Augustana offers its students many clubs and student-run organizations, from Greek life to book clubs. But when it comes to being graduation ready, for a career or furthering your education, Augustana offers students the Viking Score.
But what is the Viking Score, and how much does it contribute to student success post-graduation?
There are many opportunities for students to connect with other students and make memories at Augustana, and this is a big part of college life.
However, being prepared for life after college is also a critical component. Some students may think that once they graduate from college they’ll be able to get a job a few months later. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for everyone. This is where the Career, Opportunities, Research and Exploration (CORE) office and the Viking Score comes in.
Viking Score is an added incentive for students to meet with representatives from CORE, as their score goes up each time they meet with someone.
It is a way to show students the importance of career and education readiness after they graduate from Augustana.
As students discuss what it is they want to do after college, workers in CORE raise the student’s Viking Score, which may earn them prizes as they keep meeting.
This encourages students to utilize Augustana’s career resources and better prepares them for life after graduation. Because of this, the CORE office and the Viking Score are paramount for student success after college.
However, even as students rack up points through their Viking Score, one begins to wonder if it brings enough to the table.
“[A Viking Score] provides sort of a checklist for students regardless of where you are in your career development process,” Laura Kestner-Ricketts, executive director of career and professional development, said.
Students can also earn points by going to the career fairs that Augustana has throughout the year. This is another way for students to be introduced to careers they may not have thought of before.
The end goal of a student’s Viking Score isn’t just to earn the prizes you receive after reaching certain checkpoints, it is a crucial element in showing students the importance of career and education readiness after they graduate from Augustana.
Scheduling a visit to CORE’s office in Olin is easy. You can do it through the Augustana website, search CORE and it will take you to the website, you can also access it through Handshake or emailing a representative who works in CORE.
However, career readiness extends beyond CORE and dedicating yourself to post-graduation preparation can be difficult. The Viking Score can encourage you to maintain that path, and you to utilize resources you may not have otherwise.
Using CORE as a means of learning and discovering what students could and do want to do is an amazing chance to learn new things that may interest them. From wanting to become an engineer to becoming a librarian, using this valuable resource can greatly help students in determining what they want to become.