| June 6 | Summer Term B begins |
| June 13 | Last day to add/drop Summer Term B class |
| June 15 | Last day of classes for Summer Term A |
| June 16 - 18 | Summer Term A exam period |
| June 27 | Summer Term C begins |
| June 29 | Last day to add/drop Summer Term C class |
Author: Samantha Greenberg
The George Mason Parents Fund is a university initiative that offers parents and families the opportunity to play a role in building and shaping an exemplary educational experience for Mason students. Thanks to the support of parents and family members like you, we recently concluded the inaugural year of fundraising for the Parents Fund.
This past April a portion of money raised in the Parents Fund was allocated to support two strategic initiatives within University Life and partner offices. Each of the initiatives funded by the Parents Fund enriches the student experience at Mason by preparing Mason students for the demands of work, citizenship, and life in an ever-changing global society. The initiatives that received support from the Parents Fund are:
Undergraduate Research Awareness Campaign
Participating in undergraduate research is demonstrated to improve student engagement and retention. The Mason Students as Scholars program just completed its fifth year of engaging, mentoring, and promoting undergraduate researchers. As part of the fifth-year celebration for the Students as Scholars program, an outreach focus was added to help demonstrate the range and scope of the people who comprise our undergraduate researchers and their supporters, and recruit new students to participate.
Pop-Up Pantry
Hunger can be a problem among college students, and Mason is committed to ensuring students in need have access to food. The Pop-Up Pantry is a non-profit organization that works to mitigate the challenges that face students with food insecurity and hunger at Mason by providing food, toiletries, and school supplies to students, staff, and faculty in need.
Initiatives like these provide experiences that help prepare Mason students for life beyond the classroom. To learn more about the ways in which the Parents Fund supports the undergraduate experience at Mason, or to find out how you can donate to the fund, please contact William Ayrea at [email protected].
Thank you for your support!
William Ayrea
Associate Director
Annual Giving
| June 1 | Family Weekend registration opens |
| June 6 | Summer Term B begins |
| June 13 | Last day to add/drop Summer Term B class |
| June 15 | Last day of classes for Summer Term A |
| June 16 - 18 | Summer Term A exam period |
| June 27 | Summer Term C begins |
| June 29 | Last day to add/drop Summer Term C class |
Summer break has arrived and your student may be interning, taking class, traveling, or working a summer job. Even though the summer can be filled with downtime, there are a number of things your student can do to plan for the next academic year and get ahead!
Resume Updates
Even if your student is currently interning or working, it is never too soon to be thinking about the next job or internship! Encourage your student to spend some time updating his or her resume this summer and have at least one other person edit the document for content and grammatical errors. Your student can schedule an appointment to meet with University Career Services over the summer to discuss his or her resume with a Career Counselor, or visit http://careers.gmu.edu/students/documents/ for specific resume tips and tools.
Tip: If your student is preparing for a job search next year, encourage him or her to create a master resume with all of his or her professional, extracurricular, and volunteer opportunities. When the time comes for your student to tailor his or her resume for a specific position, this will save time!
Informational Interviews
Is your student interested in a particular industry and wants to learn more about what that job is like? Encourage him or her to schedule an informational interview with someone currently working in that field. This is a great way for your student to network and learn more about career opportunities. For more information on information interviews and for a list of sample outreach emails, visit http://careers.gmu.edu/students/interview.cfm.
Tip: Make sure your student has a list of questions before the informational interview. This will help your student standout and be prepared to make the most of the opportunity.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a tremendous way for your student to give back, learn new skills, and explore future careers. Your student can develop important soft skills that employers are looking for while developing a sense of civic responsibility. If your student is interested in continuing to volunteer when he or she returns to campus there are many opportunities available through Social Action and Integrative Learning!
Tip: Encourage your student to be strategic with his or her volunteering and look for opportunities that are related to a career or field or study he or she wants to learn more about!
We hope these tips help you provide your student with ideas and resources to make the most of the summer and get a head start on planning for next year.
Kristen Wright
Graduate Assistant
Family Programs and Services