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April 12, 2004,
Vol. 74, No. 12S
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SLICE OF SENIOR LIFE:
ME/MSE senior Andrew Jessop is a late bloomer. He didn’t start
getting involved in student life until his junior year. Now in his
last semester, he says he’s “not done.” |
One senior
reflects on his time at Cal and how he’s spending his last month
The last month
of college is often similar to the first month. It’s scary, exciting,
hectic, stressful, fun, confusing and full of anticipation for the future.
As a tribute to all seniors, E-news asked one senior to recount what
he’s learned and what he’ll most remember about college. We
took a look at his experiences, aspirations, and how he’s spending
his last precious month of college.
Andy Jessop is
what some may call a late bloomer. The ME/MSE senior spent his first
two years at Cal playing “obscene amounts of frisbee and video
games” during his free time. But at the end of his sophomore year
he got involved with the Formula SAE race car team, which introduced
him to student society life. Once he got a taste of it, Jessop says,
he was hooked.
“The more
involved I got with student groups and extracurricular activities, the
more fun I had,” he says.
Junior year, Jessop
ran for ASUC senate, which acquainted him with a diverse array of engineering
groups. By senior year, he was treasurer of the Engineers’ Joint
Council, a member of Cal Tri triathlon club, and helping run the campaigns
of this year’s engineering ASUC candidates. He would have joined
the Cal Rally Committee if he had more time. His one regret is not getting
involved with these groups earlier.
“I feel like
I’m not done here. I’m just getting started and want one more
year to pursue the activities I have begun,” he says.
Jessop blames his
“senioritis” and crammed schedule for neglecting his job search.
He wants to work close to campus so he can still be “unofficially
involved” in campus and engineering events, watch the Bears play
football, and hang out with college friends. He’s looking for a
job in the area of architectural acoustic design, the art of engineering
buildings to carry sound in pleasant and practical ways. He says he’s
willing to settle for a lower salary to remain near campus.
While the job market
is less than promising, Jessop believes that his student society activities
have given him the skills he needs to land and succeed at his first
job.
“Involvement
in student societies teaches you how to talk to people and run meetings.
It has taught me how to be a ‘people engineer,’” he says.
His sage advice
for underclassmen is to get involved early.
“Attend anything
that interests you and even things that don’t, because you never
know what opportunities are out there,” he says.
The most important
thing Jessop has learned at Cal extends beyond the classroom.
“It’s
good to be smart and hard working, but it also pays to be well-rounded
and have many interests. You can develop many skills through those interests,”
he says.
While Jessop often
found college a humbling experience, especially when taking difficult
physics courses, he says he emerged from the experience with far more
confidence than he had coming in.
He says he will
always remember the nonstop intensity of his schedule during his senior
year.
“Between classes,
friends, and my activities, I have been constantly and compulsively
busy. There was never a lull, and it was
never boring, and that’s the way I like it,” he says.
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