blogs.vault.com/ Tue, 23 April 2019 16:15:00 Tue, 23 April 2019 16:15:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-ways-to-get-leadership-experience-as-a-student/#detailed_comment Check out your resume for a second—you see that bullet point you’ve got filed under “Skills” that reads “natural leader” or perhaps “excellent leadership capabilities”? How exactly were you planning to prove it? I’ve had that bullet point on my resume since before college, and I’ve been asked about it in interviews a lot —in large part because most of my jobs have been entry-level positions. There’s no leadership in entry-level positions—right? Wrong. And even beyond positions, there are plenty of leadership opportunities to be found in the classroom and in extracurriculars. Here are some ways that you can earn some leadership experience and that soft-skill brag. Sports & Arts I guess whether you play college sports, participate in college theater/music/dance/etc., or join a different club altogether really depends on your personality. I went the theater route. Specifically, backstage work—which requires a lot of planning and organizing among teams of people to make the fever dreams of an insane-but-lovely amateur director come true. Which, yes, is what I used to do for fun. But this was the earliest example I cited when potential employers asked about my leadership experience—saying I was a technical director who guided teams of up to 30 people in accomplishing an enormous task is a pretty awesome interview answer. And nearly every activity in college has these opportunities, from section head in bands or choirs to team captains or managers in sports to any club’s president or treasurer. Being able to effectively lead your peers, to whatever goal, is a powerful thing to demonstrate. TA-ing, RA-ing, & Research I’ve extolled the virtues of academic research on this blog before, and I’ll do it again—academic research often involves groups of people who need to work together. The study leader is, of course, the person in charge generally, but stepping up when it comes to organizing tasks or volunteering to lead experiments is a great way to squeeze in some leadership experience. Being a teacher’s assistant (TA) is also an excellent way to flex your leadership muscles. You have to be able to field questions from underclassmen about their homework and syllabi, as well as communicate effectively with the professor you’re assisting. Similarly, being a resident assistant (RA) provides ample opportunity for interaction with underclassmen—from settling roommate disputes to overseeing fire drills, the RA is the go-to person for often a whole floor of a dorm, which can add up to a fair amount of oversight, and some sweet, sweet resume candy. Volunteering Volunteering is another great way to build leadership experience. Where an organization may not hire an inexperienced college student to handle a major event or fundraiser, a nonprofit may welcome all the help it can get. Determine which leadership skills you need to hone, and seek out volunteer opportunities through which you can strengthen these areas. Volunteering can have a greater effect the more people you get involved, so take some initiative and organize something for a group of people who want to do some good. And, not for nothing, volunteering also looks great on a resume—can you say “double-whammy”? Political Activism Election season is ramping up, and I have absolutely no comment on that. But, getting involved in a political campaign can let you hit the ground running (get it?) on your own leadership capabilities. Whomever your candidate of choice is/will end up being, try organizing a phone bank or a door-to-door campaign with the candidate’s campaign office. Every vote counts, and every candidate will be thrilled to have active supporters like you. Similarly, if you’re more about political issues than candidates (I’m right there with you), there are ways to get involved that way, too. Organizing a petition regarding a city council decision, for example, is something that anyone can do. Or maybe a peaceful protest is more your speed. There are myriad opportunities, even for young people, to make their voices heard and to lead efforts to better their community. On-the-Job-Training Chances are pretty good that, as a student, you’ve got some kind of part-time job—I worked in food service and retail, and so do a lot of college kids. These positions are often entry level, but that doesn’t mean that they’re devoid of leadership opportunities. For example, after I’d worked at a deli for a few months, I was promoted to be a “trainer.” I didn’t have any managerial responsibilities that would require more hours and cut into my studies, but when new employees were hired, I would train them on the various parts of the job. Now, I’m marginally better at teaching people new skills. Plenty of corporate service positions have these dedicated trainers, so inquire about becoming one. If that’s not something your place of work does, see if there’s a project your boss has been meaning to address and volunteer to be the point person. For example, a friend of mine works at an independent bookstore, and she took over the store’s marketing efforts after proving she was a dab hand at InDesign. Opportunities for leadership are, unfortunately, not likely to fall into your lap. You’ll need to poke around and find them yourself—remember, taking initiative is a good portion of what makes a leader in the first place. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-ways-to-get-leadership-experience-as-a-student/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-ways-to-get-leadership-experience-as-a-student/ Tue, 23 April 2019 16:15:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/is-the-rise-in-h-1b-petitions-by-us-employers-a-good-sign-for-international-students/#detailed_comment Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received 201,001 petitions from U.S. companies for H-1B visas this year, a 6 percent increase over the number it received last year and the first time in three years the number of petitions for the skilled guest worker visas rose versus the previous year. To shed some light on what this increase in petitions means for international students looking to work in the U.S., Vault spoke with international student career expert Marcelo Barros. Below is an excerpt from that conversation. VAULT: Is the increase in H-1B petitions a good sign for international students? BARROS: In my opinion, the increase represents a victory for international students. It seems to me that the ultimate goal of USCIS is for U.S. employers to give up on the H-1B program and only hire U.S. workers. So the increased number of petitions means that the H-1B program remains a significant tool for U.S. organizations to use to hire ambitious and competent international workers. What I hear U.S. organizations that submitted H-1B applications on behalf of their international workers saying is, “Dear President Trump and USCIS, Despite your efforts to make it as hard as possible for me to hire international workers, I’m not giving up on the H-1B program. With or without your help, I need to hire foreign workers to help my organization grow.” So, this is wonderful news for international students. And we must not take this for granted. Were you surprised that the number of petitions increased? I was. I don’t think anyone would have been too surprised if the number of H-1B petitions had decreased this year because the U.S. government took concrete actions in 2018 to make it unnecessarily difficult for U.S. firms to get their H-1B petitions approved. In fact, in some instances, the government has illegally made the H-1B review process lengthy, uncertain, and costly for U.S companies. I feel that the question the U.S. government is asking U.S. firms in regards to the H-1B program is: “Are you sure you want to try to hire a foreigner? I’m going to make you regret it if you try.” But once again U.S. firms answered, “Yes, I choose to hire and try to keep the international workers I need.” Despite the increase in petitions, there are still only 85,000 H-1Bs issued, meaning demand is still much greater than supply. What do you make of this? Unfortunately, nothing has changed in regards to the demand versus supply. There are still not enough H-1B visas to meet demand, meaning many of our international students currently on the payroll at various U.S. organizations will receive bad news from the H-1B lottery, and will probably have to leave their jobs. If Congress is paying attention to what’s happening, the only conclusion they can come to is that they must drastically increase the number of H-1B visas, or simply get rid of the cap all together. A new H-1B rule just went into effect that favors applicants with a masters degree or higher. Should more international students with advanced degrees expect good news this year versus last? A while back, the government estimated that the new rule would increase the odds that international students with masters degrees would get an H-1B visa by 16 percent. However, the 16 percent figure is only a guess; there are a number of variables that might impact what the actual benefit of the rule looks like. USCIS recently indicated that slightly more than half of this year’s H-1B applicants had a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. school. International MBAs are a part of this group. That would mean that about 63 percent of H-1B master’s degree or higher applicants should receive good news from the H-1B lottery. Regardless of what the actual impact of this rule is, international students with advanced degrees who want to work in the U.S. should aggressively inform prospective employers of the benefits of this new rule, particularly midsized and smaller employers who might not be very immigration savvy. In light of the new lottery rule and the U.S. government’s stance, what have you been telling international students these days? We’re asking international students to start job searching early, and that means before they come to the U.S. We don’t want international students to arrive so green. There’s no reason to wait. The internet and social media are powerful tools that can be leveraged for job search purposes before international students pack their bags to come to the U.S. And international students are tech savvy. An early and fast start can create great momentum for international job seekers in terms of outpacing the competition. Staring early is good advice for all job seekers but especially so for international students. It’s going to take international students longer to find employment with a company that will sponsor them, so the sooner they start the better. As an example, I recently received an email from a future international student from India who let me know he’d been accepted into William and Mary’s full-time MBA program. This future international MBA student wanted to know which resources he could start leveraging now to get an early start on his job search—before he came to the U.S. This is the kind of behavior we want to see. The International Advantage is working really hard to reach our international students early, before they come to the U.S. This is one of our main priorities at the moment. If a student who wants to work in the U.S. isn’t selected in the H-1B lottery, what should they do? Frankly, their options are very limited if they don’ty get lucky in the lottery. Students who find themselves in this situation can sometimes work from a country other than the U.S. for awhile, gain more work experience and progress in their careers, and then try to come back to the U.S. via an L1 visa. Under the L-1 visa, U.S. employers can transfer international executives, managers, or specialty employees from an office outside the U.S. to one in the States. Or perhaps students can try the H-1B lottery again the following year. Some international students who didn’t get lucky in previous years with the lottery have been able to relocate and work from locations outside of the U.S. But much of what they can and can’t do depends on the nature of their job and employer. The most likely outcome for most is that they’ll unfortunately have to leave their jobs. How can universities best help international students, especially now with the U.S. government trying to crack down on H-1Bs? Here’s an idea. When international students receive their H-1B lottery results, most are likely working under OPT, as an F-1 student, which means that they’re still formally connected to their universities. International students who receive bad news from the lottery via an H-1B denial might be able to receive some assistance from their universities in evaluating whether the denial could be challenged in a federal court. I’m thinking that perhaps universities, with the help of the right resources, could offer an additional evaluation of their international students’ H-1B cases by tapping into their pool of alumni who work with employment immigration, or by partnering with an immigration firm. Already, there have been a number of arbitrary rejections of qualified H-1B beneficiaries. Government abuses of the H-1B visa system must be challenged, but this can be a costly and complex option, and perhaps universities can assist in some ways. Already, several companies have successfully fought fraudulent H-1B denials in federal court. What can a student do if they think a law might’ve been broken? In specific instances when laws may have been broken, suing the government might be an option to explore, and I hope that immigration attorneys are raising this possibility with U.S employers they represent. International students deserve a fair evaluation of their H-1B application from the U.S. government, but in some instances they’re not getting that. Who is going to protect them? International students are often alone and lack the resources and savvy to yell foul, so we need to step in and protect them. U.S employers that choose to hire our international students also need the government to play fair, and should intervene and speak up when laws may have been broken. That said, I definitely don’t want to send the impression that every H-1B denial is fraudulent, or even worthy of being contested. This is up for immigration attorneys to decide. But in some instances, a second opinion from an experienced immigration attorney has made a difference. And again, perhaps universities might be able to step in and provide the resources needed to give some of their international students one last chance. Some coordination with impacted employers will probably be needed as well. This is all very doable in my opinion. Marcelo Barros is the founder of The International Advantage , a firm specializing in providing job search training for international students who seek U.S. jobs. He is also the author of The International Advantage: Get Noticed. Get Hired! , a job search guide for international students. Marcelo Barros partners with over 50 U.S. universities to provide extra help to assist international students with their quest to find U.S. employment. The next stop for The International Advantage program is Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management, on May 10th, 2019. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/is-the-rise-in-h-1b-petitions-by-us-employers-a-good-sign-for-international-students/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/is-the-rise-in-h-1b-petitions-by-us-employers-a-good-sign-for-international-students/ Fri, 19 April 2019 09:08:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-essential-resources-for-international-students-during-the-fiscal-year-2020-h-1b-cap-season/#detailed_comment The H-1B cap season for the fiscal year (FY) 2020 began on April 1, 2019. This means that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently accepting petitions for H-1B visas subject to the cap on the number of these visas that will be granted for the FY 2020. Each fiscal year, USCIS places a limit on the number of new H-1B visas that will be issued for that year, giving citizens of other countries temporary authorization to work in the United States. That limit is known as the H-1B cap, and it is set at 65,000 H-1B visas for applicants with undergraduate degrees, and 20,000 for applicants with advanced degrees. Since there are often more petitions than there are available visas, during the H-1B cap season, petitions are placed in a "visa lottery"; those applicants who are randomly selected from the lottery are then evaluated based on the merits of their petitions. During this time, eligible students currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university can apply for a change of status from an F-1 student visa to an H-1B. Once the number of H-1B visas issued reaches the cap, no new petitions are approved until the beginning of the cap season for the next fiscal year.  We recently reported on changes to the H-1B visa lottery  that would reverse the order in which petitions are selected. Under the new rule, applicants with advanced degrees are selected first, followed by all other applicants.  These new rules may prove beneficial for international MBA students. If you're looking to better understand how to navigate this year's H-1B cap season, here are four essential resources to keep you up-to-date throughout the process: The Graduate Management Admissions Council (the global association of leading business schools that administers the GMAT) published a helpful article, " H-1B Cap Season and What It Means for International Students Applying for a Change of Status from F-1 to H-1B ". The article provides a detailed, yet succinct overview of the changes to the H-1B season, with a specific focus on change of status requests for F-1 students. NAFSA: Association of International Educators has an entire resources page dedicated to the H-1B cap season , which includes tips for preparing your H-1B petition, an explanation of the premium processing option, and links to important regulations and document pages. USCIS has a thorough section on their website dedicated to guiding H-1B petitioners through the process. In addition to an informative press release announcing the start of cap season, USCIS provides a thorough breakdown of H-1B guidelines , documentation requirements, associated fees, and more. The International Advantage specializes in helping international students throughout the job search. In addition to a plethora of other resources on the firm's website , The International Advantage an H-1B Coaching program . This hour-long online course is designed to help international students create a job search plan and navigate the nuances of the entire H-1B process. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-essential-resources-for-international-students-during-the-fiscal-year-2020-h-1b-cap-season/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-essential-resources-for-international-students-during-the-fiscal-year-2020-h-1b-cap-season/ Tue, 02 April 2019 13:54:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/5-best-consulting-firms-for-health-benefits/#detailed_comment Every year on April 7, the World Health Organization sponsors World Health Day: a day to raise awareness for the importance of health coverage and access to health care. As World Health Day 2019 approaches, we thought we'd take a look at some of the consulting firms that rank the highest when it comes to benefits offerings. For our 2019 consulting rankings, we asked almost 17,000 consultants at some of the world's leading firms to rank their employers in a variety of quality of life factors, on a scale of 1 to 10. With respect to their firms' benefits offerings, we asked them to consider health insurance and 401(k) plans, as well as additional incentives like on-site childcare or employee discounts at fitness centers. The following are the five best consulting firms for benefits in 2019. 1.) McKinsey & Company  (Score: 9.791) Selected quote:"McKinsey offers great compensation, but it's the benefits package to write home about. The firm is very generous with health care benefits, including covering all premiums..." 2.) The Boston Consulting Group   (Score: 9.765) Selected quote: "BCG's health insurance is unbelievable. I've had doctors shocked that my firm covers so much..." 3.) DayBlink Consulting   (Score: 9.696) Selected quote: "I have worked at many consulting firms over the years and I believe that DayBlink's benefits package is one of the best I have encountered. Insurance is fully paid for, [We even have] even pet insurance options." 4.) Bain & Company   (Score: 9.613) Selected quote: "Having eight weeks of parental leave as the nonprimary caregiving parent is huge. The health benefits are incredible. I compared [them] to the ones offered by my wife's company, and Bain's plan was much better." 5.) Putnam Associates   (Score: 9.523) Selected quote: "Competitive salary, and salary progression. Very laid back and casual culture (including dress code). Great medical insurance." /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/5-best-consulting-firms-for-health-benefits/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/5-best-consulting-firms-for-health-benefits/ Mon, 01 April 2019 01:31:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-riveting-documentaries-for-fans-of-hbos-the-inventor/#detailed_comment Just this month, HBO released the highly anticipated documentary,  The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley . A favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival,  The Inventor  tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes: the founder and CEO of Theranos, a medtech startup that claimed to have revolutionized the healthcare industry with new technology that could test for hundreds of medical conditions from a single drop of blood. It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that Theranos—once valued at $9 billion—is no more after the SEC determined the company to be a “massive fraud”. Nonetheless, watching the events leading to Theranos’ downfall unfold is a fascinating (if not infuriating) exploration of the nature of deception. The rise and fall of certain companies or prominent figures can no doubt make for scandalous entertainment, but behind the drama, there are often important lessons to be learned. If you couldn't look away from  The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley , here are four other documentaries to check out.  The  Fyre  Documentaries (2018) Ah, yes: the documentaries everybody was talking about towards the end of last year. In an interesting, confusing move, rival streaming giants  Netflix  and  Hulu  each released their own documentary about the controversy surrounding the failed Fyre music festival. To recap: in 2017, thousands of people flocked to an island in the Bahamas, having paid exorbitant amounts of money to attend a luxury music festival organized by entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. The catch? The Fyre festival—which was being actively promoted by several powerful social media influencers—was nowhere near ready to go, leaving attendees without shelter, food, or even the promised entertainment. Each  Fyre  documentary approaches the controversy and its subsequent fallout from a different angle. Netflix's  Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened , focuses on the chaos endured by investors, vendors, and local Bahamian entrepreneurs as they struggled to put together an event with no direction or structure. Hulu's  Fyre Fraud  spends more time on the man behind it all, Jerry McFarland, and the previous failed business ventures that paved the way for his ultimate scam. Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis (2018) For many of us, the 2008 financial crisis and its repercussions are still reverberating through our memories. The impact is still felt throughout the country. This special report by VICE is a masterful and riveting look at the powder keg of factors that led our country to the brink of economic collapse.  Looking at the specific market conditions and the cultural climate of the time, Panic delves deep into the mindset of the key people involved in the critical decisions made during the crisis, exploring the challenges they faced and the consequences of their access. Featuring interviews with then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Bank of New York President Timothy Geithner, and former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, this documentary offers as intimate an examination of the financial crisis as you're likely to find. You can watch Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis on HBO . Author: the JT LeRoy Story (2016) This documentary is as fascinating as it is frustrating and tells the story of what's often referred to as "one of the greatest literary hoaxes of all time". While it doesn't recount the events leading to the fall of an enterprise per se, the gravity of this one person's fall feels just as consequential. Laura Albert is an American author who in the early 2000s published a series of novels about the troubled life of a character named JT LeRoy. Albert wrote using LeRoy's name as a pseudonym and soon began to pass off as memoirs of her actual experiences. But that was only the beginning; as her novels began to top international bestsellers' lists and catch the attention of powerful Hollywood figures, Albert concocted an intricate and elaborate scam to convince the world that JT LeRoy actually existed--even going so far as to employ a stand-in to impersonate LeRoy in public and on the red carpet. The fallout has to be seen to be believed. You can watch  Author: the JT LeRoy Story on Amazon Prime . Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) Okay, this list actually includes five documentaries, but the two Fyre docs should really be viewed together, and we'd be remiss not to mention this quintessential film. Directed by Alex Gibney, director of HBO's The Inventor , this 2006 Academy Award-nominated documentary explores the 2001 collapse of the Enron Corporation--one of the biggest and most publicized business scandals of our time.  By exploring the underpinnings of the scandal as well as the fallout, Gibney is able to provide a 360-degree view of the corruption and illegal activities that led to Enron's spectacular fall, and the longlasting implications of the scandal. It's a story many of us are familiar with, but more than a decade later, few have been able to tell that story like this. You can rent Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room on various digital retailers. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-riveting-documentaries-for-fans-of-hbos-the-inventor/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/4-riveting-documentaries-for-fans-of-hbos-the-inventor/ Wed, 27 March 2019 01:31:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/10-great-skills-you-can-teach-yourself/#detailed_comment In a competitive job market, employers typically encounter many highly qualified candidates with impressive resumes and interesting backgrounds—particularly among MBA candidates. When making the tough decision between one excellent candidate and another, a hiring manager will often look for something that sets you apart—fluency in another language, for instance, or a special skill. Many of the skills that stand out to hiring managers are taught in class or learned throughout your career, but taking the initiative to teach yourself new skills is a great way to bolster your resume. You can find anything on the internet these days. Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or edX offer a bevy of free or low-cost courses that you can take at your own pace, and there are many other websites and products dedicated to teaching specific skillsets. If you're looking for ways to bolster your resume and stand out from the crowd, here are ten great skills you can teach yourself. 1). Coding Even if you didn't pursue your MBA with the intent to pivot to a career in web development, basic coding is still an excellent skill to have—especially if you work in the digital or tech spaces. Codeacademy and The Odin Project are two great, free platforms (although Codeacademy does have a paid option) that can teach you HTML, Javascript, CSS, and a variety of other coding languages. 2.) Graphic Design Employers love to see experience in a wide variety of programs, and if even basic Photoshop skills are something you can add to your repertoire, you'll be able to demonstrate versatility and creativity. Format Magazine (a publication of Format, the portfolio-building platform) compiled a great list of 11 free online graphic design courses , which even includes a course from MIT OpenCourseWare. 3.) Content Management Systems (CMS) A content management system is a platform that manages the creation of digital content for a website. While many companies use their own in-house, proprietary CMS to host their website content, many others use services like SquareSpace or WordPress. Because every CMS is different, learning how to use one is specific to each. However, platforms like WordPress offer free or low-cost tutorials to teach you how to use them ( check out WP 101 as an example). Being familiar with the features of at least one CMS puts you at an advantage when it's time to learn a new one. 4.) Microsoft Excel This seems either obvious or cliché (and it probably shouldn't go on your resume), but there is no overstating the importance of knowing at least a few handy Excel formulas. With enough formulas to fill an entire spreadsheet (there's a reason Udemy's course contains 16 hours of videos), there's virtually no limit to what you can do with Excel. Knowing your way around a workbook will make your job much easier. 5.) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search engine optimization is an essential component of any company's online success. SEO is essentially a multidisciplinary strategy for optimizing a website in order to appear on the first page of Google when somebody searches for a term relevant to your business. It's a booming and rapidly changing industry, and employers are always on the lookout for people who keep up with it. Moz, a leading SEO platform, has a free Beginner's Guide to SEO  and a truly insightful blog  that offers plenty of resources. 6.) Marketing Analytics Understanding how to analyze a company's performance with respect to its marketing efforts, and gleaning insights from trends, data, and user behavior is a highly impressive skill. Google Analytics, which is one of the most popular tools for measuring marketing performance, has a free online class called Analytics Academy  that can teach you the basics or help you refine your advanced skills. The Moz blog  also has an extensive analytics section. 7.) Social Media Marketing A brand's reputation and growth on social media depend on so much more than posting content. Successful social media marketing is an entire strategy that depends on following trends, analyzing data, and maintaining a relationship with your followers. Again, Moz has an extensive section on their blog devoted to this topic, and DIY Genius has a great list of 10 free online courses for social media marketing .  8.) Copywriting Being able to write professionally is absolutely essential; copywriting, however, isn't a skill that everyone has. The ability to write persuasively and with purpose, particularly for the web, is definitely a skill that might come in handy when you least expect it. Copy Hackers has an entire suite of copywriting tutorials , articles, and other resources. 9.) Stock Trading Whether you're in investment banking or stock trading, knowing how the stock market works is an invaluable tool, both personally and professionally. Investopedia , StockTrader.com , and Morningstar, Inc. all offer great information to help get you started. Your bank may also provide resources and advice.   10.) Blockchain Blockchain is the ridiculously complicated technology behind bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which is arguably one of today's buzziest industries. The FinTech industry, especially, is looking for people who keep up with this emerging technology. Coursera has a Blockchain Basics course, and Medium  also points to some good resources. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/10-great-skills-you-can-teach-yourself/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/10-great-skills-you-can-teach-yourself/ Fri, 22 March 2019 14:50:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/the-one-book-every-professional-needs-on-their-bookshelf/#detailed_comment As an English major with an affinity for writing fiction that most academics might consider less than "literary" (think: less William Shakespeare than William Peter Blatty), I often disagreed with my professors on many things. However, there is one piece of advice I received from one advisor that resonates with me even to this day: as a writer, the single most important book I'll ever read is The Elements of Style , by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.  Strunk & White , as it is known colloquially, is a style guide for writers that was first published in 1920 and has been my best friend since my professor first recommended it to me. This slim volume got me through my honor's thesis. A boss at my first job (an SEO role that had very little to do with my English degree), recommended Strunk & White within my first few days of work, only to nod in admiring agreement when he saw I already had the book at my desk. In subsequent years, I relied heavily on this guide when crafting my personal statements for my applications to both MBA and MFA programs (I know, I'm all over the place). A Brief History of Strunk & White Since its initial publication, The Elements of Style  has become almost ubiquitous in its usefulness and influence on writers of every ilk; in fact, Time named it one of the 100 best and most influential nonfiction books written in English since 1923. The first edition of The Elements of Style  was published in 1919 by William Strunk Jr., a professor at Cornell University who compiled a very short style guide for writers. The first version of the guide contained, among other things, some essential rules of form and composition, as well as a list of words and phrases commonly misspelled or misused. In 1935, Strunk and fellow editor Edward A. Tenney revised and republished the guide, and in 1959, the famous writer E.B. White expanded and modernized The Elements of Style . His expanded edition, the first known as Strunk & White , is the version that has become so integral to the writer's lexicon (and is also the reason Time includes the book on a list of books published since 1923). The Elements of Style's core principle is to "make every word tell". While the book periodically evolves alongside the modern English language, it's fundamental rules remain the same: to cultivate good writing by omitting needless words, using the active voice, and using parallel construction on parallel concepts. The most recent edition was released just last year, expanding the original text to include study guides, editors' notes, and new chapters on modern language trends.  Who Needs The Elements of Style? The short answer is, "everyone." Any professional who ever puts a pen to paper or finger to keyboard needs to communicate clearly and impactfully. Good writing skills are essential in virtually any business or academic setting, and for those of us who have not taken a writing or composition course since our undergraduate years, The Elements of Style is an invaluable refresher. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/the-one-book-every-professional-needs-on-their-bookshelf/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/the-one-book-every-professional-needs-on-their-bookshelf/ Tue, 19 March 2019 21:55:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/an-american-nightmare-a-discussion-of-the-2019-college-admissions-scandal/#detailed_comment Do you know how hard it was, after what came out Tuesday , to sit down and write a post geared towards students? I think most of us have suspected at some point that our higher education system is not always a strict meritocracy. We all know the rich kid in high school who went to a school that we were a little surprised he actually got into, not to mention the brilliant classmate who went to a school where you knew she’d be the smartest person there—or maybe not to any school at all. Finances can be a huge deterrent when it comes to college, regardless of how smart you are, and it’s beyond frustrating to see the wealthy people involved in this scandal gaming the system to their benefit. A friend made a comment to me that a scandal like this shows that the American Dream—the concept that hard work and perseverance can get you anywhere regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.—is dead. I directed my friend to the following quote from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ memoir, Between the World and Me : “The [American] Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing. And it became clear that this was not just for the Dreams concocted by Americans to justify themselves but also for the dreams that I had conjured to replace them.” (50) The American Dream is alive and well—but it is perhaps the most limited dream ever dreamt: To go to a top school, get stellar grades, and woo your way into a high-paying job—ideally with a spouse and kids in tow. The American Dream isn’t about happiness. It’s about success, by the narrowest, most quantifiable definition, and at any cost. This scandal is proof enough of that mentality, and it’s far from dead. Let me tell you a tale of two sisters: Me and mine. I’m an editor in New York. My sister is a baker at a café in our small hometown in the Midwest. From just that, who do you think worked harder in school? My sister. Hands down, it’s not even a competition. My sister worked tirelessly in school—studied every day, wrote multiple drafts of her papers, and took color-coded notes. She was also a competitive swimmer, with two-to-four hours of practice every day, plus meets. I didn’t do any of that. I was that kid who daydreamed in class (or real-dreamed, sometimes) and was far more worried about her extracurriculars in theater and scholastic bowl than her study habits. I wrote my papers in the period before they were due. My sister kept a hard-earned B-/C+ average. I was in the top 10 percent of my class. Yes, I hated me in high school, too. And I got my comeuppance in college, don’t you worry. But what I’m attempting to demonstrate here is that hard work doesn’t always translate into success as the American public sees it. My sister’s grades were her absolute best, and I hope she’s very proud of them. She should be. But so many people, prestigious schools included, often care more about the results on a printed page than the work ethic behind them. It’s that focus on excellence over industry that led the parents involved in this admissions scam to do what they did. They were terrified that their children wouldn’t be “successful” by societal standards. That they wouldn’t live the American Dream. But they had money. And they used what was at their disposal. It’s sad, as well as infuriating, that everything can be bought. But let me ask the question that all 17-and-18-year-olds ask themselves: Does it really matter what college you go to? Yes. And no. The college you go to matters in that you should be happy there. You should meet interesting people, expand your worldview, and make connections and friendships that last a lifetime. But the prestige of your college doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference when it comes to career success. We here at Vault have been talking about our various educational backgrounds: Some of us went to very prestigious schools, and some of us didn’t. But we all ended up in the same place—and very happily so. We know C-suite execs, lawyers, and engineers who went to Harvard or Georgetown and those who went to state schools. Let’s look at my sister and I again. My sister went to art school and culinary school, and she is now a baker, a private chef, and a swim coach. She lives in a big, beautiful, Victorian-style home with her boyfriend and rescue dog. I transferred from an impressive university to a small liberal arts school that nobody knows, and earned a graduate degree my extended family mocks as “pointless”—now I’m an editor in New York, and while I make more money than my sister, I sublet a shoebox that's a long,  long  subway ride from the NYC you see on TV. Who made it out better? Neither of us. Both of us are doing precisely what we wanted to do. We’re happy. The name-dropability or lack thereof of the colleges we went to didn’t have that much impact over the course of our lives. It was our passions, our pursuit of them, and the people in our lives that got us to where we are. Prestige is about comparing yourself to others. And while you may get some pleasure out of being the most impressive person in the room, happiness comes down to how you feel about your own situation. I do honestly pity these parents who would rather their child be the best than simply do their best. It’s a sad distortion of wanting the best for your kids, stemming from the insecurity that one’s resume being exceptional is what makes someone happy and fulfilled. And that there are people out there who would prey on and encourage that insecurity is despicable. But I’m not asking you to feel sorry for rich people who paid out the nose to get their kids into Stanford over the brilliant kids who didn’t have the same resources. I’m asking you to feel sorry for the child caught in the middle of all the pushing and pulling and the unrealistic expectations put upon them. If we want our kids to be happy, then we should ask them to be happy—rather than manipulating them into thinking the only path to happiness lies in a seven-figure salary and comparing notes on Ivy League cafeteria food at future cocktail parties. Here are my parting thoughts for all those considering college and grad school and all those who are already there: Everything is going to be okay. Whether you’re at a school that makes your friends go, “Wow, dang, who do you know there?” or one that makes them ask, “Where is that?”—everything will work out. If you make friends, work hard, and do your best— your best, not whatever someone else tells you is best for you—things will turn out. Even if you don’t have a plan, even if you stare at your ceiling all night with anxiety, even if your least-favorite aunt makes snide comments across the Thanksgiving table about your major, you will find a way to live your life in a way that you enjoy. And that’s what matters. Don’t let anyone who thinks they can buy their way to success make you feel bad for the hard work and passion you put into your education and personal development. It’s not worth the anger and heartache. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/an-american-nightmare-a-discussion-of-the-2019-college-admissions-scandal/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/an-american-nightmare-a-discussion-of-the-2019-college-admissions-scandal/ Fri, 15 March 2019 16:22:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/our-obsession-with-perfectionism-is-getting-worse/#detailed_comment Do you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Many of us do. In fact, perfectionism is what social psychologist Thomas Curran describes as "everyone's favorite flaw". Being a perfectionist is a problem that many people are all too happy to have. The obsession over every minute detail, the incessant second-guessing, the sense of motivation born of self-doubt—these are all qualities of the perfectionist that we as a society have come to admire. To many of us, perfectionism in school, in our careers, and in every other aspect of our lives is indicative of success. In his TED Talk , "Our Dangerous Obsession with Perfectionism is Getting Worse," Thomas Curran explores what he calls the plague of perfectionism—our collective idolization of perfectionism—and how it can actually be a powerful catalyst for self-sabotage. In exploring the underlying causes of perfectionism, it's severe and negative consequences, and the growing trend of perfectionist behaviors in younger generations, Curran challenges our preconceived notions of success to a healthier and more positive mindset. /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/our-obsession-with-perfectionism-is-getting-worse/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/our-obsession-with-perfectionism-is-getting-worse/ Fri, 15 March 2019 14:49:00 /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/midterm-checklist-four-things-to-do-around-spring-break/#detailed_comment It’s SPRING BREAK—or at least it’s really, really close. But do you know what comes first? Midterms. And travel planning. And a whole mess of stuff. I know it probably feels like the semester just started (and it kind of did), but there are some things that you should probably get around to now that you’ve only got a few weeks left in the school year. 1.  Focus on midterm exams. Midterms often make up a fairly significant portion of your final grade in a class, so these are tests you’re going to want to take seriously. Especially if you’re in a class (or two!) where your grade is based solely on the midterm and the final. Like I said, it probably feels like you’re just finally in the groove of school—so don’t let these tests and papers sneak up on you. Make sure to block out time to study and write. If you’re someone that studies well in a group setting, see if you can get some people in your class together for a study sesh. If not, now might be the time to find your favorite workstation at the library, and get cracking. 2.  Go somewhere fun! Look, I’m not your mom—I’m not here to tell you to just sit down and study. Spring break is made for having fun—that’s the point of it! It wasn’t until college that I really got the chance to travel without my parents (or my friends’ parents or another authority figure) and I could finally go where I wanted (read: could afford) and do what I liked. So whether you can/want to make it out to spring break Meccas like Panama City Beach or South Padre Island, or you go for something a little more low key (road trip, anyone?), make sure that you take this opportunity to get out there and make the most of a rare mandated week off. Once you start working, you lose breaks and structure like this, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of the time and come back relaxed and refreshed. 3.  Take stock. Where you at? I mean, like, in your general life trajectory. It’ll be time to register for next year’s classes pretty soon—are you on track to complete your degree as planned? Now is definitely the time to make a graduation requirements checklist, and see where you stand, both with gen eds and major requirements. No one wants to be the person who takes a “victory lap” semester because they forgot about a fine arts requirement. So count up which requirements you’ve met, which you still need, and any new ones the school might have announced (it happens) so you can plan your next fall class-load accordingly. 4.  Finalize your summer plans—or at least start thinking about them. Unlike spring break, summer break shouldn’t be all fun and games. There should certainly be some—if you haven’t set foot in a pool or seen all your friends from high school by Labor Day weekend, I count that as a summer wasted—but summers are also your chance to get some valuable work experience. Whether that’s an internship (which hopefully you’ve lined up already, but there’s still plenty of time to secure one if you haven’t), a more traditional job, a service trip, a study-abroad program, or something else entirely, make sure you’re doing something more meaningful this summer than trying to have as much fun as possible. The semester is going to be over before you know it. (I know, right? Terrifying.) So take some time now—before the whirlwind that comes with finals, moving out of your dorm, and saying goodbye to friends—to make sure that you’ve got your house in order, as well as take a well-deserved break. Best of luck on your midterms, and happy spring break! /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/midterm-checklist-four-things-to-do-around-spring-break/ /blog/admit-one-vaults-mba-law-school-and-college-blog/midterm-checklist-four-things-to-do-around-spring-break/ Fri, 08 March 2019 15:20:00