The sun is shining (most days), the birds are chirping, and even though the winter wasn’t super cold, we’re still starting to shake off the frost of a season of hibernation. Sure, you might want to get in a good deep cleaning around your living space, but there are other kinds of spring cleaning to get you ready for a new season.
From cleaning up your résumé to tidying up your fitness routine, Drexel University has a resource for that. DrexelNow talked to a few to get their best tips to bring your best self into spring.
Clean the frost off your body with a doctor’s appointment
When was the last time you got a tune-up? Check up on yourself at Drexel Student Health, which serves as your primary care provider, and can provide immunizations, labs, physicals, STI screenings, gynecological exams, medication and more through confidential in-person and video visits.
“We understand some medical concerns can be uncomfortable to talk about, but to ensure we schedule patients correctly we do need know the reason of the visit,” Student Health Center Manager Bonnie Carlson said. “Depending on the need, we may ask follow-up questions to determine how urgent a concern may be.”
Request an appointment over the phone at 215.220.4700 or via the patient portal MyChart. When you’re scheduling a visit, Carlson said to have basic information like your name, birthdate and address, along with your health insurance information including ID and group number and the name and birthdate of the policy holder.
Carlson said a common issue the Student Health Center faces is students not knowing their insurance coverage or details like if they have a copay or deductible, if they have out-of-state benefits or how an HMO plan works. She encourages students to review their plans to see coverages and possible costs and said she’s happy to meet with students to review their coverage.
Check on your credit
Around this time of year, College of Medicine Executive Director of Financial Planning Michael Clancy recommends that students and faculty pull their credit report while you’re spring cleaning everything else. At AnnualCreditReport.com, which is a free site from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, you can download a copy of your credit report and make sure everything looks correct. It’ll show your credit accounts, payment history and other information including inquiries made on your name, such as a landlord or employer background check.
“A lot of times people think they need to find their score, but just look at the credit report and look for errors, missing items or whether an account was opened in your name you don’t know about,” Clancy said. “But if and when you apply for a car loan or mortgage or credit card, you should know your history is clean so you don’t get any negative surprises.”
If you don’t have a credit card, Clancy said it’s a good time to get one or become an authorized user on a parent or guardian’s card and start building credit. If you get your own card, make sure you use it to build credit and pay it off every month to avoid accruing interest and stay in good standing with the company.
While you’re at it, gather — don’t clean out — your important documents
While you’re pulling your credit report, make sure you know where your important documents are, like your Social Security card, passport, birth certificate and tax returns. You should have a lockbox or file folder to keep those safe, along with your medical and immunization records, lease information and car information like your title.
You should keep about seven years of tax returns on hand before shredding, Clancy said. If you haven’t filed your 2022 taxes yet and you had income in 2022, make sure you get on that ASAP, because the deadline is April 18. To file taxes, you need your W2 from your employer, which you would have if you had a co-op or job during 2022. If you did any independent contracting or freelancing, you’ll need a 1099 form. You’ll also need the 1098T form from Drexel and tax forms from any investment accounts you have.
Spring clean your résumé
Wash your high school job off your résumé and let some fresh air in by adding your most recent co-op or academic achievements.
Steinbright Career Development Center Career Counselor Maria Crossan recommended that after your first year of college, everything from high school should go. Replace high school extracurriculars with their Drexel equivalents or add team-based class projects, especially if they’re related to your major. Only include your GPA if it’s especially good, and it’s not necessary to have a summary.
“A résumé has one purpose and that's to get you an interview,” Crossan said. “It is a marketing document of yourself. It is not a tell-all story. Use action words, clear and specific descriptions, and measurable outcomes to show the impact you’ve had.”
As students come back from co-op, Crossan said they should think about their work and take note of any numbers they can use on their résumés, like how many projects they led or how many presentations they made. If you learned any internal processes, software programs or technical skills, put those on there, too.
“Numbers are important, and you want to move from listing tasks to listing accomplishments and how you’ve impacted the place you’ve worked for,” Crossan said. “Usually when I’m working with students, they’ll say, ‘I did this,’ and I’ll say, ‘OK, so what?’ Tell me why it was important.”
Students have several Steinbright resources for résumé help, including the Résumés section of the Center’s Professional Pointers. Students can also attend workshops to meet with a counselor or schedule a one-on-one appointment with a Steinbright counselor.