April 24, 2008
Internships!
Now that I've finished my first year, it's time to find an internship for the summer. In general, many SI students spend the summer working at an internship because it is the best way to get six Practical Engagement Experience (PEP) credits all at once (a minimum of six is required for graduation). Some students get their PEP credits through coursework or smaller internships during the school year. I have decided to do the latter.
You see, there are two classes through which internships can be magically turned into PEP credit (See http://www.si.umich.edu/outreach/pep.htm for details). Long story short, one can be completed in Fall for a summer internship, while the other must be completed in Spring/Summer, complete with Spring/Summer tuition. However, the Fall class is only available for full-time internships.
I have about 101 projects I would like to accomplish this summer, very few-if any-are mentored. Therefore, I have decided to get all of my PEP credit from coursework and pursue an internship without academic credit. This gives me the whole summer to find something, part-time or full-time for four months or two, whatever works.
Right now I'm waiting on a dream gig over at the Ypsilanti District Library. Though a number of local public libraries are hiring interns this summer (and I have applied, believe you me), when a professor told me she could set me up to talk with the Community Liaison in Ypsilanti I jumped at the chance.
It was a great talk, and I really encourage anyone to do the same. If you hear of someone with a job you want, see if you can meet with them. It was a great chance to hear what the job entails and what features make for a good candidate. Also, in talking with her I was able to hear about internship opportunities, meet a number of people in the library and get my name and face in there so that when I turned in my materials the next day they already knew who I was. Also, I was able to talk with them about my interest in a split-time internship between two departments of interest, and meet both department heads. This is what they're talking about when they press the importance of networking.
I'll keep you posted on how this pans out. How exciting! With a part-time internship I will still have time to work on my individual projects (at my own pace) while also getting mentored experience for next year!
Posted by messelti at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2007
When One Degree Just Isn't Enough...
Lately I've been fielding a lot of questions from students who don't quite know how they should go about pursuing multiple interests. Sometimes the best way to go is to gear all of your electives toward a certain area, other times a dual-degree might be the best bet. For some students a Tailored-MSI or a dual specialization is the way to go. The circumstances are different for every student, but it's important to understand just what each option entails. Specifically, there are significant differences not only in the cost and workload associated with each option, but also the scope of each program. This is specifically important when deciding whether or not enter a dual-degree program.
In general, any student who is admitted into both the School of Information and another University of Michigan graduate program can work with advisors in both schools to develop a dual-degree program. Currently, there are established program with the School of Business, the Medical School, the School of Public Policy, the School of Nursing, the Law School, and the School of Social Work. Areas of interest for dual-degree students in these programs include E-commerce (MBA/MSI), Intellectual Property law (JD/MSI), Clinical and Information Management (MSN/MSI).
The most useful question to ask yourself when considering whether to work with one school or two is: Is the non-SI subject I am interested in a skill or a topic? Are you interested in acquiring skills that SI can teach, but want to focus those skills on a specific, non-SI area, like music or art librarianship? Or do you want to apply SI concepts and skills to a career that requires training other than what SI offers, such as practicing copyright law.
A dual-degree program can be very valuable to students who want to incorporate the study of communication systems, recordskeeping, or information processing into another career, and do so by examining these fields from a number of perspectives. However, it not necessary for every student who has a secondary interest. Although it is faster than pursuing two separate degrees, you might find that all of the skills you need will be covered by one MSI.
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 17, 2007
So...What IS an iSchool?
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a few graduate fairs as a representative of the School of Information. I'd like to take this opportunity to answer two of the main questions we encountered.
1) I have a background in (insert your undergraduate major here), is there any place for me in an information school?
Of course. For the most part, there aren't too many schools out there with undergraduate information studies programs, so the majority of SI students have undergraduate degrees in different areas. VERY different areas. An impromptu survey of the twelve people in the student lounge yielded me the following majors: English, Computer Science, Communications, Publishing, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, International Business, American Studies, and History. We come from all over, from different schools, countries, employment backgrounds. What we have in common is an interest in "bringing information, people, and technology together in more valuable ways." (which is something you'll hear a lot in SI...it's our mission statement summed up into a neat catchphrase!)
Two things that play a huge part in developing your path at SI is a combination of what THINGS you want to do, and the CONTENT with which you'd like to work. (See my blog on the Tailored MSI for a better illustration of this.) This means that your previous education and experiences might help you figure out what you'd like to do, and in what sort of environment, but they might not. What's important is that SI can teach you how to work with information, but you get to decide how to personalize your experiences through cognate classes, internships, part-time jobs and volunteer work.
2) What is a School of Information?
Remember what I said about connecting information, people, and technology? Well, that's what we do here. For some people, that means preserving information, for others it means managing access, helping corporations communicate, creating tools to help people find information, etc. Some of us are librarians, it's true. But some of us are designers, programmers, policy analysts, managers, conservators, archivists, usability experts, and more.
If you would like more information on the myriad careers open to SI graduates, check out the "Pathways to Success" portal or the Alumni Profiles. These will give you a good idea of how many different ways an SI education can serve different interests.
Until next time...
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2007
Introduction: Tailoring your MSI
In the last year the School of Information has made some drastic changes to key parts of its curriculum. Most notably, they have reorganized their core courses and added a number of new specializations. In addition to ten or so possible specializations now offered at SI, students are still allowed to option to "tailor" their degree.
You might be thinking, "Why wouldn't ten specializations be enough?" Because this is the nature of SI: flexibility and innovation. Although most students find that their academic and career interests fall mostly within one specialization, the tailored MSI allows a student to custom design a degree that directly addresses their goals. For some students, this is an opportunity to create a mix of classes from two specializations (dual-specialization is also now an option at SI), to qualify oneself for work in a particular type of environment (non-profit organizations, special collection libraries and archives, etc.) or to focus on an emerging field or technology.
What is important to note is that no matter what specialization you choose, you will have MANY options to pursue your specific interests within your coursework. Between class announcements, email, and postings on the walls of West Hall and SI North, you will find endless opportunities to participate in research, attend conferences, hear guest speakers and join student organizations. In addition, you can apply for internships and part-time jobs that are specific to your interests, not to mention required and elective classes that cater to particular areas, such as government work or science librarianship.
Nonetheless, students that would like a more active hand in deciding what classes will suit their needs should check out the School of Information web page "What Can I Do with a Tailored MSI?" I think it's an excellent option for students interested in taking a new direction with their degree or adding a focus that is not already a part of the existing specializations.
Take the bull by the horns readers. It's your future.
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)