LET'S TALK COLLEGE: Tuition, Majors, and Internships

When I was in high school, I had absolutely no grasp on the real world. To this day, I still don't, but I have a better understanding of what I would have done differently if I had the perspective I do now.

I've always loved reading and writing, but I preferred fantasy and fiction to science and history textbooks. I loved writing Fanfiction, rather than academic essays on The Bell Jar or Shakespeare's Hamlet. So I figured I wanted to be an author when I grew up and that I wanted to study English.

I have a vivid memory of me telling a family member that I wanted to study English at a public university in Florida (Florida State University). They had a classics program, where I could study Ancient Greek and Roman texts, and this appealed to me because I love Rick Riordan's Greek mythology series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That's another blogpost on its own – especially now that there is a TV adaptation in the works!

My family member told me to consider the costs of going to school outside of my home state, Massachusetts. It would be more expensive paying out of state tuition, than in state tuition. I was a freshman in high school at the time and her words didn't resonate with me as much as they should have. I was dreaming of becoming an author and living in a house on the beach, with white walls and appliances. But then I wanted to go to school in Los Angeles, California, where I'd always dreamed of ending up. Then I wanted to go to school in New York – specifically, New York University.

PAY YOUR DUES (TUITION EDITION)

New York University, for those of you who know, is probably the most expensive private university in the United States. I say probably, because there's statistics out there and I haven't read them to figure out what university is acually the most expensive. Something important to note about private universities is that no matter if you live in New York or if you're coming from Taipei, Taiwan – you pay the same tuition as everyone else.

Take Florida State University, as another example. As a public university, they offer in-state tuition (for residents of Florida) and out-of-state tuition (residents who live literally anywhere else in the world). In-state tuition is more "affordable." I put affordable in quotes because college in the United States is still pretty damn expensive, regardless. The thing to note here is, if you want to live on-campus you still have to pay the same room and board, and other miscellaneous fees, as everyone else. Your tuition is just cheaper.

So what if you're like me, and you want to get the hell out of your home state? Definitely have that conversation with your family about what you can actually afford and what kind of financial aid assistance you're going to need to apply for. Always get your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) done early, usually in the beginning of October. The CollegeBoard website has resources of how you can calculate federal aid, as well.

Hilariously enough, I didn't end up going out of state – much less, even that far out of my home city. I ended up going to a private university because I wanted to impress my grandmother. It didn't really matter, in the end. I could have gone to a public university and it would have been the same.

I mention this because I think it's important to dismantle the pressure of going to a well-renowned university. I think people should strive for the best education they can possibly receive, but I think that looks different for everyone. Maybe Harvard is your dream school, but make sure Harvard is your dream school because you want to be there and wear crimson school apparel. But for me, I was more focused on impressing my family.

MAJOR WOES

Up until I was about a sophomore in high school, I wanted to study English. Then I got super into NCIS and becoming a badass like Ziva David, and started reading Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter, a YA series about a group of young women who are fluent in several languages, break CIA-level codes, and are in training to be spies. I wanted to be just like these dangerous women, so I wanted to study International Relations and join the CIA.

I ended up doing a summer program with the National Student Leadership Conference, where I studied international diplomacy at American University for two weeks. I met some incredible people – even though I felt I was out of my league and knew nothing about international politics. But I got to study the horrors of human trafficking and what the government Lithuania was doing about it and debate as an ambassador of Lithuania in a Model-UN style seminar.

It was truly a great, educational summer for me. But I ended up realizing that I was not cut out for this kind of work.

I then started telling friends and family that I wanted to be an English major again, but the most common response I got was, "So you want to be an English teacher?" And while my dad was incredibly supportive, the answer was no. I did not want to be an English teacher. I still don't – but I wish I had known there was more to be an English major than teaching.

My mom suggested I study Communications, because it was writing-based and would allow me to pursue different careers after graduation. So I applied to the College of Communication (at my university) and studied Film and TV.

The thing is, it's okay to change your major. It's okay to transfer schools. But I was more focused on graduating early, so I wouldn't have to be there as long. I wanted to study abroad for two semesters and I wanted to graduate early. That was asking for a lot, but I was determined that I could do it. So what does this have to do with choosing a major?

For starters, it didn't allow me much flexibility in changing my major. I was on a pretty fast-paced course on what classes I needed to take. If I could have changed my major, I would have changed my major to English halfway through and it would have been okay. Your dreams change, and sometimes so do your passions. While the idea of watching movies for homework had seemed appealing once upon a time, by the time I was a sophomore/junior in college, I had changed my mind. (Also – HerCampus lied to me. I never had homework that involved watching TV/movies).

The point of this section is to say make sure you seek advice from people who have similar interests to you. My lovely parents work in non-profit political positions geared towards social justice, so it was hard seeking advice from them about what I wanted to pursue. But LinkedIn is an invaluable resource; look up alumni from your high school and see where they went to college and what they studied. Every alumni loves to talk about themselves and their experience, and they would love to help you out as well. If you want to be an English major, or a STEM major, or pursue a pre-law tract, find alumni who have gone down a similar route and connect with them.

THE REALITY OF INTERNSHIPS

During my first semester of college, I started working part-time at the hockey arena on campus. One of the guests asked me a little about myself (what was my name, what did I study, what year was I) and looked me in the eyes as I showed him to his seats, "Do your internships early. Get the experience as soon as possible."

So I did. I got my first social media internship that summer, where I learned invaluable skills. However, it was unpaid. When people first found out I was doing an unpaid internship, I got a lot of weird looks – "Why would you do that?" "That's slave labor."

The thing about internships is that they can be elitist. Not everyone has the funds to do unpaid work, which is why many people don't often pursue internships. But if you can and you want to work in the creative sphere (writing, social media, marketing, film development, etc), consider doing a remote, unpaid internship during the semester. I did a remote literary internship (Harvey Klinger Literary Agency) the spring semester of my sophomore year and a remote development internship (Grandview Entertainment/Automatik Management) the fall semester of my senior year. I enjoyed both of those immensely, but I admit I would have preferred being able to connect with my supervisors face-to-face.

I also did not have the funds to do continuously do unpaid summer internships, especially in different cities such as New York. So while many of my friends did numerous summer internships in their desired fields, I could not say the same. But you have to make do and still attempt to gain experience. Be resourceful; talk to your college career advisors or seek advice from alumni on LinkedIn 😉

When I wanted to do a publishing internship the summer of 2018, I looked up publishing houses/literary agencies in my home city on LinkedIn. Then I saw if any alumni from my university worked there and reached out to them. Like I said, many alumni want to help you and most of them will appreciate that you took the initiative to reach out to them and start a conversation.

Prepare a list of questions, things like: what does your job entail? What kinds of internships did you do to prepare for this role? What classes did you take? And be sure to pay attention carefully to what they're saying so your questions don't feel static. If the person you're talking to veers off-topic a little, make sure to ask them questions that pertain to what they're saying.

Also learn how to properly format a cover letter and your resume. You can use the template of your cover letter for many internships you apply for, but PLEASE remember to change the name of the employer you're reaching out to and the job title on each one. This is probably the most tedious part of applications; you spend so much time on your cover letter and resumes and rarely get a response. Summer of 2019 – I applied to legit 25 internships. I heard back from about 5.

WRAPPING UP • FINAL THOUGHTS

In hindsight, there's a lot of things about college I wish I had known before going in. Today I had a video chat interview with a literary agency and it had me reflecting on all the things I wish I had been told when I was a high school senior and even as a college student. But I'd like to be there for you, fellow students! Whether you're in high school or in college, please feel free to ask questions about your experiences or to seek advice from me.

There will be a "second part" to this series that will cover studying abroad, so if you all have particular questions feel free to leave a comment below or ask me anonymously on Tumblr: https://ourlovelybones.tumblr.com. 💛