Build Your Own Path

​Dear Students, 

Every great once in a while my life slows down enough to breathe and take stock of what my personal and professional goals are, but naturally occurring pause points are few and far between, which means I need to create my own. 

This week I encourage you to join me in setting aside some time each day for reflection. It can be time to create a personal or professional plan, time to map out the steps for your plan, or even to set daily goals of what you want to accomplish. I've found that setting aside even 15 minutes can help relieve stress and make my time more productive than ever. In that spirit, here are a few items that may help you get started: 

• Attend Walk-In Wednesdays from 10 am – 4 pm with CNS Career Services to talk about your résumé, internships, and preparing for the job market.
• If you're planning to graduate, don't forget to fill out the Graduation Application.
• April 8^th is the last day for Q-drops and pass/fail. Take some time to reflect on how you did on your first couple of tests in each class then talk to your academic advisor.
• The Health Professions Fair is this week on Wednesday (2/27).
• Apply for scholarships – the deadline for CNS scholarships is March 15^th.
• Find some funding for your research.
• CNS Connections is this Thursday (2/28) – network with a diverse set of companies across Austin.

Maya Angelou once received some sage advice from her grandmother: "If the world puts you on a road you do not like, if you look ahead and do not want that destination which is being offered and you look behind and you do not want to return to your place of departure, step off the road. Build yourself a new path."

I encourage you to examine your road and build your own path.

Best,
Dr. Vanden Bout

Joke: How are a dog and a marine biologist alike? One wags a tail and the other tags a whale.