Students sound off: Business peers offer tips for success

As you begin to embrace summer activities, jobs, internships, or travel, a few of your peers wanted to share their insights and recommendations for success as you continue your Sun Devil experience.

We at the W. P. Carey School of Business want to wish you a productive and relaxing summer! We look forward to welcoming you back in the fall, or for some of you in the summer. As you begin to embrace summer activities, jobs, internships, or travel, a few of your peers wanted to share their insights and recommendations for success as you continue your Sun Devil experience.

Words of encouragement and support for rising sophomores

Thomas Craig Anderson II, Finance

The transition phase is over. You've made it to the point where you can start taking major-specific classes and start pursuing your goals. The hardest part of my first year was learning to adjust to the daily life of college, and you've made it past that.

If you still aren't sure about what major to pursue, I would recommend that students talk to others about a major they are interested in. Talk to professors, advisers, faculty, and even professionals in that field to see if that is something they actually might like to do. Furthermore, pick a major that you actually enjoy. Studying what you actually like is so much more fulfilling.

Over the summer, I'll miss the people of W. P. Carey the most. I have met so many close friends that I've grown accustomed to seeing every day that it will be honestly pretty weird not seeing them on campus and on Dean's Patio.

Sabrina Garland, Management & Global Politics

Get ahead. If you can succeed in finishing all of your assignments for the week the Sunday before, you'll be on top of the world. Believe me.

I recommend browsing through ASU's major maps if you're still unsure about your major. If a particular course looks interesting to you, take it. If you can't take it yet, contact a professor teaching it and ask to meet with them to discuss it, and why they chose to teach it.

Over the summer, I'll most definitely miss the relationships. The friendships in W. P. Carey with both students and professionals make it all worth it.

Samim Fahim, Marketing & Supply Chain Management

Talk to everyone, as you never know the knowledge, experiences, or advice that any single person can offer to help you one day. Doing so will not only help yourself grow but also lets others learn and grow from you. This includes professionals, peers, and faculty.

If you haven't decided on a major, don’t put a label on yourself, like "I’m a numbers person so I should be a finance or accounting major." This allows you to explore new majors and areas of interests. 300-level business courses do an excellent job in showcasing majors.

Remember that it’s not uncommon for students to switch majors multiple times — I did it three times during my first year. So take chances and explore different areas by getting involved in clubs, and deep dive into your general business courses.

This summer I'll miss the amazing people and the camaraderie that W. P. Carey has. Being an out-of-state student was difficult my first semester, but the plethora of resources and knowledgeable people at W. P. Carey helped me grow in all facets.

Sandy Chen, Computer Information Systems

W. P. Carey has supported me in more ways than one. When I first entered ASU, I was overwhelmed by the number of students on campus; however, after becoming more involved within W. P. Carey, I was able to make a "home" out of the tight-knit community found within the school, thus creating a memorable first year for me at ASU.

Keep persevering through any difficulties you may have! It's really easy to lose the drive to finish your courses at the end of the semester, but it's important to not slack off at the end.

If you're still undecided, it's okay! Because of the many classes and majors W. P. Carey has to offer, you should look into, and take a class, on any of the things that might even remotely interest you. If you don't know what majors are offered within W. P. Carey, there are a ton of different resources to look into! The W. P. Carey website has a list of all the majors and minors that the school offers, along with a description of what each major is, a sample of their major map, prospective job outlooks, and much more.

Other than the Dean's Patio Starbucks, I'll miss the networking opportunities that W. P. Carey provides, as well as the different people that I have met through such opportunities.

Marie Sminkey, Marketing

The end of the year is crazy and leaves you with many different emotions. On one hand, you're incredibly stressed about all your final exams and projects and you can't wait for a break in the summer. But, you know you're going to miss seeing all of the great friends you made over the year each and every day.

Then comes that moment of satisfaction when you've completed all of what you needed to, and the year is officially over. The list goes on and on. Those most likely are only some of the things you'll feel — but it's important to know that those feelings are all normal.

Overall, congratulations! You did it!

If you don't know exactly what major is for you, that is perfectly fine. Luckily, W. P. Carey has a bunch of resources that can make that process a little bit easier for you. I suggest that you narrow your search down to a few different business majors and look at each of them more in depth. The great thing about W. P. Carey is that there is literally something for everyone! Whether you're interested in sports, advertising, or entertainment, there certainly an organization for you. To learn more about W. P. Carey majors, start by looking online on the W. P. Carey website, talking to your advisor, or asking a friend in one of your classes or at a club meeting — there are so many people who want to help you find the major that best suits you.

Aside from the fact that I genuinely love going to class each day and learning from some awesome professors within W. P. Carey, I really will miss the people and the environment. There is just something special about W. P. Carey; there is always so much positive energy and excitement around. It's clear that the students, staff, and faculty are dedicated and always ready to get things done. I've truly never been surrounded by a better group of people. Everyone is not only brilliant, but they are so motivated and hardworking — it really inspires me to better myself.

I was recently awarded the Bissell Pohl Scholarship from the W. P. Carey School of Business. This was not something that I specifically applied for, but just received out of the blue. Department scholarships are incredibly competitive yet W. P. Carey chose me. I am so incredibly grateful. Being selected as one recipient out of thousands of business students showed me that W. P. Carey really does know each of its students and wants to see them all succeed.

Likewise, I've been very fortunate to have many professors and advisors who have been there for me throughout the entirety of the year from writing recommendation letters to giving me advice about schooling. W. P. Carey really does it all, and I'm definitely going to miss that this summer.