Briefly explain results and observations).  It seems to me like it might be worth looking into ________ next.  What would you suggest?"  Every bit of effort will only benefit you later.

3:00 P.M. - As things begin to wind down around the office, I will often grab some coffee and sit down to observe my coworkers so I can gain exposure to the nuts and bolts of logistics.  They perform vital tasks that get items to the right customers in the fastest and most cost-effective way and serve as a liaison between New Pig and transportation companies.   My supervisor emphasizes that this is learning experience as much as it is work experience.

4:00 P.M. - Finish working on data.  Make a list of objectives for the following day.

5:00 P.M. - Leave for home.

I could probably write a different one of these every day for two weeks and it would never be the same. Hopefully this puts to bed the notion that interns can't be trusted to do valued work for a firm.  My next post will be a proven effective guide for the Career Fair.  I'll talk to you then!

After abandoning my original plan of graduating in three and a half years in favor of taking the final course I needed to earn a Business and the Liberal Arts minor, I knew I wanted to supplement my semester with an internship. It seemed to be the perfect time as I only planned to take an accounting course and two electives. Little did I know how useful a smaller course load would be for the internship I ended up in.

I browsed around the PSU Liberal Arts site for local internships and came across an available internship at the Law Enforcement Branch at the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute (JASI) right here on campus at Innovation Park. Coming from a military and law enforcement family, I was immediately intrigued, so I browsed the website. I was really encouraged and impressed by all of the positive reviews I came across so I decided to apply that night. I heard back much sooner than I expected and went in for an interview. I felt the interview went well, and I walked out with a much deeper understanding of what the position entailed. I would be heavily involved in marketing the Law Enforcement branch's classes, working in Excel and DocuShare, creating and sending emails, cover letters, abstracts, etc. What I appreciated most about the whole interview experience and the follow-up was that my soon to be boss, Mr. Joseph DeStefano, never underemphasized how much work the position would be. He made it clear that, while it would not be a cake walk, the expectations would always be clear and achievable. From talking with the past interns, it was obvious to me the experience was nearly guaranteed to be one from which I would walk away with valuable skills for any future endeavors, academic or otherwise. I saw that the past interns felt a strong sense of accomplishment for what they had achieved, but also that they put in an enormous amount of time and effort to achieve it. I expected my experience to be no different.

I found I settled into the position quickly, as everyone was extremely professional and polite. As promised, I was never assigned a task without support or explanation of how to do it. I walked in believing I would be sent to my cubicle with strict instructions on what I was to do, but the reality was quite different. I was surprised at the amount of flexibility and say I had in how my projects developed. Every week, Mr. DeStefano met with us one-on-one to see how we felt about the internship, what we wanted to work on, what we did and did not like, and what would make the experience better for us. I found that refreshing, as I had never previously had a boss ask me what I wanted to work on. It was apparent to me at that point that Mr. DeStefano and all of my other supervisors were investing a substantial amount of time to make sure I got everything I could out of this internship. I have yet to have another experience like that.

With all of the time and attention my supervisors were taking to train me, it almost seemed as if the time they were investing was not worth the payoff for them, but my opinion changed after I got the hang of things. While my projects were not always glamorous and sometimes just involved typing names into an Excel sheet or sending out mass emails, it was always very rewarding to see the payoffs of that work in the form of new registrants.

I really appreciated that Mr. DeStefano made an effort to assign me business and marketing oriented projects that not only interested me but were relevant to me. While at first I was weary because I was the first intern without a criminal justice or law-related major, after seeing the different range of projects that the other interns and I were working on, it was evident any major could have a place here. Much of what I do relates to law enforcement but also requires skills in technology, marketing, researching, and advertising, among other fields. With such a wide variety of skills required for each project, I am confident the skills of students in any liberal arts major would be fully utilized here.

Overall, I am taking away from this experience everything I hoped for and much more. While it was every bit as much work as promised, I will end this internship confident I could not have spent the semester at a better institution than JASI and I would encourage other students looking for a similar experience. For more information, visit the JASI website. Students interested in applying for a position should visit the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network Symplicity system.

I've finally accepted the fact that this is my final year at Penn State-- for the most part anyway, as long as you don't mention "graduation." Because I've finally realized I'm moving on from this place, I am applying to graduate schools in English to further my education. My reasons for wanting to attend graduate school are varied and rather boring to anyone but me, so I won't get into that here. I do, however, want to impart upon you all the various things I have learned and I am currently learning as I am knee-deep in this process:

Figuring out where to apply is hard work. Seriously, I had no idea where to start for a while. I managed to cut it down to two criteria-- location and funding.  With the second, I tried to search programs that funded most, if not all of their PhD students. It turns out that many grad school programs provide funding, so this didn't narrow it down much. Location, however, is important. As much as I love Penn State, I think I would like to be somewhere less rural as a grad student. Geographic location was also very important to me in this search, as I still am quite close to my family and I did not want to move across the country from them. Another criteria important to consider as you look around at grad schools is the ranking/reputation of the program. I wanted to find a mix of top schools that had stellar reputations in English and good schools where I had a better chance of getting accepted. With all of this to consider, finding a place to start was a difficult aspect of this research that I did not really expect.

Figuring out where to apply is scary. I'm hoping this one isn't just me, but the idea of relocating to some place completely new where I do not know anyone-- it's exciting, but in a totally terrifying way. I remember the stress of freshman year of college, realizing that I needed to get out there and make friends-- and quickly. I remember thinking to myself, "Not this again! I thought I was done with this process!" Though it is always fun to meet new people, the terror of spending my time alone for a while before friendships kick in is still lurking.  

Start early. There are some aspects of this where I did well and feel I can pat myself on the back, and others where I'm still stressing. If you're applying to English grad schools, or anything else that demands an extensive writing sample, you can't start working on this too early. Seriously.  I picked my writing samples rather early in the game, which was a good choice on my part, but because I didn't finalize my list of schools until later, I was rather shocked and dismayed to find out that most schools have a different length requirement on their papers. I've seen it range anywhere from about 10 to 25--and some want two separate samples! This is a major headache/scare factor because the writing sample is an extremely important part of the application. So have a couple options and choose early. And edit until you can't see straight. That helps, too.

Be flexible. From the applications I've completed so far, it seems most schools want similar information from you, but they all word it differently, or have a different length requirement, or have some aspect that was not included last time. The best way to tackle this is to have materials that you can easily adapt from one form to the next.  Many people think that preparing one personal statement is enough. But many schools have a secondary personal statement in which you are asked to talk about your life experiences, etc. Think of a couple good ideas for this and get ready to adapt them depending on the school's requirements.

Be on top of deadlines and specific requirements for each school. This could be my most important tip for you: make sure you know when everything is due and what materials each school needs. Be on top of where you need to send official transcripts. Find out who has supplemental materials that need to be mailed or uploaded online. This will make a huge difference in timing. 

If you stay organized, you're on your way to success in the application process. Those are the encouraging words I keep telling myself to get through the second half of this application process.

If you have any experience applying to graduate school, please feel free to share in the comments section of this blog post.

Agora, the liberal arts publication written for and by students, just released its final issue of the 2010/11 academic year. The publication, started in Fall 2009, has garnered significant attention at Penn State and is indeed becoming one of the most unique and prominent student publications. With the upcoming 2011/12 academic year, Agora will be getting its second president and vice president and an entirely new executive staff as many of the founding members graduate and move on from Penn State next month. Alex Lipton, who served as Agora's philosophy department head, and Liz Crossen, Agora's new president for the upcoming year, reflect on the meaning of Agora in their undergraduate careers, and envision the future of the publication.

Alex Lipton:

The liberal arts have a very strong emphasis on creative writing, reading comprehension, and analysis. These are essential skills, and it's important that students cultivate these during their college years. During college, many people just try to learn the facts to do well on an exam. Statistically speaking, these facts are not retained for very long - they are often "in one ear and out the other." Contrarily, improving ones' skill in creative writing, reading comprehension, and analysis is a lifelong and on-going endeavor. It requires dedication, perseverance, and attention to detail. The payoff is that these skills, unlike the facts learned for a particular test, transcend a single discipline and are universal in their nature and applicability.

Indeed, a liberal arts education cultivates skills that will stay with the individual throughout their life. Agora has proved itself to be a creative, engaging, and inspiring means for students to further cultivate these skills. Agora has shaped my experience in particular by providing an outlet for my creativity. I believe that while a college education can take you to the door, you have to make yourself walk through it in some way. College should be the time in ones' life when one grows profoundly as an individual and realizes their talents and strengths.

To this end, Agora has been a way for me to channel what I've learned as a student of the liberal arts. As Agora's philosophy editor, I've tried to present interesting and diverse material to Penn State. Though relatively young, Agora is already Penn State's premier student magazine. Moreover, Agora's philosophy department is the newest part of this relatively new magazine. The philosophy department has expanded and grown, much like Agora - in an astonishingly short amount of time. Philosophy is logic, it is reasoning, it is thought, and it is everywhere. Philosophy is immensely important, for it is ultimately thoughts and ideas that have the power to progress or regress a society. For this reason I encourage all students to submit his or her written works to Agora for consideration. Though I'm graduating, I'm looking forward to the seeing the bright future that both Agora and its' philosophy department will enjoy.

Liz Crossen:

I became involved with Agora in early 2010 when its first issue was being released. I was so impressed by the intelligence, innovative, and fresh ideas that were being produced by this group of students, the vast majority undergraduates. I think in many ways, Agora renewed my faith in the significance of undergraduate thought and work. I am a student focusing on three disciplines in the Liberal Arts: Sociology, Women's Studies, and African American Studies. In these disciplines, I am required to read, write, and utilize critical thinking skills constantly. I believe all of these things are so necessary and yet, under encouraged and too rarely taught or embraced during the undergraduate years. This is where I found Agora so refreshing - it is the praxis of the liberal arts and it upholds my strong belief that the work produced by undergraduate students is inherently scholarly and academic. This publication has come to define my time as an undergraduate at Penn State. It is my intellectual outlet, it is where I have met some of my dearest friends, and it is the embodiment of what I believe higher education to be about: the sharing of ideas, the honing of skills, and the spread of intellectualism.

This upcoming academic year, I have the incredible privilege and responsibility of becoming the second president of Agora. The first two years of this publication have proved to be incredibly successful, as we have built our reputation of excellent writing and the promotion of free thought. It is in this spirit, that new vice president Rob Turchick and myself, along with the rest of our highly talented new executive board, will continue to produce this publication with creativity, passion, and dedication to make Agora even better and to ensure its long legacy at Penn State. I highly encourage all who are interested to come and write for Agora. It truly has become a transformative experience for myself and the brilliant young minds that fuel this publication. Indeed Agora lends depth not only to our experience at Penn State, but to the thought it provokes among this university's community who is reading it, discussing it, contacting us. In doing so, the community at Penn State can be engaged in a deeper, more meaningful discourse that is such a part of what higher education is all about.

Written by Student Body President Christian Ragland.

What can the College of the Liberal Arts do for you?  I say that the College of Liberal Arts can do everything for you and will certainly lay a great foundation geared towards your success.

I like to think of myself as one of the many success stories that come from the College of the Liberal Arts. Coming into my last and senior year, I am blessed to be able to say that I hold the position of the Penn State Student Body President. Now I could not have gotten to this point without some help. Besides my faith and the support of my family, the College of the Liberal Arts has played a key role in the development of my leadership skills which allowed me to get elected Student Body President.

To start from the beginning, when I first came to Penn State, I came here with a passion to lead people to better things and better environments. I didn't care if my leadership would be in the realms of student government, community development, or the federal government; I just knew that I was passionate about leading people to the next levels of their lives. So I quickly realized that my home for the next four years would be in the College of the Liberal Arts as a Political Science and Sociology candidate.  At the same time, I also got involved with student government as well because I saw student government as a foundation builder to the next level of leadership in my life. Now how does this all have to do with me winning my election? The opportunities afforded to me by the College of the Liberal Arts were by far some of the main keys to my success. The Political Science and Sociology classes that I took helped me understand academically the role of passionate leaders in our society and the history of those leaders who came before me. The many internships provided by the College helped me gain the experience needed to become a credible leader. The alumni who continue to give back to the college have paved the way for me to be able to follow in their footsteps. So in essence, becoming Student Body President was quite easy now that I think about it, because the College of the Liberal Arts continuously prepared me for the role.

So again, what can the College of the Liberal Arts do for you? The real question is what can't our College do for you? The diversity of academic disciplines, people, and real experiences in the College of the Liberal Arts is what I believe to be the heart of the College. Now in essence, it is up to us students to continue the legacy of the College of the Liberal Arts. I do not know about you, but I plan to continue to make the College more prestigious and promising by becoming an expert and a leader with the tools that the College of the Liberal Arts afforded me.

For the Glory,

Christian Dupree Ragland
Student Body President

What is Penn State? We are Penn State.
That's more than a catchy phrase to shout at prospective students and to intimidate visiting sports teams. It's a statement of fact.

I'm about to graduate with a degree in Political Science and two minor certificates, all from the College of the Liberal Arts, and I've really spent some time lately thinking about the essence of Penn State and my experience here.

I once thought Penn State was a campus. I figured that the open lawn in front of Old Main, the dorm in which I lived up in East Halls, the classroom I had in Thomas, and the fountain outside the forum were Penn State. What did I know? I was new. I was out of state. I was a first generation college student. I learned throughout my first few months that Penn State wasn't simply those parts of its physical presence. I realized that Penn State was an idea (or maybe a collection of ideas): its classes, its professors, it's the fun we have at Football games, it's more than I could ever mention.

That notion of Penn State stuck with me for quite some time. It lasted me through a few years. Recently, though, I've been thinking about my time after Penn State. And I can't think about my time after Penn State without thinking about the place itself. I thought Penn State was ideas. I thought I knew Penn State. I've finally concluded - and I'm very confident about this, now - that Penn State is people.

Indeed: WE. ARE. Penn State. It's the "we," that is critical. I'm Penn State and you're Penn State. I should have noticed this a long time ago, of course, but I'm glad I know now. I know that the place I've grown to love isn't a bunch of lawns and buildings. And it's more than classes and fun. One thing connects all of those pieces: people. My friends, my enemies, and everyone in between make this place worth attending. If I look at my Penn State experience, the people I've met and known here are what have shaped it. I wouldn't enjoy those football games and that lawn in front of Old Main and that fountain outside the forum if it weren't for the people who make it special.

Some people insist that Penn State is tradition. Or that Penn State is a place to grow intellectually, not personally. I disagree with both those notions. Penn State, I contend, is more its present and its future than it can ever be its past.

I've served the students of the university for two years in their student government, and I've served the College of the Liberal Arts students by acting as their undergraduate student president. Now that I'm about to leave both roles, I want to explain why I put so much of my time into them. I did it, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, because I love Penn State. And I didn't realize it at the time, but by Penn State, I mean its people. My constituents. Perhaps I can share some of my more interesting stories from those experiences in a separate entry here.

I led both the student government and the college's council because I wanted to. If I have advice for those that remain after me, it's this: do what you want. You should want to do well in classes, to contribute to campus, and to help those you care about. Set goals, and then achieve them. I loved giving back to the school I loved in my own unique way, and I encourage everyone to do something similar.

As I leave Penn State, I'll certainly look back fondly. And I'll remember that I learned what Penn State really is and why that made me want to contribute. Thanks, Penn State.

Before I launch into my very first post, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Samantha Miller (though most everyone calls me Sam) and I am a senior liberal arts student here at Penn State. I am currently finishing up a double major in political science and minor in Spanish. I say finishing up because I have, as of the first week of January, officially filed my intent to graduate (it was a very bittersweet moment).