While senior spring has been ramping up for many students with a flurry of job applications and grad school essays, many seniors have been hard at work for months searching for and applying to different programs abroad. After four years of Tufts' emphasis on globalism and giving back to the community, it seems natural to many students to pursue volunteering programs and fellowships abroad after graduation.
But before signing off to teach English in South America for three years, potential applicants need to consider what they are looking for in their postgraduate adventures. Is a' three-year' commitment better than a' three-month one? Would their past experiences be more suited for a health-outreach program rather than a teaching one? Can they live without running water, or is that a deal breaker?
Laura Doane,' the program director for advising and scholarships in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Education, asks many of these questions as she advises students about potential opportunities that they can take advantage of after graduation.
She explained that interested students should ideally start their search for programs early and have a thorough discussion of their objectives. 'You won't be successful in a program that doesn't align with your goals,' she said. 'So I ask 'Where do you see yourself in ten years? Why is this important to you?' My favorite clich'eacute; question is, 'What do your friends and family count on you for?'
She added that students also need to consider their perceptions of expectations and what they 'should be doing.' Tufts encourages community service and giving back to others, but students need to make sure that volunteering is their personal goal before they jump into a program for a few months or longer.
'Students feel like they're a bad person if their goals aren't aligned with other students',' Doane said. 'But if you don't feel like you're ready to live without electricity and running water, it doesn't mean you're a bad person or that you wouldn't change your mind in the future.'
Patrick Roath' (LA '09) said he started exploring his post-graduate options the summer before senior year. He looked into a number of jobs and internships, and after a recommendation from an advisor, also applied for a Fulbright grant.
An International Relations major with' experience teaching English as a foreign language, Roath settled on applying to a Fulbright English teaching program in Malaysia.'
'It was warm, far away and had an English teaching program. It seemed like a place that needed the help, and as a Muslim majority country, seemed a good place to go as a sort of U.S. ambassador,' Roath said.
Roath was finally accepted into the program in April 2009 after beginning the application process in June 2008. He left for the program's orientation in Kuala Lumpur in early January 2010, a week after talking with the Daily.
Although Roath felt that the Fulbright program was a great fit for him, he still expressed a few concerns before moving halfway around the world. 'I worry about things like dengue fever, malaria, those kinds of things. In less than a week I'm going to be over there, and it [will be] monsooning and 90 degrees,' he joked.
'Still,' he added, 'I'll be in front of a classroom of high school students in rural Malaysia in about three weeks.'
Arianna Rubin (LA '09)' took a bold step transitioning from her former off-campus house filled with Tufts friends to living in a mud hut on her own in Zambia with the Peace Corps.
Rubin said she also applied for a number of different jobs during her senior year, and was a little intimidated by the Peace Corps' two year commitment.
'However, the more I researched other job opportunities abroad, the more I realized that the two year commitment was actually the greatest benefit of Peace Corps because it allows volunteers to become fluent in a local language and to fully assimilate into rural and radically different communities,' she said in an e-mail to the Daily. 'Once I received my invitation package from Peace Corps offering me a position in Zambia's Community Health Improvement Project, I knew it was the right - albeit extremely daunting - next step for me to take.'
Rubin now lives in a remote village of 100 people without electricity or running water, and has really appreciated being able to apply her Tufts education in a hands-on way' by working on' issues that are important to her, she said.
'The biggest adjustment for me has been moving from the fast paced lifestyle of America, where I was in a number of clubs and attending classes, living in a house filled with my best friends in an exciting city like Boston, and was generally overcommitted with my time,' she' said. 'In the village, times moves slowly and meetings rarely start on time. People spend a lot of time just chatting together, getting from one place to another, and accomplishing the tasks of everyday life.' While this has been one of the most challenging adjustments for me to become used to, it has also been one of the most rewarding.'
Doane, Roath and Rubin all recommended that students considering opportunities abroad test the waters by looking into different programs and going through the application process.
'Many people find that they get a better understanding of what they want as they apply,' Doane said. 'Applications really are helpful in and of themselves.'
Roath echoed similar sentiments. 'Students stand to lose nothing by putting themselves out there in front of the big opportunities, and the potential payoff is enormous,' he said. 'By forcing you to seriously consider your values, career and personal goals, the rigorous application process is also an avenue to build crucial skills. The interview and essay-writing process helped me to think about my post-grad goals and my undergraduate background.'
