Take the leap

One thing that struck me on the New York trip was how willing professionals are to mentor students.

Three different professionals took an hour out of their days to meet with me one on one. I also reached out to a couple other people, and even though we could not figure out a time to meet, I got a response to every email I sent.

As a student, sometimes I get stuck spending half an hour writing the perfect email asking someone to coffee, and, in impatience or when a distraction arises, I abandon the email and never send it.

While I don’t mean to encourage bad grammar or poor email etiquette, the most important thing is making sure you send the damn email. The recipient isn’t going to judge your adjective choices—they’re going to get the essence of your email and try to help you out. Whether it’s job applications, informational interviews, or networking events, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain from throwing out hats in the ring, even when it doesn’t feel perfect.

Thomas Rice 5/17/18