Students blog

The summer break of 2018 was a special one. I first went back to Japan, my home country. Then I worked part-time to save some money. However, the most memorable experience of my summer was when I went to Brazil to participate in a week-long MIT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp.

I first found out about MIT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp on EdX where I massively took random courses during my gap semester. I never thought that this discovery would influence my life so dramatically. As I have been interested in solving social problems through launching a company, I submitted my application while thinking I would not get selected (acceptance rate is 7~10%). Needless to say, I  screamed with joy when I got the letter of acceptance! My journey to the MIT Bootcamp started from there. Here are three lessons I learned along the way.

Have Faith in What You Do: Be Disciplined

MIT Bootcamp was extremely expensive; tuition for the one-week program was over $6,000. So, I started to fund raise. However, the public was not always as supportive as I’d hoped and some even harshly denounced my efforts. I was first battered by these “rejections,” but I never gave up hope. After over 4 months of hard work I finally collected enough funds. After this part of my experience, I learned the importance of being disciplined to what one believes. Naysayers exist no matter what we do.

You Are Not Perfect and Will Never Be: Hence Teamwork

When the program started and I was assigned to a group, I was very nervous. Not having much work experience and hard skills, I wasn’t sure if I could offer benefit to a team mostly comprised of mid-career professionals with MBA degrees. Yet, that was an unnecessary worry. After realizing that everyone had different specializations, I learned that nobody can be perfect. Even if they have 10+ experience in business, it doesn’t mean they’ll make the right decision every time. Teams exist so we can cover each member’s weaknesses. I learned the significance of a team and got reassured that we all make mistakes regardless of our backgrounds.

Pursue what YOU like

The decision to attend MIT Bootcamp was not easy even after I had collected funds. I haven’t had previous internship experience and while my friends were getting internships for summer, I was concerned that I would be missing out. Society does have trends and expectations, such as completing an internship as a necessary step to get a job. However, it is also important to think about what matters to you and to pursue it even if it contradicts what other people are doing. Doing something that deviates required a lot of courage. However, in retrospect, I am confident that it was the right decision to attend MIT Bootcamp.

Overall, my summer was very fulfilling. Not only did I learn entrepreneurship deeply and network with 120+ individuals from 40+ countries, I have also learned a number of life lessons including those shared here.

Teachers have a part in every educational journey. They nourish students with knowledge garnished with life lessons. As I am one of the beneficiaries of education, I can say with confidence that I would not have matured without the presence of teachers. For me, each educational journey is like a marathon. It looks as though it is an individual sport. Yet, it takes a team: runners cannot run without help from trainers, parents, fans, and sponsors. It’s all combined. Likewise, pursuing education is a collective effort. Parents provide their students with a stable environment in which students thrive. Textbooks help introduce new knowledge to students. Teachers are most vital. They help students navigate through new information, make connections, and develop their thinking.

I have had a plethora of episodes where teachers played crucial roles in my life. In elementary school, my teacher tenaciously lectured me on the joy of cleaning desks. Now, I find solace in cleaning my room, which helps me relieve stress during finals. In middle school, my ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher gave me a piece of advice, “Learning a new language takes time, be patient.” Having been patient for 6 years and steadily learning English, I am now writing this blog in English. My high school mentor taught me about the art of giving. Being inspired, I have started to work as a tutor in college to help other students. Now, with this diverse life advice, I have a goal to start projects in order to help alleviate educational inequality through entrepreneurship.

Throughout my career as a student, many teachers have gifted me with knowledge and assisted me as I grow into a mature individual. They showed me how to conquer various life challenges, whether it be cleaning, learning English, or identifying my future path. Amidst of the marathon which I am getting closer to the goal, I could not have gotten here without teachers. Thank you, teachers, for joining my marathon team and educating me to run through the academic avenue as well as life. Until I can shout, “We did it,” at commencement, I look forward to further learning from you and growing exponentially.

How much technology do you use for your academic studies? Organizing schedules, taking notes and tracking projects… there is a plethora of apps that we can use to better organize campus life. Here are three tips to effectively utilizing technology to support your academic pursuits.

Less technology sometimes works better

This might sound counter-intuitive. To be a tech-savvy student, we sometimes must take distance away from technology. For instance, I use Google Calendar to manage my appointments and class schedule. I also use OmniFocus to set notifications of assignment deadlines and manage projects. However, I use a paper planner to organize daily tasks. When I did it electronically, it didn’t work out well.

Study methodologies vary depending on people. Some students prefer electronics whereas some don’t. To effectively incorporate technology into your study methodologies, it is important to analyze what works best for you. Hence, the first tip: use technology only if it works better for you.

Use widgets

If you own a smartphone, you mostly can use “widgets” where you could use the apps without unlocking the phone. When I used the app, TimeLogger, to track my studying time, I managed my records on a widget.

I believe one of the hardest things about incorporating technology is consistency. Even though you downloaded an awesome app to manage your semester schedule, if you don’t use it on a regular basis, it loses its meaning. One great way to help you habitually use an app is to utilize its widget. You will save considerable time while establishing a habit.

Use technology to stay away from technology

This might sound counter-intuitive again. The more you use technology for your studies, the more likely you are to get distracted. For instance, while you are managing your schedule, you suddenly succumb to the temptation to check your Facebook feed. Before you know it, you’ve wasted 20 minutes. If this sounds relatable, use apps such as Forest or a pomodoro timer to stay focused!

Forest is a mobile application that helps you stay away from your phone for 25 minutes. Once you set the timer, you need to remain in the app. Every time you stay on the app for 25 minutes, you grow a tree. If you switch the app while the timer is set, you will kill a tree. Even if you use a computer, you can still apply the concept. Use this app to help you focus your full attention to your task! A pomodoro timer is an interval timer that lets you set a “task” time (usually 25 minutes) followed by a “break” time (usually 5 minutes) to help you stay productive. Pomodoro timers work well with Forest. Set the pomodoro timer first and then set Forest. You can quickly create 25 minutes of distraction-free study time.

College life sometimes gives you an exorbitant amount of tasks to manage. Technology helps you efficiently digest them! However, use technology only if it improves your productivity. Use a widget to better keep the habit of utilizing applications. Use apps to help you limit distractions from technology while purely focusing on assignments.

Sometimes, college makes us feel as though it will magically last forever. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. As each semester rolls on, I find myself surprised that the time is flying by so rapidly. The majority of my peers are in the same boat. Wearing the graduation cap and gown, many have told me 2 or 4 years passed so fast in retrospect, although they felt it would last forever.

So, how can we get the most out from our college life? Interweaving my experiences and advice from those who have graduated, here are three tips.

Get involved

Join at least one campus club or organization. Not only do extracurricular activities help you learn, but they also provide opportunities where you can foster professional and personal skills. When I was studying at a community college, I worked as a student blogger and learned social media management and marketing strategy. I also worked in the Student Government Association and learned about the school’s administration. You can also expand personal and professional connections. Two or four years pass very fast. Explore organizations that interest you and try a few. Avoid spreading yourself too thin by limiting yourself to 2 or 3 activities.

Find Internships

This tip comes from one of my regrets. I became a junior without any internship experiences. Colleges are changing rapidly, especially with job markets. Internships are now a vital way to make you competitive in the job market. Even if you are still unsure about your interests, explore opportunities! If I could go back to my freshman year, I would immediately apply to internship programs as much as possible to explore career passions while developing professionalism. Apply for internships before college magic expires!

Plan Ahead

Calculate the number of upcoming semesters and make a plan for your college career. What program do you want to do? What on-campus organizations or jobs are you interested in? It is also helpful to set up semester goals and yearly goals. For this semester, I planned to join four organizations. I joined the Student Association, the Writing Initiative, Student Life and Academics Committees, and a research program. I now plan to focus on just two of these and aspire to develop communication, project management, leadership and writing skills. For my senior year, I plan to reduce extracurricular duties further and focus on job hunting and graduate program applications. Plan ahead to avoid wasting two or four years being unsure what to do!

Everyone can get the feeling that college will magically last forever. However, your undergraduate career will pass very fast. To get the most out of your college experience, engage yourself in extracurricular activities and internships while managing plans for your college career!

“What do you want to do in college?” I was asked that question frequently during my freshman year. Every time, I answered with a mumbled, “Well…” and shrug. Looking back at the past two years of my college life, the game changed at the end of my sophomore year. I started to gain more experience by serving as a senator of the Student Government, special event leader of the Student Activities Board, a chief-editor of the Honors Newsletter, a student blogger, an English tutor and a math tutor. For those who did not get the sufficient answer from me – lo and behold. Here are three ways I wish to excel during the rest of my college career.

Identification of my interests

First, I want to fine-tune my interests for future job hunting or even for a possible graduate school application. This can easily be done by focusing on what disgusts me rather than what makes me passionate. For instance, I know that I am not interested in finance, chemistry, and biology. Crossing out “non-interests” made me realize what fuels my motivation: writing, reading, marketing, foreign language learning, sustainability, entrepreneurship, computer science, and graphic design! (Still a lot!) My ultimate goal in college is to further sharpen my interests and self-brand accordingly.

Pursuit of Certifications

After I declared my major in Comparative Literature, I suddenly started to receive this question: “What do you want to do with your major?” My intention of majoring in Comparative Literature is to refine critical and interdisciplinary thinking skills as well as my foreign languages: English, Chinese, and French. Yet, the current job market is unfortunately not that flexible. I doubt that the Comparative Literature degree itself grants me a career that I want. So, I decided to pursue professional certificates on Coursera and edX, with the hope of increasing my employability. I am pursuing certificates from the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University, and I’ve paid only $10! My goal is to earn more certificates in business and other fields of my interests and highlight them on my resume. Online learning is fun as well as a good economical investment!

Networking through involvement

After I earned my Associates degree and decided to take a gap semester, I luckily had a chance to experience job seeking to sustain the validity of my VISA. Through this process, I learned how important networking is. In fact, references from my colleagues in extracurricular activities helped me land positions at the Tutoring Center and the Multi-faith Conference Center. Since then, I started to expand my network by actively asking to connect with every new acquaintance. Not only will it be beneficial for future job hunting, it will also be beneficial to get diverse perspectives and insights. Currently, my LinkedIn connection has 150 people and I want to expand it to 500+ before I graduate.

I had never imagined that I would have been able to formulate such concrete goals in my undergraduate years. Yet, I believe that I was successful because I took advantage of on-campus resources as much as possible and got actively involved. If your college plan is murky, I encourage you to start with activities that might interest you. Trust me, goals and plans come into focus as you engage more in school or even external communities!

Pearson Students: What are some things YOU hope to accomplish while in college? Comment below to share with the student community!

Last year, I moved from Japan to the United States to pursue a liberal arts education, which is uncommon in back home. Here I have an unlimited exposure to the English speaking environment which I have craved. According to the National Center of Education Statistics, of the 17 million undergraduates enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, 7% are international students and their numbers are growing. But not everyone recognizes the struggles they go through in pursuit of their education, particularly limited financial resources and language barriers.

Facing financial obstacles

Although a few students come to the United States with enough financial assets, many come with marginal assets or even student loans. International students have severely limited work options. They are basically not allowed to work off-campus for the first year. Then they can try to get a position off-campus directly related to their area of study so long as they gain approval for it through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. International students are also ineligible for most types of financial aid and cannot file FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). For some colleges, international students cannot even apply for merit-based scholarships. 

Struggling with language and culture

Language barriers are another challenge international students face. This really depends on where students are originally from. I still have difficulty catching up with English daily conversation. In a survey I conducted of international students, 54% of 33 respondents answered that engaging in daily conversation is more difficult than reading textbooks in English.

Recognizing cultural differences can be difficult for international students.  I frequently have been marooned in the conversation especially when someone tells a joke or when a debate heats up. Because of this, sometimes international students end up clustering with other students from the same background. While it may provide comfort, too much cohesion often reduces exposure to the English speaking environment and essentially defeats the purpose of studying in the United States.

Between limited work resources and barriers between languages and cultures – being an international student is very challenging! But the educational opportunities make it a worthy goal to pursue.

What do you think? How do you suggest dealing with these problems? Comment below and let’s collaborate as a student community!