Summit ’13: 10 Tips for Students Attending the Summit

Guest post by Nathaniel Lim.

Attending the STC Summit can appear a little daunting for students. With so many seasoned professionals who have decades of experience, some students can feel overwhelmed. The STC Summit is a unique opportunity to learn aspects of technical communication beyond the college classroom, and students are always welcome. The exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives helps all of us improve as technical communicators. This article offers ten tips on how you can prepare for the Summit, some cost saving ideas, and what you can do when you get there.

  1. Attend the First Time Attendee webinar on 4 April. It is for anyone attending for the first time, not just students. If you miss the live session, you can watch a recording of it later.
  2. Grab a few students from your school to go with you to the Summit. Make it a road trip (if you are close enough), and share rooms at the hotel to save a buck. Bring ear plugs in case your roommates snore.
  3. On Monday, 6 May, attend the student lunch. It’s free, and you will get to talk with technical communication students from other schools. Some belong to student chapters and some do not. You can exchange ideas on how to better run your chapter or at least get some tips on how to start one.
  4. Speaking of free, take advantage of the free food during the Summit. Not officially dinner (I would call it heavy hors d’oeuvres.), free refreshments are offered during the Welcome reception on Sunday night and the Communities Reception on Monday night. You can make a meal of it, if you eat enough.
  5. Look out for networking social events in the evenings. Check the bulletin board near the program booth to see what unofficial gatherings are being offered. Monday night often offers a TweetUp, and Tuesday night usually includes a gathering for karaoke. Sometimes the best learning occurs informally.
  6. Get plenty of sleep before and during the Summit. It can be tempting to stay up all night and party, but then you will be dozing off during the education sessions. Did I mention ear plugs earlier?
  7. You will see many attendees wearing many assorted ribbons attached to their nametags: Fellow, Board Member, SIG Manager, and Speaker, to name a few. Do not let these ribbons intimidate you. It just means that the person has been “around the block” a few times. As a student you are also entitled to a few ribbons: Student Member or Student Volunteer. If this is your first Summit, wear the First Time Attendee ribbon. If you happen to be the president of your local chapter at school, also wear the Chapter President ribbon.
  8. Strike up a conversation with speakers and other attendees. One thing I have always noticed about the STC Summit is that the atmosphere is great for networking. We all learn from each other by sharing our ideas and asking questions. Feel free to ask a few questions about the profession, what projects are people involved in, and even ask for a tip or two about how to land that first technical communication job after graduation.
  9. Do not be afraid to ask questions during an education session. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a stupid question.
  10. Read A Student Perspective on Summit 2012 By Samantha Gale at http://intercom.stc.org/2012/08/a-student-perspective-on-summit-2012/. Here is an excellent example of how Miss Gale made the most of the 2012 Summit as a student. (You must be a member to access the article.)

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