OCR: A Guide For People Who Will Never Do OCR

OCR is intimidating enough for the brave souls who participate. But for those of us who don't dream of going into corporate life, finance or consulting, and who don't even own a suit, it's probably more terrifying. Here are a couple quick tips to keep you informed and calm about your own tenuous link to the real world. 

The structure of OCR:

1.  First, interested kiddies go online to PennLink. This is the OCR bible. PennLink posts the schedule for infosessions.
2. Infosessions are what they sound like: reps from the companies and firms show up to give a spiel about why they are the greatest and how much they want your brains. Then at the end of the infosession, you go up and schmooze.
3. Then each eager OCR-er goes home and writes an email to the person they talked to at the infosession about how much they looooved meeting them and have a big crush on their company already. They try to differentiate themselves from the pack--"I was the one who had the brown hair, and we found out we both are from New Jersey! REMEMBER ME?!?"
4. Then the Pennkids go back to PennLink. They find the applications for the companies whose infosessions they liked the most  every company because dammit it's a tough economy out there. They fill out these applications, attach resumés and cover letters and transcripts and sexy pictures. They wait.
5. Sometimes after infosessions, employers will hold an informal coffee chat at a caffeine-brewin' place on campus. This gives you a less-formal setting to ask lots of questions and NeTwerk even harder than before.
6. First round interviews get posted. Did you get one? Hopefully! Otherwise, this is the end of the road for you, and you go do all the homework you've been neglecting for weeks.
7. If you secured an interview, you get stressed out. You pace. You practice answering questions like this and this and this. Gosh, you hope you get a...
8. Second round interview. This one might be in NYC, and you'll get to strut all over MegaBus at 7am in your bizness casual. Then you bite your nails to the nib and wait to see if you got the...
9. Offer! Or multiple, if you fancy. Otherwise, you failed to be recruited, and return to the plebian life from whence you came.

The way your OCR-ing friends will act: They will be stressed pretty much all the time, no matter how successful their OCR process is going. Tons of interviews? Stressed about preparation and first impressions. No interviews? Stressed about the lack thereof. They will be up late writing emails, fueled only by coffee and prayers. Go to them. Give them a hug. Tell them it will be fine. They can sleep when they're dead, and buy expensive plastic surgery to reduce those stress lines once they're filthy rich.

How you should feel about OCR: Calm down. It'll be ok! It's not normal to have a job/internship lined up for the summer/graduation this early. You're normal in your uncertainty about the future! Take a deep breath and make an appointment at career services to talk about your options. Remind yourelf that OCR wouldn't help you anyway! You're an Urban Studies major with a penchant for city planning and a non-profit streak! You're a math major who wants to get your PhD in number theory! You're an English major who wants to write the next great modern novel! You don't want to go into consulting, whatever that is. It's also worth noting that a lot of your friends doing OCR also don't want to go into consulting, but are doing it because they feel like they have to. Take another deep breath, then go outside and enjoy the Autumn. You'll be fine. We're all in this together.