There are a variety of ways to strengthen your resume and enrich your experience, but it is important to be intentional about how you spend your time as well.

Volunteering

do you currently volunteer in any capacity? There are many ways to volunteer, whether it be in-person or online, and most volunteering opportunities are flexible to work around your academic schedule. If you are not sure where to start, think about what matters to you and see if you have a skill set that would be of use to that particular cause. For example, if you are fluent in another language and passionate about animal rights you could look for translation opportunities at animal rights organizations. A great tool we recommend is VolunteerMatch.

Community Involvement

Are you involved in your local community through gatherings, volunteering, or leadership? Consider these resources:

• Idealist
• Translators Without Boarders
• Translation Commons
• The Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center 

Leadership Roles

Have you had the opportunity to be a leader within a Registered Student Organization (RSO), on a project, or through volunteering? While leadership roles are not mandatory for a great graduate school application, they do help show your range of skills and that you have the ability to work with others. Remember that leadership does not always have to be a role like President, leadership is taking any additional responsibility outside of regular participation. Consider joining a RSO!

Get Published

have you submitted anything for publication? There are multiple ways to be published within your field of interest as an undergraduate, you just have to do a little research. The perfect place to start is with the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Internships

Have you thought about pursuing an internship in your field of study or something related? UW has many strong internship partnerships already in place, but you can intern virtually anywhere that accepts interns. A great place to start is at the UW Career & Internship Center.

Study abroad

Have you studied abroad? Studying abroad provides opportunities for networking, research, and further academic exploration. We offer many opportunities for study abroad and you can get started with UW Study Abroad.

Connect with Mentors and Advisers

Certain careers, on the other hand, will require an advanced degree: if you want to be a lawyer, a college professor, or a researcher, then graduate-level training will be necessary preparation for you. Before deciding on a graduate program, you should investigate the career field thoroughly to make sure that you have a good understanding of what kind of graduate study will best prepare you, and how you should prepare.

Talk with your professors, with current graduate students in your chosen area, with alumni in your chosen field, and with advisers or career coaches about what kinds of programs may be right for you. Use LinkedIn or connect with alumni for career conversations or potential mentorship through the UW Alumni Association and their UW Husky Landing platform and their Huskies@Work program.