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For the first time, Oracle Red Bull racing brings Formula 1 cars to Houston. On Sept. 7, Red Bull is bringing two of its most iconic cars, RB7 and RB8 to a showcase in Discovery Green. 

The championship-winning cars were both designed by Red Bull’s Chief technology officer, Adrian Newey and were driven by Red Bull teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. 

The cars will be driven by 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, a retired Formula 1 British driver and Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad.

Linblad is currently competing in the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile Formula 3 championship with Prema Racing.

The two drivers will drive around the custom built temporary track surrounding the iconic Discovery Green. While the entry is free, there are grandstand tickets available to purchase. 

The event will start with a Red Bull fan zone at 10 a.m. and the showrun is expected to begin at 12 p.m., according to the event’s website. 

Attendees will also be able to experience F1 racing simulators, Oracle Red Bull merchandise and additional activities for all ages. 

There will also be an intermission show and a DJ party battle between DJ Mr. Rogers, a Bayou city-based DJ, and the LA-based DJ Hed. 

All attendees are encouraged to bring ear protection due to the loud engine sounds. 

The history behind RB7 and RB8

RB7 made its debut during the 2011 Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix. The car is regarded as one of Red Bull’s most dominant cars. 

Four-time world champion Vettel, secured his second championship in the dominant season with RB7, winning 11 of the 19 races during the season. 

The team won a combined 12 out of the 19 races over the course of the season and scored 650 points, winning the Constructors championship as well. 

Following the success of the 2011 F1 season, RB8 made its debut during the 2012 Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix. 

The legality of the car — whether the car was in compliance with the regulations set by F1’s governing body FIA — was a major theme of the 2012 season. 

The car won seven races and scored an additional seven podiums over 20 races during the course of the season. 

While the car was not as dominant as RB7, Red Bull won the constructor’s championship and reigning champion, Vettel won the driver’s championship for the third consecutive time. 

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“Oracle Red Bull racing brings Formula One to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

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In June, Tiktok and a group of creators filed a lawsuit against the United States, for a law requiring the China based company to sell the app or face a nationwide ban. 

In the brief, Tiktok’s lawyers argue that the law signed by President Joe Biden, specifically singles out TikTok and is “unconstitutional” for limiting the freedom of speech for millions of Americans. 

“The Act is unconstitutional because of its unique, two-tiered system of speech regulation, which singles out TikTok for disfavor,” said the brief. “That flaw is sufficient to invalidate the Act irrespective of any purported national security justification.” 

The bill was tucked in with a $95 billion foreign aid package to Ukraine and Israel and was passed in the Senate 79-18. 

The U.S. House of Representatives made the decision to add-in the TikTok bill into the foreign aid package after an earlier version of the bill failed to make it out of the Senate. 

The new bill gives TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, until Jan. 19 next year to sell its U.S. based operations or face a nationwide ban.

Officials in Congress have cited concerns about the app’s influence and national security risks. They want the app to be sold to another entity altogether. 

However, the officials have not disclosed what kind of threat the app poses and how serious the threat is, said assistant professor of journalism and media studies Nandikoor Prashanth Bhat. 

“We also don’t have any evidence, at least in public domain, which shows that Tiktok shares American user data with the Chinese government,” Bhat said. “So, a lot of these details are very opaque, we don’t have credible evidence yet.’

This is the basis on which TikTok is making the argument on how all of this is a violation of free speech, according to Bhat.

While social media apps like TikTok, can have negative impacts on society for a lot of reasons, banning the app right now, when young people are using it to criticize Israel for the war on Palestine, is apprehensive, said architecture senior Ethan Work.

“I agree in principle with banning TikTok because it is a net negative on society for reasons too numerous to name,” Work said. “However it’s suspicious that it’s only happening now because of the rampant criticism of the state of Israel that has overtaken the platform and the fact that the U.S. government has a vested interest in funding Israel.”

Although there is no question that TikTok is under a lot of pressure about their views on foreign policy, a lot of the debate on banning the app took place before the current crises in the Middle East.

“My impression was that the TikTok discussion was primarily about national security and that’s why they went to sort of start the process to ban it which happened largely before a lot of the kind of current crisis in the Middle East,” said political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus. “So, my sense is that they’re not connected but they very well could be.” 

In 2020, former President Donald Trump attempted to ban the app through an executive order. However, courts blocked the move after TikTok sued. 

While concerns about TikTok continue to grow in the federal government, the app is used by more than 170 million people in the U.S. About one-third of young people get their news regularly from TikTok, according to Pew Research Center. 

“Functionally banning TikTok will eliminate a primary source of media and news for a lot of people,” Rottinghaus said. “ So there’s definitely gonna be an impact.” 

A U.S. Appeals court will hear oral arguments on the case on Sept. 16. 

The Justice Department had to file briefs by July 26, with reply briefs due by Aug. 15. TikTok and the Justice Department are seeking a decision by Dec. 6 in order to seek the U.S. Supreme Court’s review, if needed. 

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“Everything you need to know about TikTok vs. the US” was originally posted on The Cougar

The on-campus coffee shop offers cozy seating and allows students the convenience of getting their caffeine fix. | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar

Between classes and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to take time out to go on dates in the city. While Houston has some pretty cool locations where people can go on dates, it’s not always feasible. 

Here are a few places to check out for a date on campus:

Student Center Game rooms

Tucked away on the ground floor of Student Center South, the game rooms offer a variety of activities to do on a date. 

The game room has bowling lanes, an arcade, billiards and table tennis for students to enjoy. The center has discounted rates for UH students and professors starting as low as $2.50 a person for bowling games. 

With a wide variety of activities, this can be an exciting date location. 

The game room has bowling lanes, an arcade, billiards and table tennis for students to enjoy. | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar

Cougar Grounds 

For coffee and pastry enthusiasts, Cougar Grounds on campus can make for a perfect date spot in between or after classes. 

The on-campus coffee shop offers cozy seating and allows students the convenience of getting their caffeine fix while also meeting someone, making it a travel-free and affordable date setting. 

Shasta’s Cone & More

There is almost no way to go wrong with a sweet treat on a date. Shasta’s Cone & More at the Student Center South offers ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes and coffee-based drinks for students to enjoy. 

An ice cream or milkshake from here, a walk to the Cullen fountains and someone that matches your vibe is a pocket-friendly way to go on a date during the school year. 

The Cullen Fountains 

The Cullen Family Plaza and Fountains can be a great place for a picnic date. While you would have to bring food and a picnic blanket, the green grass and the sound of the fountains set the scene for a cute location for a date. 

There are also multiple activities such as board games, watching a movie, listening or playing music, painting or reading that could be brought as an add-on to the date. 

The Den 

While the campus bar would be an unconventional location for a date, the Den offers a variety of food, drinks and a place to watch sporting events on the television screens.

The Den could be a good place for the first few dates, especially if both partners are sports enthusiasts. The setting is very relaxed, avoiding the first date pressure. 

Blaffer Art Museum 

Located on University grounds, Blaffer Art Museum offers a home to multiple exhibits throughout the school year. 

The exhibits at Blaffer are constantly changing ranging from within a week and to even five months. Admission is always free for UH students.  

Located on University grounds, Blaffer Art Museum offers a home to multiple exhibits throughout the school year.  | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar

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“Date spots to check out on campus” was originally posted on The Cougar

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Since the implementation of Senate Bill 17, the legislation that caused the demise of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion among other departments and programs, students are still finding their place amidst the changes at the university.  

When psychology junior Kimmy Wimberley first came to UH as a transfer student, she was excited to utilize the LGBTQ Resource Center and connect with her peers. However, at the start of the school year, she was met with a door that would soon be closed.  

“It was right when I was entering the University of Houston, too, and I was kind of excited to use those resources,” Wimberley said. “To know that they were shut down completely before you even get a chance to use them kind of sucked because it’s hard trying to find that community in college.”

Despite the bill not going into effect until Jan.1, 2024. The University announced it would close its LGBTQ Resource Center and Center for Diversity and Inclusion on Aug. 31. UH was the first school in the state to close its LGBTQ Resource Center. 

SB 17 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott during the 2023 Texas Legislative session, which went into effect on Jan.1. The anti-diversity, equity and inclusion bill prevents state universities from operating their DEI offices after the end of 2023. 

The closure of the LGBTQ resource center meant the loss of a physical safe space for the queer community on campus. The center was a place for students to be their authentic self, navigate their identity with peer mentors and seek ally-ship training. These resources gone from campus certainly leave students without hope on campus, Wimberley said.

“That’s actually a really big deficit that, you know, we lost with everything. To have counselors that are trained, especially with matters in regard to the LGBTQ support system, just seems like such a big loss for Texas and for our university and students,” Wimberley said.

To offer UH and other state universities support, Rice University’s pride center opened up its Queer Resource Center to anyone from the universities that had to shut down its LGBT Resource Center and has offered honorary memberships. 

“Once SB 17 happened, we saw that we had the unique position of being one of, if not the only, still operating Queer Resource Center at a university in Texas,” RICE PRIDE co-president Paige Fastnow said. “Since our Resource Center is completely student-run, we decided as students at Rice to open the doors to any single college student in Texas that needed any support.” 

The membership extends invitations to all events and activities available at Rice’s resource center but it also gives the opportunity for UH students to take advantage of a physical safe space and build a community, Fastnow said. 

“Our main job at the QRC is just to basically provide as many different avenues for support as we possibly can. All of our volunteers are students that are also going through their own queer journeys,” Fastnow said. “And so usually people have the opportunity to talk to someone, even if they’re not looking for a specific resource, just to relate to someone else and to learn from each other.”

As for on-campus resources, UH has the Center for Student Advocacy and Community which opened up in September and is open to all students at UH.

CSAC’s primary goal is to foster a sense of community for students and help reduce barriers that might prevent them from reaching their personal and academic potential. Collaborations with University Career Services, UH Wellness, Campus Recreation and other campus departments make this possible. 

If students ever find themselves challenged or don’t know where to go, CSAC offers one-on-one private appointments where they can get connected to either on campus or off campus resources, said Center for Student Advocacy and Community Director Michael Crook. 

“We really just want to create a home away from home for all students,” Crook said. 

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“How students are feeling a year after SB 17” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

In the year since Senate Bill 17 went into effect, the University closed its doors on the Center for Diversity and Inclusion among other departments and programs. 

To comply with SB17, UH also closed its LGBTQ Resource Center, leaving the LGBTQ+ community without the resources they had access to. 

Here is a list of resources available to the Queer community, in Houston and beyond: 

Rice PRIDE 

When SB17 went into effect, Rice University’s pride center opened its doors to all public university students who were affected by the closure of the LGBTQ Resource Center at their university. The Queer Resource Center offers honorary memberships. 

The center extends its invitation to all events, activities and resources available at Rice’s resource center. 

In addition to that, Rice University is approximately 7 miles away from UH’s campus, allowing UH students to take advantage of an in-person safe space as well. 

LGBT Switchboard 24-Hour Helpline

The LGBT Switchboard organization has been available to the Queer community in Houston since 1982. With support from the United Way of Greater Houston and the Texas Office of the Attorney General, the organization is a resource for the LGBTQ+ community who experience domestic violence and sexual assault. 

While the Switchboard is specifically in place for the LGBTQ+ community, anyone regardless of their sexual orientation can contact the organization if they experience hate crime. 

American Civil Liberties Union 

The American Civil Liberties Union is an organization focused on litigation against entities that discriminate against marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community. 

The ACLU LGBTQ project specifically works towards protecting the individual rights of LGBTQ+ youth. The organization works in courts, legislatures and communities to fight for the rights of Queer individuals. 

On its website, ACLU allows people to report if they have been discriminated against based on their gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV status. 

Point Foundation

Point Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the LGBTQ+ community financially, by providing scholarships, leadership training and support. 

The organization is specifically focused on college students, from around the world, attending U.S.-accredited educational institutions. 

In the U.S., Point is the largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ+ students. The foundation supports students pursuing their education at community college, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral schools. 

The organization also provides additional scholarship opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. 

The Trevor Project 

The Trevor Project is a nonprofit organization focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. They provide information and support online 24/7, 365 days a year. 

The organization also has an initiative for 13-to-24-year-old young people to connect with the international Queer community through their “Meet new LGBTQ+ friends in TrevorSpace,” program.

On-campus support 

To replace the LGBTQ Resource Center and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the University opened the Center for Student Advocacy and Community in September 2023.

The primary goal of the new center is to foster a sense of community for students and reduce barriers, preventing students from reaching their full academic and personal potential. 

Resources such as the lending library and pronoun pins, available at the LGBTQ Resource Center are continued to be offered at CSAC. 

In addition to that, on-campus student organizations, such as UH Deeds Not Words and Global, continue to foster a sense of community. 

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“LGBTQ+ resources available in Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

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In the summer, there is no better way to spend time relaxing than watching movies.

Amidst the chaos of Hurricane Beryl, if anyone is looking for some quiet time indoors to relax and recoup, watching movies is a great way to spend free time.

Here are a few movies that everyone should put on their watch list:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Buller has the striking ability to cut class and get away with it.

Committed to cut class one last time before graduation, Ferris is determined to have an incredible day off. With his best friend and girlfriend, Ferris embarks on a one-day adventure through the streets of Chicago. However, on his tail is his high school principal, Rooney, who is determined to catch Ferris in a lie.

John Hughes’s drama and comedy, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” is a must watch for who loves a good old-fashioned comedy and loved “Phineas and Ferb.”

High School Musical 2 (2007)

What time is it? Summertime.

The kids of East High are out for the summer, it’s finally time for some relaxation and fun. However, they are all broke and need to get summer jobs.

When Troy and his fellow Wildcats get jobs at Sharpay’s resort, they all think the summer will go smoothly. But a summer show and Sharpay, had something different in store for Troy and his fellow Wildcats.

Kenny Ortega’s sequel to “High School Musical” is one of the best summertime Disney movies to watch. With a mix of nostalgia and music, HSM 2 is the perfect summer movie.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Growing up is hard. Being a teenage girl in high school is a tumultuous time and for high school junior Nadine, life is changing at a pace she doesn’t recognize.

Her all-star brother Darian is dating her best friend Krista and that makes her feel more alone than ever. An unexpected friendship with another classmate and an unlikely friend in her high school, gives Nadine the glimmer of hope that things might turn out to be alright.

Kelly Fremon Craig’s coming-of-age movie explores the complexity of being a teenage girl and navigating complicated relationships and feelings.

Hailee Steinfeld is the anchor that holds this movie together and makes it a must watch for young adults.

Bottoms (2023)

Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie, start a high school fight club on the basis of a lie to meet girls. But things take an unexpected turn when the most popular kids at their high school start beating each other up in the name of self-defense and the duo realizes they are in over their head.

Director Emma Seligman delivers a comedy like no other. Hilarious dialogue and unforgettable performances by the entire cast proves this movie needs to be added to everyone’s watch list.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior, who is caught between an inter galaxy war between her people, the Kree’s and the Skrulls. While living on Earth in 1995, Captain Marvel has recurring memories about another life as Carol Danvers, a U.S. Air Force pilot. 

With some help from Nick Fury, Danvers uncovers her life’s past and harness her powers, which just might help and end the war with the Skrulls. 

Based on the Marvel Comics featuring Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers. This is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie about a female superhero lead.

While it can be scary to venture into the deeply connected and dense world of the MCU, Captain Marvel is a good movie to watch for either an introduction or as a standalone series. 

Barbie (2023)

Barbie and Ken are living a picture-esq life in Barbie Land. They have parties and everything is perfect and pink. But when something goes wrong and they get the chance to go to the real world, they discover the perils of living a life among humans. 

Last summer was the summer of Barbie and while the movie is not in theaters right now, summer is not summer without Barbie’s pink and perfect life.

From Greta Gerwig’s cinematic universe, “Barbie” is a beautiful look back to childhood and the perfect summer movie. 

Hamilton (2020)

The award-winning Broadway musical based on the first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton. 

The blended, hip-hop, R&B, jazz and Broadway style musical tells the story of one of the founding fathers. The musical was filmed at the Richard Rogers Theater in New York.

From the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton gives the audience a fun and creative way to learn about American history. 

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“Movie recommendations to beat the summer heat” was originally posted on The Cougar

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The summer is here and with recent movies like the “Hit Man” and “Fall Guy” the conversation of Hollywood needing to invest in romantic comedies is back once again. While Hollywood is behind schedule on making and releasing romantic comedies, the book industry is flourishing.

Here are a few books that should be on everyone’s never-ending book recommendations list:

“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry

Poppy and Alex, best friends who had vacationed together every summer since they first met in their freshman year at UChicago a decade ago, have not spoken to each other in two years.

Poppy has the career of her dreams and is killing it as a travel journalist but she feels lost. When Poppy is asked when she last felt happy, she knows without a doubt it was when she last saw her best friend.

Poppy somehow convinces Alex to take one more trip together, giving her a week to fix their relationship and one last chance to fall in love.

While the novel is set in the present, readers will visit Alex and Poppy throughout their vacations in chapters from the past. This friends to lovers’ book strikes a perfect balance between telling Poppy’s story and love story.

“Dating Dr. Dil” by Nisha Sharma

Kareena Mann is a hopeless romantic and a homebody who dreams of a marriage like her parents’, but she prefers working on her car over dating. Dr. Prem Verma, is love-phobic and is the host of The Dr. Dil Show, focused on raising money to build a community center as a heart-health expert.

After an argument between Prem and Kareena about love goes viral, Prem is left short-changed and presented with an unusual offer from Kareena’s meddling aunties: convince Kareena he is her soulmate and they will fund his clinic. As the condition to buy her family house from her father, Kareena has four months to get engaged and Prem desperately wants to open his community clinic.

With conflicting views on love and arranged marriage, Prem and Kareena form a mutually beneficial alliance, and might discover that fate often begins with hate.

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” this is the first book in the inter-connected “If Shakespeare Was an Auntie” series. This book offers an honest, hilarious and heartwarming story to its readers.

Sharma writes two strong protagonists and a hilarious and diverse supporting cast of characters that readers can’t get enough of. This is the ideal book for lovers of Shakespeare and romantic comedies.

“Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” by Ashley Herring Blake

Delilah Green vowed never to return to her hometown. However, when her estranged stepsister, Astrid, persuades Delilah to photograph her wedding with a hefty dose of guilt and a five-figure check, Delilah reluctantly finds herself back in Bright Falls—a place she once fled.

When Delilah crosses paths with Claire Sutherland, an old, stuck-up friend of Astrid’s, she starts to think that being back might not be so bad after all—full of fun and a chance for retribution.

This is a funny, honest and clever sapphic romance about accepting love with all its difficulties. This book is ideal for romance enthusiasts who enjoy stories about taking risks and wedding day shenanigans.

“Better Than the Movies” by Lynn Painter

Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennett have been lifelong acquaintances and car-spot feuding frenemies. When Liz’s childhood crush, Michael, returns to their high school, the hopeless romantic is determined to take him to prom— even if it means fake-dating Wes.

This young adult novel is an ultimate rom-com about rom-coms. Filled with tropes, friendship and love, this novel is perfect for rom-com lovers.

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“Book recommendations for romantic comedy lovers” was originally posted on The Cougar

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Wednesday, chaos erupted at the Student Government Association meeting when SGA President Diego Arriaga alerted senators of an active campus threat, which turned out to be false. 

“During the meeting I was informed by a student on campus, who was informed by an HPD officer, of a dangerous suspect in the area around campus,” Arriaga said. 

While there was an incident reported by the Houston Police Department, the University was never under threat at any point during the night, said UHPD Lieutenant Anthony Davis.

After a stolen vehicle was pursued by HPD just south of Wheeler Avenue on Rockwood Drive, the suspects were seen on camera running through campus unarmed. HPD was able to apprehend the suspects. 

“HPD apprehended two other suspects while still in the vehicle. Following a thorough search, the campus was declared safe at 7:30 p.m.,” Davis said in an email. “The immediate response to the HPD incident by UHPD quickly identified there were no known threats to the campus.”

While the information was not confirmed at the time, as chaos erupted at the meeting, SGA members present in-person took shelter in place and resumed the meeting after confirmation from UHPD. 

“As a precaution for everyone we decided to seek shelter for that short time till UHPD also confirmed to us they had not heard of that information,” Arriaga said. 

​During the meeting, the senate passed a resolution recognizing the need to sustain makerspaces, particularly the Keeland Design Laboratory.

Keeland Design Lab, is a Hines College of Architecture’s fabrication space for students and primarily serves as the only makerspace at UH. The facility is currently facing financial difficulties, which could threaten its availability to students. 

The bill passed unanimously and the bill’s author, Sen. Tav Cockrell, emphasized the need for the makerspace to be sustained on campus. 

“It’s very important that the makerspace is properly funded so that our creative art students and all students can engage in those activities and enhance their education,” Cockrell said. “If this maker space ceases to exist, the accreditation for our architecture program will be threatened and that will severely decrease our national rankings.”

The resolution urges UH’s administration to explore more sustainable models to continue the makerspaces operations, including partnerships with local business, alumni donations and grant opportunities. 

Additional resolutions recognizing support for the LGBTQ+ community at UH and condemning the suspension of the METRO University project were also read and will be brought to a vote at the next summer session meeting. 

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“SGA meeting disrupted by false campus threat, Senate passes markerspace resolution” was originally posted on The Cougar

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The cost of being a college student adds up pretty quickly. Between tuition, books, meal plans and housing, being a college student is expensive. 

However, being a college student also has perks in the form of student discounts. 

Shopping

Buying a laptop and additional devices can be expensive. Tech giant, Apple, offers students discounted products such as MacBooks and iPads. Lenovo offers 5% off an order and free shipping to students after they verify their eligibility. 

Music is an essential part of daily life, especially for college students. Apple Music offers a monthly subscription at $5.99 and includes Apple TV. Spotify offers students a discounted rate of $5.99 and includes access to Hulu. 

Students can also get six months of Amazon Prime for free when they log in with their student account.

Stores such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, offer up to 10% off in-stores.

Stores such as Kate Spade and H&M also offer discounts, just ask if they provide a student discount and show a student ID. 

Entertainment

Movie theaters such as AMC and Cinemark offer student discounts by showing a student ID at the box office while buying tickets.

In addition, AMC also offers discounted afternoon shows, so if students buy their tickets for an earlier showing, they will save a few more bucks.

Local Houston locations, such as the Houston Zoo, offer free admission to all UH students when they show their student ID.

Houston Ballet offers $15 tickets to students at select shows, 90 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

Alley Theater offers discounted tickets with a valid student ID. 

While limited to the students in the McGovern College of the Arts, students can enter the Houston Museum of Arts with a $10 fee charge with their Cougar Card. 

Food 

Restaurants and bakeries such as Ms. Myrtle’s Bakery Shoppe, Tarka Indian Kitchen and Firehouse Tacos provide student discounts when they show their student ID. 

Piada offers a student discount to students who show their ID everyday from 2 to 5 p.m. and all-day Wednesday.

Dunkin Donuts also offers up to 10% off an entire order by showing a student ID at participating locations. 

This is not an all-inclusive list, these are just a few places where students can receive benefits through their student ID.

If students are uncertain whether a place offers student discounts, they should inquire directly.

There are additional places that offer student discounts and additional information can be found on UH’s CoogsSave and on websites such as UniDays.

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“Smart savings: Student discounts on technology, food and fun” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

As the start of summer approaches, so do summer internships.

Starting a new internship, especially the first one, can be a daunting experience. However, internships are meant to be learning labs for students to learn in their career and build their resumes.

Here are a few tips for anyone starting a new internship:

Ask questions and take initiative 

When you start a new job, there will be a lot of information you will need to learn like technology, communications and projects. Pay attention to everything your internship coordinator is telling you and take notes. But most importantly, ask questions.

Asking questions is one of the most effective ways to show your managers that you are engaged with your work and are willing to learn more.

In addition, take initiative and ask for tasks to be assigned to you, rather than waiting for something to be assigned to you. Taking initiative and asking good questions shows your willingness to work and be more involved at the company, making the internship more educational.

Talk at meetings and with coworkers

Being in a professional setting for your chosen career gives you a unique opportunity to learn from professionals in your field and learn about the work you’ll do after graduation.

Take this opportunity to talk to your coworkers, ask them about their experiences, tips for future career prospects and any doubts you may have about the job.

In addition, if you have the chance to attend meetings, take the initiative to speak up during them. Your ideas may not be implemented but talking at meetings allows you to participate with the work you do.

Keep notes

Take a note of any major projects or tasks that you accomplish to add to your resume at the end of the internship.

Furthermore, keep notes of the feedback you receive during the course of the internship, try and implement the notes in your future projects to ensure that you are not making the same mistakes repeatedly.

Keep pushing through the fatigue 

Traditionally summer internships last from anywhere between 10 to 12 weeks. During that time, it is easy to get fatigued with work.

After a year of academic work, summer is the reprieve students look forward to. However, having an internship means giving up your summer to work.

The first summer without a proper summer break can be a hard adjustment but keep pushing through. Take the time to get used to your new surroundings and schedule and take time out for yourself.

It’s OK if you don’t have an internship 

While it is expected for college students to have a summer internship, it is completely normal if you don’t have one.

Summer internships are highly competitive and usually companies only have one to two spots available. But don’t worry, you can still take advantage of the summer to prepare for another internship.

Firstly, keep applying for internships as they open up for the fall, the more applications you have, the better the chances of getting an internship. Keep working on your resumes and cover letters.

Secondly, do some research within your field. Reading research articles, books and autobiographies can be helpful in gaining knowledge.

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“Internships 101: Striving for success” was originally posted on The Cougar