Post-college advice to the undergraduate

Okay, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and there are a few things that I’d like to tell all you college students out there. Things that I wish people had told me when I was in college and why they were important.

1. The undergraduate major that you pick is nominal. Unless you want to become a doctor, engineer, or work in any other field in which the skill set is highly-specialized, it really boils down to the experiences that you have- the academic experiences, your extracurricular activities, jobs, or internships. When you’re in a job interview, you’re less likely to be quizzed on what you learned in school; rather, you’re marketing your ensemble of skills, showing what you can offer that company, and perhaps being presented with a case study to quiz you on work that you would do if hired.

So study what you love. Or study what you think will get you an easy 4.0. Whatever. I challenged myself while in college, taking multiple languages and rigorous economic courses for a demanding (& very fulfilling!) major before I realized I could have just as well done an easy major, effortlessly scored a higher GPA, and had more time to do paid work and intern.* Which brings me to point 2.

Back in the USA

I can’t believe it’s all over. It’s been 2 months since I’ve returned to the United States, and I feel like my mindset is still in French mode. When I first returned home, all I could do was replay the final moments I had spent in Orléans- waking up on Provi’s air mattress well before sunrise and preparing to go to the train station with Cristina. The moments before that, saying goodbye to Mathieu, to Nadia, Suzanne, Alex, and the other foyer kids. The days before had been full of goodbyes- not just to people, but to my little studio flat, to the Saturday morning river market, to the Loire. When walking along the river banks about a week before I left, I came across two teachers who worked in schools where I taught. Both of them expressed interest in seeing me return to the schools to see the children before I left for the States, but since those last few days were so jam-packed with packing, saying goodbye to everyone else, and handling administrative work, it just wasn’t possible.