All Things Advice 

By: Raynor Manley

Throughout my time at The University of Georgia and as a Grady College student, I have learned a lot of valuable information that I will carry with me throughout my entire career. I’ve received great advice from professors, my mentor through the UGA Mentor Program, friends, upperclassmen in Grady, PRSSA professionals and from various panels that I have attended. One thing I have learned is that UGA truly cares about its students and provides us with tremendous resources to help us be successful. 

My number one piece of advice is to Take Advantage Of All That UGA/ Grady College Has To Offer. UGA has so many resources and hosts many workshops that students can attend. Last year, I participated in the Arch Ready Professionalism Certificate. I attended five “workshops” that helped prepare me for the professional field including a session about how to create a digital portfolio and how to write an effective resume.  One of the most valuable things I’ve done at UGA is participate in the UGA Mentor Program. Not only did my mentor provide tips and tricks I never would have known without her, but she also became a friend. She encouraged me to try a lot of different things so I could see what I liked and didn’t like. She encouraged me to get Google Analytics certified, something I never would have thought to do, and she even offered me an internship with her company!  

This is my professional headshot. It’s important to have a professional picture like this to serve as your LinkedIn profile picture or for other professional networking sites. LinkedIn is a really great platform to make professional connections with UGA alum and network yourself to potential employers. You can even take it on your phone! As long as the quality of the picture is good and you look professional, you are good to go!

One thing I love about Grady is the opportunities it provides to connect with other students enrolled in Grady. For example, last week I attended Dawgs with the Dean and I enjoyed hanging out with other fellow Grady students. I also attended the 40 Under 40 panel that Grady hosted a few weeks ago where I learned valuable tips about growing my network and maintaining connections. Grady wants its students to become great and encourages us to do so with these resources and panels.

Use Your Professors As A Resource: This single-handedly might be the best piece of advice I have received during my time at UGA. Your professors are here for you and want to see you grow in their classes and succeed. They want to help you in any way they can because they want amazing students to continue to come out of Grady even stronger than before they entered. My advice is to reach out to them when you need help, maintain your connections with them and never be afraid to reach out; they are (most of the time) always happy to hear from you. 

Get Involved: In your major, around campus, in the community and any other way you can. This is one of the best ways to meet people and make new friends as well as add to your overall college experience. UGA has so many clubs and it’s worth checking out different ones you might be interested in. You can get involved with service/ philanthropic clubs, campus ministries, Greek life, clubs within your major, like PRSSA, or even intramural or club sports. I also encourage holding leadership positions within a club. This not only adds to your resume but helps you grow and learn as a person and helps you gain valuable leadership skills. 

Go To UGA Events! You are only a student once and tickets will only be this cheap once! There is nothing like the student spirit you feel when you are in the student section of Sanford Stadium. This aligns with making time for yourself. While UGA offers many resources for academic success and future planning, they also offer fun activities for students to attend and get their mind off their work and studying. Attend a soccer game or a gymnastics meet; UGA has some of the best athletics and it’s so fun to go out and support your fellow students and peers in any way you can. 

Networking Is Key. Maintaining your relationships is one of the best things you can do for yourself while in college. You never know where someone you know now is going to end up and if they could be a valuable resource or connection for you in the future. Another resource UGA/ Grady offers are Career Fairs. This is a great way to meet professionals and get your name out there. You never know who might be recruiting at those fairs and you could end up landing your dream job or internship from attending one. You never know what might happen and who you might meet on any given day. Maintaining your relationships and making connections is one of the best ways to achieve success later on. 

However, Don’t Forget To Have Fun! College is about doing well in your classes and building your resume to prepare for a future job, but it’s also a once in a lifetime opportunity and you only get these four/five years once. Don’t spread yourself too thin, committing to five different clubs on top of your classes and an internship. Work on managing your time and choosing your favorite or what is most important to you. You want to give your all to each organization you participate in, so you don’t want to have too many commitments where you can’t give them your all. Quality is always over quantity! But don’t get so busy that you forget about yourself. Do things for your mental health and set aside time for things that you value such as working out, reading, going for a walk or painting. Whatever it is, make time for it. While college is about school, it’s not all about school and you want to remember these years in a positive way. 

We hope to see you on October 19th for our Student Internship Panel. This meeting will be in person in Studio 100, on Grady’s first floor, at 6:30. Whitney Denney will be helping us with resumes, interviewing and networking! Joining clubs like PRSSA is a great way to make connections and meet like-minded, motivated people. You can get involved with a committee to gain experience, applications are open now (until November 2nd), or you can be a general body member and get to hear from our incredible speakers about their success! Membership forms are also open now until November 1st. We would love to have you! Follow our Instagram @ugaprssa to stay updated! 

Membership Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUVvS1MzzLtxYe2sPdb0cMH3DyyZuKYTvr1CDZBU4wKCf2jA/viewform

Committee Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdg4S0bHFURjy3ONQdwmxJVebbSo7niY1FKBmrICT4gijKW2g/viewform