The cover letter workshop tonight with House Fellow Cynthia Hill and GRF Shiv was one of the most helpful Rose Scholars events I have been to so far.  I liked how it included a discussion at the beginning about the most important aspects of a resume and a cover letter and then transitioned into a more one-on-one format where Cynthia and Shiv answered individual questions and gave comments on cover letters.

Cynthia had some great advice on ways to make my cover letter more appealing to employers: say something exciting/unique about you at the very beginning to draw them in, shorten descriptions of past experiences so that they do not get bored reading through them, and make it clear what you can offer them, not just what you hope to gain. I also had an interesting conversation with Shiv, who is currently a PhD student in biomedical engineering, about his thoughts on applying to labs, medical school, and MD-PhD programs.

I left tonight’s event feeling a lot more confident about how I can improve my cover letter so that I have a better chance of getting an interview when I apply to internships and jobs in the future. It also gave me a lot to think about in terms of my next steps after graduation.