The Case for a Tailored Education: Advice from an (Almost) Alum

By Shan Rao

Dear English majors,

              I can trace a throughline between my freshman fall registration day and my life after college, a subtle chain reaction, uneven dominos toppling slowly to bring me to where I am today. But if I hadn’t been open to the opportunities, often ones I might not have expected, those dominos wouldn’t have fallen—and I wouldn’t be where I am today. I had to walk through the scariness of internships that felt intimidating and reaching out to impressive professors. But with time, open-mindedness, and at least a few tears. I’ve found myself living a life and becoming a person I’m happy with and proud of—and building a life post-college that I’m excited to experience.

              There’s something about being in a new environment that makes us forget our own agency. So often, when thinking about opportunities and the path we want, we’re quick to focus on the limitations, the ways in which our lives or the people we love or college itself dictates what we can and cannot do with ourselves. But I find that, in focusing on the positive space surrounding these limitations, we can access a deeper kind of agency that allows for more freedom within the constraints.

              Take the college curriculum, for instance. Sure, there may be classes within or outside of the English major that you’re not so excited to take. But rather than focusing on how to cram those in or bemoaning the requirements, think about how you can tailor your education to your own interests. This applies within the English major in particular: there were semesters where I designed my whole schedule around taking a specific class or getting to learn from a certain professor. And, oftentimes, our interests can be supplemented by classes outside the major too. Within the realm of possibility, I tried to tailor the core classes that had some flexibility to align with the subjects I was interested in studying. For example, I wanted to be able to focus my English major largely on creative writing coursework and courses on literature by people of color. In knowing that for myself, I was able to prioritize which classes I would build my schedule around. I found out who the best BIPOC faculty in the department were and made sure to sign up for their classes. I realized that, in creating a tailored education for myself, I was able to then take what I learned in other classes—both in and outside of the English department—and put it in conversation with what I’d been focusing on.

              Another upside of a tailored education is the relationships that you can create from it. While I think it’s important to connect with a lot of people to know about the opportunities available during and after college, I actually think that depth is more valuable than breadth. And a tailored educational experience allows for depth in your relationships with professors. Rather than feeling the need to force yourself to connect with every professor you have, regardless of the course content, focus on connecting with the professors who work and course content you most admire or the ones whose life paths most relate to your interests.

As someone who has become close with multiple of my professors during my time at Fordham, I’d emphasize that it’s important that you do the work to make your professor take you seriously too. I don’t mean just showing up to class or even in the homework you do, though that’s never a bad thing. What I’m talking about is taking the steps to show genuine interest in their work. If you’re talking to a creative writing professor, read one of their books (I promise, they’ll be flattered and won’t find it strange); if you’re talking to a literature professor, look into what they’ve been writing about or studying and see if any of it sparks your interest. It’s not about being over-the-top invested; this should feel at least somewhat natural, the way you’d go out of your way to learn more about the work of anyone you care about. In this way, you’ll be able to enter the conversation with that professor in a way that sets you apart and demonstrates a kind of initiative (see how this connects back to the idea of agency?).

You may be surprised how kind and helpful people are willing to be when you show that you’re willing to put in an effort in return! This goes for both students and professors. It’s easy to feel discouraged and isolated in NYC (particularly on the Lincoln Center campus), but people are more friendly and willing to share advice or conversation. Both in friendships and career connections, be sure to not just reach out when you need something. People are able to tell when they’re being taken advantage of or when the connection isn’t genuine. But, the hope is at least, if you form a genuine connection, you’ll be appreciative or eager enough that you’ll want to connect outside of necessity!

I don’t want this to feel intimidating or like you’re locked into one path. The upside to tailoring your experiences and picking a direction is that it helps you figure out what’s not for you quicker. There’s a kind of pressure that if you get one internship or do well at one aspect of something, you should dedicate your whole life to it. And, yes, an aptitude is one way of measuring whether something is a good potential fit. But another benefit to internships and classes and experiences in general is that they can serve as trial runs to teach you what you don’t want to do. The more you actively direct yourself and what you choose to engage with, the more you’ll become aware of the things that you feel excited about and the ones that you find yourself not as interested in as you initially expected. And both of those conclusions are equally as valuable as you set yourself up for what you want to do beyond college.

When I came into college, I knew that I liked writing. I ended up in a Comp II class with Professor Elisabeth Frost and visited her office hours to discuss poetry. From there, she suggested I take a creative writing class. At the same time, I also was interested in film, so I joined the film club. After a year and a half of really dedicating myself to that and declaring a double major, I realized that no matter how much I accomplished, I was just beginning to enjoy my film studies less and less. That isn’t a reflection on film as a whole but on my own personal interests and work values. Eventually, I was able to let go of my double major and find career paths that were a better fit.

Going back to the poetry, I did end up signing up for a poetry workshop. I connected with my professor, Cathy Linh Che, read her book, and ended up staying in touch. She then reached out with an internship opportunity at Kundiman which I applied for. From there, I found myself reenvisioning my life path in terms of nonprofit arts administration, a career I never would’ve known existed if I hadn’t been open to the opportunities that arose for me. Two years and various career experiences after that internship, I applied for a full-time position at Kundiman and was hired as the Development Associate. It’s funny to think that, if I hadn’t taken the initiative to have that first conversation about poetry with Elisabeth Frost, my trajectory might’ve looked very different. With that in mind, I try to be open to what I can learn and set in motion without even knowing it.

The dominos continue to fall and my life keeps spinning. After all, this post-graduation life is only the beginning of so many more twists that I’m sure will arise. While there’s so much I still don’t know, what I do know is this: a key balance of self-direction and agency mixed with a willingness to leap at the unexpected opportunities that arise is what got me through college and to where I am. So, for now, I’m going to keep on tailoring my life to what matters most to me—while always keeping an eye out for those new experiences sneaking up in the shadows.

For freshmen or new English majors: read Shan’s advice to freshmen written at the end of her first year at Fordham!

Shan Rao has worked as Fordham’s Creative Writing Program Assistant for the past two years. She will graduate in May 2022 with a BA in English with a creative writing concentration. After graduation, she will work as the Development Associate for Kundiman. You can see more of her writing and work experience on her website, shan-rao.com.