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Prospective Students

Welcome

You Belong Here.

When you arrive in Buena Vista, you’ll have a whole network of support behind you — and the Launch Center is right in the middle of it. Find out below how we help students launch their careers, from freshman orientation through graduation and beyond.

What We Offer

How can the Launch Center help?

Plus: alumni network connections and snacks.

Plan Ahead

Four-Year Plan

A simplified roadmap for building career and grad-school momentum from day one, so you’re ready long before senior year.

Freshman Year
  • Make a plan to succeed academically with your student success coach and academic advisor
  • Begin exploring possible career paths
  • Create your resume
  • Join Handshake — our job, internship, and career event search platform
  • Build a LinkedIn profile, including a professional headshot
  • Join clubs or organizations on campus that interest you
  • Attend career fairs and other employer or grad school events
  • Visit professors during office hours to build relationships and get advice (great for future recommendation letters)
  • Consider local or on-campus employment to start building experience
  • Visit the Launch Center (we have snacks)
Sophomore Year
  • Declare a major (if you haven’t already)
  • Update your resume and LinkedIn/Handshake profiles
  • Experiment with career paths that intrigue you
  • Build your network — talk with people (including alumni) doing work that excites you
  • Consider a summer internship (or similar high-quality experience)
  • Researching grad school? Start now so you can build a competitive plan
  • Create a professional email & email signature
Junior Year
  • Find a summer internship (or similar high-quality experience)
  • List your potential paths after graduation (grad school, full-time work, entrepreneurship, and more)
  • Begin researching these paths
  • Planning on grad school? Prepare for any required standardized tests
Senior Year
  • Focus your career path based on your internships, coursework, and networking
  • Take any necessary tests if you’re going to grad school
  • Update your resume and LinkedIn/Handshake profiles
  • Find a full-time job (if applicable)
  • Nail down your housing plans after graduation — now you’re TRULY adulting!

I’m the Head of Early Career Recruiting at Visa. Here’s What We Look For

Brighid Jensen is the global head of university recruiting and early career programs at Visa. Jensen leads global programs and processes to attract, hire, train, and develop diverse, early career talent. She partners with internal and external stakeholders to improve …

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Abbie Simister’s Path to P.A School

Abbie Simister is a senior at SVU (2026) who just got accepted into P.A school and is planning to matriculate this fall. She has some fantastic advice about how she got into P.A school

P.A. Schools only have the G.R.E …

By Lauren Vestel
Lauren Vestel Peer Career Coach
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Career Resources

What Can I Do With This Major?

What Can I Do With This Major? is a website featuring 106 major profiles with information on common career paths, …

Job Hunt & Networking in High-Competition Industries

This TED Talk-style speech was given by Christopher Galbraith, a BYU-Idaho alum, at a “Power to Become” event on BYU-I …

View All Resources

Contact & Location

Phone
​(540) 261-8461
Email
launch.center@svu.edu
Website
https://svu.edu/
Address

Main Hall 219
One University Hill Dr.
Buena Vista, VA 24416