3 Things I Wish I Did Before my Senior Year

Learn how to use SEPTA:

Granted, I didn’t live in Philly during the COVID-19 pandemic (my junior year), but I wish I had learned how to use SEPTA efficiently much earlier. SEPTA is very simple and convenient to use when traveling off campus, but I had a hard time getting familiar with the different stops and transferring between the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines. Using SEPTA is a fast and cost-effective way to get around different parts of Philly, which you could use to get to off-campus volunteer and work opportunities, or even to go out to try different restaurants in the city! It’s definitely worthwhile to plan a trip with some friends and get familiar with how SEPTA works.

Take a language class for fun/outside of the requirement:

Being pre-med and a biology major, I had a lot of requirements to fulfill during my four years at Penn. However, there were a few semesters where I had the ability to take a class or two of my choosing. I usually ended up taking sociology classes because this was another academic interest of mine, but I wish I would’ve also taken a Polish language class. I’m half Polish and have always been interested in learning the language, yet I never realized I could have taken this language at Penn. For some language classes, like Polish, introductory classes are not offered every semester, so you can only start the sequence in the Fall. I wish I had known this as well as my interest in taking language classes again much sooner so I could have a more enriched experience overall.

Learn how to use Handshake (and not be afraid of it):

Handshake is a very popular platform at Penn used to connect students with jobs and internships. I was always a little bit intimidated by Handshake since I associated it with pre-professional culture at Penn. That being said, as a senior now looking for gap year opportunities, pre-professional culture is not an entirely bad thing, especially as you start to complete and move on from your academic journey at Penn. One important thing I learned only this year is that Handshake has more than just job postings. There are lots of different information sessions and workshops related to applying to graduate schools, developing professional skills, and more. Additionally, you can sign up for email lists/Listservs based on your career interests to get catered information about new internships and positions that may be a perfect match for you. The pre-health Listserv has already presented me with several amazing opportunities, and I wish I had learned about this sooner.

Don’t be afraid to learn more about the resources you have here at Penn!

- Victoria B.