by kwheele4 on April 22, 2021
Opinion
At Least Send Me a Rejection
As the spring semester comes to an end, students find their summer fate in the hands of companies, firms, and publications. Due to the pandemic, this year’s internship search has been brutal. Many companies are hiring graduate students or post-graduate students in place of undergraduates as summer interns because of the dismal job market.
This leaves many Providence College students internshipless, spending hours on Handshake and LinkedIn in the wee hours of the night, vying for the few coveted paid internship positions. They send resumes out to quite frankly anywhere that seems remotely employable.
The worst part that accompanies this digital, human-less process is the failure of employers to follow up with their applicants. This is due to a few reasons, one being that many digital job platforms are not up to date. Many companies leave up their listings even after filling the specified position. Thus, students’ efforts are for nothing.
Secondly, humans are barely involved in the review process anymore, with some companies sending resumes through a word-searching software to find proper verbiage that they think fits their position. The resumes that do not qualify are pushed to the side, and the student applicant has no idea.
Lastly, a lot of companies have too many applicants. They just pick out the highest-qualified graduate student and move on, without even a notice to the 200 other undergraduates who thought they really, maybe, had a shot.
This cycle ends with a lot of frustration and confusion on students’ ends because they have no idea what to look for, who to contact, or if they even should keep trying to apply! Employers should have the decency and courtesy to send out a rejection letter to those they do not end up moving forward with, or, at the very least, they should update their postings. With these bare minimum techniques, students may have a better chance of enjoying their spring semester, knowing how to move forward with their summer plans.
—Olivia Bretzman ‘22
Cooking and College Students
For the upperclassmen who live in Cunningham, Mal Brown, Ditraglia, Bedford, or Davis halls, there is always one room that is used significantly less than the others.
While students spend the most time in their bedrooms by virtue of sleeping there, it can be said that out of the three remaining rooms, the kitchen, bathroom, and common room, it is the kitchen that is inhabited the least.
In residence hall kitchens across Providence College’s campus, stovetops and ovens remain unused, cabinets seldom opened, and refrigerators rarely see substances other than alcohol. It is true that kitchens here on campus remain rather desolate places, and it can be assumed that this situation results solely from a lack of cooking.
For the college student, cooking is often viewed with as much dread as midterm exams, and, as such, students simply default to eating at the dining hall out of convenience.
While the vast majority of students do not like to cook on campus, an even greater majority do not like the dining hall food. A precarious situation results from not wanting to cook and not wanting to eat what is provided.
The irony of this situation is that it is one that can be avoided, as kitchens can and should be used for more than the purpose they currently serve in students’ lives.
College is a place to learn practical as well as academic subjects, and one of these practical things may just happen to be cooking.
—Joseph Kulesza ‘22
Wear a Comfortable Mask Size
Before the pandemic, we thought that the only masks that existed were the traditional, light blue medical masks, and that only doctors needed to wear them. As we approach the year-and-a-half mark of wearing masks, we now know that they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. But which is the right mask for you?
Masks are mandatory in most states, which means that we have all had to adjust to the habit of wearing a mask in public. However, there are some tricks to making this uncomfortable habit more tolerable during this time.
With reusable masks that are usually made from cloth or other fabrics besides the traditional polypropylene mask, there is a wide range of available sizes for sale. Wearing the proper size can make all the difference in helping a mask become tolerable during this already difficult time. When looking to purchase a mask, think of a couple different options.
First, use a reusable mask, as it will save you money and will save the environment in the long run. Second, look at the available sizes to see what size is recommended for your face. You may have been using an adult large mask size for the past couple months, when you are really an adult small.
This year is already pressing the limits of tolerance for all of us, so why let an improper mask size become another nuisance in your day?
—Erin Garvey ‘22