Rob Kampia spent a year in the limelight -- battered, beaten and criticized by everyone and their mother.

Like him, other former Undergraduate Student Government presidents served out their terms and survived and are now using their experience in the real world, from places as far reaching as law school to private businesses.

A recent president, Kampia, who underwent three impeachment attempts during his 1992-93 reign, is now working at the national office of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Kampia said his experience as president helped him learn to work with the media and organize an office.

"Basically, if you can work in a USG office when half the senators are trying to impeach you, you can work in a NORML office where everyone agrees with you," he said, alluding to the difficulties he had with the USG Senate when he was in office.

His advice to the incoming president is to strive to cooperate with the senate.

"No matter how belligerent or idiotic the senate behaves, don't burn bridges with them -- try to see issues from their point of view, no matter how ridiculous," Kampia said.

Emil Parvensky went from the USG presidency during the 1983-84 academic year to being the president and owner of the Washington-based computer software development firm, NGD Phoenix.

"(The leadership experience) is most important," he said. "Although while you're there, there's a bit of delusions of grandeur."

J.P. Muir, USG president during 1990-91, is now a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch in New York City, but right after college he was waiting tables.

"Someone who knew me as president came up to me in the restaurant and said, 'Oh my God, what the hell are you doing here?' " Muir said with a laugh.

He advised the incoming president to find able people dedicated to his or her cause and not to get frustrated.

"You get in that position and you have all these great ideas and only a few months and no money," Muir said. "But you do the best you can."

Mark Stewart, USG president during 1991-92, is now in law school at Cornell University on a one-semester leave at George Washington Law School. He said he learned to develop productive relationships with people as president.

"You have to be active and aggressive, don't be too intimidated -- you're the person there to make sure the students are represented," he said.