I’m not sure how time flew by so quickly, but we are already over a month into the semester. I can’t believe I’m at the part of the syllabus that tells me I have a midterm exam next week.

The one piece advice that I was given to by so many people before I started college was to get close with my professors, and to establish long-lasting relationships with them. I’m a fairly reserved person, so I can remember walking into  my first college class ever, International Relations, and trying to work up the courage to talk to the professor. I kept putting it off and telling myself that I would do it next class. Suddenly, next class was my final exam and I never really established a good working relationship with my professor.

As college students, it’s incredibly important to maintain relationships with professionals. Whether it be your professor, a work manager, or an internship supervisor, these are the people that can give you advice to guide your career, but also excellent references. Even though a third of the semester has passed, it’s not too late to establish these relationships!

I’m applying to several internships right now, and I list my internship supervisor from last summer as one of my references. I haven’t seen her since August, but I make sure to shoot her an email every few months because I know did a good job at that internship, and I want to continue to use her as a reference. So, I try to keep in contact with her, so she doesn’t forget me or think that I stopped caring about the work I did while I was there!

I approach my relationships with old internship supervisors a little differently than how  I approach my relationship with professors. Professors are here to help students. They have office hours and any professor that I have had always makes time for students. Take advantage of these resources that professors at UMBC give to you. An open door policy is not something you’ll see everywhere, so these are opportunities for you to establish a solid relationship with someone who is here to help students.

I’ve found that relationships with professors can be more casual than relationships with internship or work supervisors. As such, professors can see a side of you that your other workmates may not. This can help you develop a closer relationship that can translate into letter of recommendations or references, where professors can cite specific examples of how you demonstrate specific knowledge or skills.

Here are a few tips I find helpful  to establishing these professional relationships

I am not a people person. I get extremely nervous talking to professionals all the time. It unnerves and intimidates me. But I know that it’s necessary for me to break out of my shell to make sure I have good references and letters of recommendations for when I apply to a job or law school.

Choosing what to wear to an interview or professional event may seem like a trivial task to decide, but from experience, I can tell you it’s not.

I have two interviews scheduled in the next two weeks, and it is necessarythat I go shopping for business clothes for those interviews. I had a mock trial invitational this past weekend, and I realized two things during my trials. 1, there’s a hole in my only professional dress, and 2, there’s a hole in my suit pants. I spent all of my trials trying to make sure that my back wasn’t facing the judges and I stood in a way that the holes would be concealed.

That whole fiasco could have been avoided if I had just taken a few seconds the night before or the morning of to inspect my outfits. Unfortunately, I didn’t, and I was uncomfortable the entireweekend.

I digress. The point I’m trying to make is that it is important to dress professionally, so you look respectable and make a good first impression, but also so that you’re comfortable and not constantly worrying about a piece of clothing moving, or your pants being too tight.

I also recognize that buying professional clothing can be expensive. I’m a college student, working on a college student’s budget, so I understand how difficult it can be to find affordable clothing that will last you for a long time.

Still, that’s not an excuse. During my last trial, one of the attorneys on the opposing side was wearing jeans and a blazer during our round. I know it’s a mock trial, but that was just bizarre. When you walk into a professional setting, you have to look like you belong in a professional setting.

So, where can you go to get cheap clothing? Well, the Career Center offers you a better alternative- free clothing! On Thursday, March 30th, and Friday, March 31st, the Career Center is hosting its annual UMBC Suits You! You can stop by Harbor Hall and select a few business attire pieces for yourself, absolutely free! We want you to be and look confident when you walk into a professional event, so we make sure all the clothing we offer you looks great!

Deciding what you want to wear to an interview may seem like a simple enough task, but it’s still important to try your outfit on before you get ready to leave. You can make sure you’re comfortable and that everything fits properly. Interviews are nerve wracking enough; you don’t need to add on being worried about what you look like.