I AM PSE: It’s Okay to Try Again.
I AM PSE: It’s Okay to Try Again.
The story of Kyle Novak, Eden Eisel, Victoria Giambrone, and Sydney Stewart
Kyle: "Freshman year my roommate really motivated me to try new things. He was going out for PSE, and I didn’t have any business experience going into it. He encouraged me to come out for PSE with him, so I decided to go for it. Obviously I was hoping I would be successful, but I didn’t have any business experience and had no idea what to expect. The first info night came around and I was excited about coming out and joining this business fraternity. However, my first round interview came and went and I was not invited back for a second-round interview. I’m the kind of person who wants to learn from their mistakes, so I reached out and received the feedback that I gave no eye contact. The biggest takeaway I got was learning important interview methods, even though I didn’t get in.
I took a semester off due to rushing a social fraternity, but I came back out for PSE in the fall of my sophomore year. I got invited back to second round interviews and I was ecstatic. I wasn’t invited to join PSE, so I reached out again for the feedback. I learned that my eye contact was better, but my answers weren’t as thought out as they could’ve been. It took a lot of trial and error on my part as I was navigating this process.
Spring of my sophomore year, I came out for my third time. Members of PSE remembered who I was and I felt much more confident. The success I had from my third time coming out for PSE was due to me not getting into PSE my first two tries. The main piece of advice I’d give is never to give up. As basic as it is, I was constantly bettering myself and you are not defined by your failures. Take all the feedback to heart and understand that constructive feedback is the best way to better yourself".
That freshman year roommate who encouraged me to come out for PSE? He ended up becoming my big, and one of my best friends, in PSE. Without his encouragement, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Eden: "When I was a freshman, I knew immediately I wanted to join an organization that would motivate me to excel and achieve my career goals. I interviewed with PSE, as did many of my peers. I was terrible at interviews, but I was hopeful that I would somehow receive an invitation to the fraternity. When the list came out of people who moved onto second round interviews, I was disappointed because I recognized many of the names and did not see my own. I felt as if I failed because info night made me so excited.
I did not give up though because the people in info night were people I wanted to be like. I wanted to achieve my goals, and I knew PSE was the organization that would allow me to do so. I went out again in the spring semester and made it through all the interviews to receive a bid. I knew from my first week in PSE, that I would be surrounded by others who were similar to me. Now that I am a senior, I am thankful I never gave up because some of my most highlighted moments in college came from PSE. Whether it be being elected to the leadership board, being a team lead for new members, or going to Butterfield Farms, I made the most of my college years. Now I have a full-time job after graduation, with the assistance of PSE.
I knew that my greatest failure would have been giving up."
Victoria: "I’m currently a sophomore and this is my second semester in PSE. I didn’t get in on my first or second try, which were both semesters of my freshman year. It was difficult for me because I made it to second round interviews both times, but was not invited to join the business fraternity. I really wanted to be a member of PSE because I knew the reputation - there were so many experiences and opportunities available to members of PSE that other Farmer students, so I was intent on getting in in order to receive those same opportunities.
A piece of advice I’d give to those interested in joining PSE is practice interview questions! I met with my business 102 professor and he gave me a huge list of potential interview questions and helped me practice my answers, which really helped me with feeling confident in my first round interview. I was unsure about the second round interview but I would just recommend trying to be yourself as much as possible and take time to think about your answers. I was thrown off by some of the questions, so I attempted my answer more than once and wasn’t fully satisfied, but I was flustered and gave up. After my first two interviews, I felt much more confident, I took my time with my answers, and I gave thorough responses to each question.
Joining PSE was definitely worth the three tries to get in, and I would definitely recommend coming back out to anyone who is considering it. There are so many opportunities and I would take advantage of everyone!
Sydney: "When I first came to Miami, I wanted to get involved immediately. I had direct admittance to Farmer, but I had no idea what I was doing or anything about business as a whole. I went to an info night for PSE because I heard it was a marketing & sales fraternity, and I thought it would help me navigate my way through what I wanted to do as a marketing major. I made it to second round interviews but was not asked to join the fraternity. I was upset, and my confidence was hurt, but I reached out for feedback to learn what I could improve. I was told to take more time to think about my answers rather than just saying the first thing that came to mind. After thinking about it, I knew this made sense and I wanted to improve moving forward.
I decided not to go through recruitment for the next two semesters as I was joining a social sorority and wanted to focus on school. I had decided I didn’t have time to join a business fraternity and focused on what I was already involved in. Over J-term of my sophomore year, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia. While there, I became friends with five people who happened to be in PSE. They really encouraged me to come back out for spring recruitment, so I decided to go through with it and ended up becoming a member! I was nervous about getting involved so late in my college career, but everyone was so welcoming and made me feel right at home.
Now, a year later, I’m involved in the PR Committee and I’m currently writing this blog post. My biggest piece of advice: it’s never too late to get involved!
