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CSTEP members are professional debutants, and CSTEP recognizes that it is important to teach them how to interact in a professional environment. Professional Sculpting involves collaborations with the professional activities that Brooklyn College’s Magner Career Center provides. There is additional support with résumé writing, professional wardrobing, mock interviews, personal statement writing workshops, networking, training and presentation skills, and professional and social etiquette. CSTEP will provide workshops, activities, and events that will polishing these professionals-in-training so that they make smooth transitions into their chosen field.
The CSTEP coordinator is responsible for assisting students with course selection, academic planning, arrangement of study groups, and individualized tutoring if needed. CSTEP members are encouraged to plan their academic future. Students are assessed to discover their ideal study habits and environment. The student is then offered encouragement to continue with the practices that make them successful students, and when intervention is needed, the type of support that is prescribed fits the students’ most effective learning style.
An Individual Development Plan is completed by the student and reviewed and discussed with CSTEP advisers. Students are encouraged to be comfortable with the idea that their plans will change and are taught how to adapt to change.
Some helpful CSTEP remedies include private tutoring, Each One Teach One, recitation workshops, personal tutoring, study groups, etc.
CSTEP encourages its students to utilize the facilities and resources that exist on campus in order to maximize their experience during their academic career. These resources are outlined in the form of a semester-long activity that provides the theme for the year. Each student, based on his or her profile and experience, is given a list of departments to visit, workshops to attend, and resources to utilize. CSTEP staff is available to guide the students during the course of the year to complete the prescribed tasks that the students are assigned. This component encourages students to learn more about the academic community that they are a part of and makes them proactive about their education.
The Career/Educational Pathways component of CSTEP allows the students to take a real glimpse into their future. They often are positioned to interact with professionals that have already walked the career path that they have just started in order to gain valuable information from these professionals. Often during the scramble to succeed in the present courses, students can lose sight of their ultimate goals. This is the most inspiring component, and offers alternative methods to have students prepare for their future.
CSTEP members are given the opportunity to learn about specific paths that they can take to attain the professions that they are working toward. If there is uncertainty about what field to become a part of, members are positioned to learn about different careers. Attendance at professional conferences and workshops, conducting Internet research, and through interaction with other CSTEP members and professionals through CSTEP-facilitated activities are encouraged.
Members are encouraged to apply for career-related summer opportunities, attend mock law and medical school events, attend continuing medical education conferences, attend lectures that allow them to apply the knowledge they learned in their undergraduate courses, volunteer and intern in positions related to their chosen fields, and attend career and educational conferences and open houses for graduate, law, and medical schools.
Standardized testing for graduate school is an important but often stressful process. In order to better prepare our students for these tests (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, etc.), eligible CSTEP students are able to get a discounted New York State rate for test-prep with Kaplan. Students can take these courses as soon as they feel ready, usually in their junior year but earlier in some cases. Check with the CSTEP staff to determine if you are eligible and if your standardized test is offered.
CSTEP recognizes that there are three dimensions of community: the CSTEP community, the professional community, and the community in which one lives and works. CSTEP encourages students to be active members of all three levels of communities to which they belong.
Each One Teach One is a strong component of CSTEP that is done through personal interaction, group interaction, and online communication. Members are strongly encouraged to work together to advance personally, professionally, and academically. This component is highly successful and often self-motivated due to the high level of enthusiasm of its members.
CSTEP students are encouraged to become active members of professional organizations in order to interact with individuals that are in positions that they are working toward. This kind of access to professionals positions the students to learn more about the options that are available in their selected fields.
