I have recently fallen into what feels like an endless slump of job hunting and looking for a major. The lack of opportunities for international students on the UBC Careers website as of late has been rather disheartening. I know that there are less of us here now that it is the summer, but those who are have far less opportunities for employment than domestic students. I want to work on campus. I am a good worker. I just wish there were more opportunities for me to prove that.
When it comes to majors, people have told me that I just just reapply to Creative Writing next year, but no one seems to realize that it is a two year program and I can’t afford an extra year here at UBC as an international student. Our tuition is four times that of a domestic student. That one extra year would costs just as much as a domestic student’s entire undergraduate degree. I cannot take out another loan for that, I cannot ask my parents to share that burden with me.
It is incredibly difficult to give up your passion and move on to something else…especially when nothing else fits perfectly. Regardless, I am considering English Lit (if I can’t write books, I might as well study them). Choosing this major requires a certain amount of faith in my ability to gain admission into the program, as I would not find out if I was accepted until November 30th, after the withdrawal date for Term 1. If I were rejected, it would lead to being enrolled in courses to serve a major that is not mine, which would be incredibly frustrating. I just have to have faith in myself, no matter how difficult that is right now.
My mantra has recently become “prove them wrong” because that is all that is really driving me to get up and try everyday. I should have got in to the Creative Writing Program. I am good enough to succeed as a writer. I may not be taking the express route, but I will get there one day. It is my dream.