I will be a senior next year, and although I have been a good student, my grades are only average. Since I did my best, I don’t want to feel bad about my 2.6/4.0 GPA. But I do feel bad about not having received any awards or honors and not being in any student organizations. I know this will hurt me when I start applying for jobs. Is there any hope for me?

Thank you,
Desperate in D.C.

Dear Desperate:

Help is on the way. There is no shame in having successfully progressed to your senior year having earned a respectable 2.6 GPA. But to buttress your self-esteem and to help you experience some positive reinforcement, I suggest that you do the following:

Join a campus organization that you have admired but haven’t found or made time to be involved with. Volunteer to lead a specific committee to hone your leadership skills and get positive feedback by doing a terrific job.

Set a goal to get on the Dean’s List at least for one quarter or semester before you graduate. See how close you can get. You might surprise yourself. Do your best and don’t be frustrated if you don’t quite achieve your goal. Bettering your current GPA, even by a point should be a source of encouragement to you.

You might request that a faculty member who knows you nominate you for the Who’s Who Among American College Students recognition, or be tapped for a campus honorary society. Find out about all of these special campus recognitions and see which ones you can tap into. By all means have someone nominate you for recognition on Black Collegian On-line. There is actually a section called “What’s Happening” where you can be nominated, so log on. Pay attention to the various honors, awards or special recognitions that are available for seniors.

Become a part of the Senior Class Gift Committee. This is a short-term involvement that yields good will on campus and positive visibility for the committee at the graduation ceremony.

Start a Saturday morning “Help Them Read” program reaching out to a neighborhood school to help youngsters having difficulty reading. Recruit a few friends and meet with the school to present your idea. Students often get great coverage in the local media for positive community service.

Volunteer to work in a homeless shelter. Feel good about helping those less fortunate than yourself and realize how much you have achieved already.

Write an article or editorial for your school paper or the local media or for the Black Collegian Magazine that tackles a tough campus issue. If done well, it may be published, which will provide you with recognition locally or nationally. Develop a press release about things you are doing. Send it to your neighborhood newspaper. Think how proud you and your family will be to see something about you in print.

Last but not least, after doing all or some of the above suggestions and achieving some results, make an appointment with your Career Center Advisor to get assistance in updating your resume. With these additional worthwhile activities, your resume should get a real achievement boost, better positioning you to compete effectively in today’s highly competitive, global job market.

Glad you sought this information early. Now get busy and much success as you embark on an exciting and productive senior year!

Linda Bates Parker is your Online Campus Advisor. She has authored the Campus Advisor column for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine for over 13 years. Parker is the director of the Career Development Center at the University of Cincinnati and president of Black Career Women a national organization.

Special Note: Click Here to contact your Campus Advisor for help with your concerns or problems.