As much as we might like to pretend it’s never going to happen, the day is drawing close when our favorite seniors are going to accept their diplomas and walk away from Morningside Heights. In an effort to capture everything these seniors have to share before they take off into post-grad life, Her CampusĀ Columbia Barnard is running a series of profiles of some of our favorite members of the Class of 2018. This week, we’re chatting withĀ Ellen Guo,Ā a Columbia College Math and Anthropology major with big plans for her future.
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Congratulations on graduating! What are your post-college plans?
Right now, Iām trying to do a semi-technical, customer-facing role at a tech company. Iām not really sure what I want to do in the future, so Iām trying to find a balance between tech and business. I can learn business skills while still doing techy work!
Do you have any plans for grad school in the future?
Not really. Itās funny- I always saw myself as an academic and thought I would go get my PhD and become a professor. But Iām not sure if I can imagine that life anymore. I feel like I need to be doing things and not reading all the time. I thought about getting a PhD in anthropology because Iām really passionate and interested in all the subjects that Iāve studied, but there are a lot of practical and professional considerations that have stopped me.
What is your biggest fear about leaving college and entering the real world?
Iām really scared about being lonely. Iāve always heard that the first two years out of college are the loneliest years or something! In college we have this very easily available social network,Ā youĀ walk anywhere and youāre always surrounded by people in your peer group. But then, in the real world, you live in an apartment by yourself, not in a dorm. You donāt go to the dining hall to eat, you donāt go to class, and you donāt go to clubs. So I think itās the readily available social network, leaving it, that scares me. Iām scared of leaving the people that Iāve met through those things. As of right now, it also looks like Iām leaving New York post-college, and that really scares me!
What is one thing youāll be happy to leave behind?
I guess Iām ready to leave behind the lack of work-life balance in college. Itās kind of expected, almost, that sometimes youāll have to pull an all-nighter. And itās expected that you have unhealthy living habits! Whereas in the real world, you actually have space to be a healthy, fully-functional person. So thatās something Iām looking forward to leaving behind:Ā the expectation that you have a bad work-life balance.
Although college is trying at times, what is the best opportunityĀ youāve received in your time at Columbia?
How sentimental should I be?! This is really corny, but I actually think that my best opportunity was joining CU Dhoom. I danced on and off growing up, so Iām not the best, but I really love it. However, I found that in a lot of other dance spaces on campus, I wasnāt feeling valued or appreciated for my skills and passion until I joined Dhoom. I felt like I was actually being valued as a dancer for the first time on campus and I also found this awesome social community, which is also great because a lot of my closest friends graduated last year. I felt like, ‘Oh no! Senior year I wonāt have any friends!’Ā but Dhoom fixed a lot for me.
Safe and friendly spaces for creativity can definitely make a huge difference her at college. Are you planning on pursuing dance as a hobby after college?
Iāve thought about this a lot! I’m trying to have conversations with my dance teachers right now about it. I probably wonāt be in New York andĀ I wonāt have access to the incredible New York dance community, butĀ I want to keep taking classes regularly. Drop-in and open classes are expensive, but Iāll have a job to balance that out! Iāve looked for performance or competitive opportunities. Itās hard because my focus is modern and contemporary, which isnāt really team-oriented; either youāre a professional or you donāt do it! So, Iām thinking of expanding my skill set. Iāve thought about looking for Bollywood teams since thatās something that Iāve done. Iām thinking of also learning more hip-hop since I think that would open up a lot of opportunities. I donāt have specific plans but I definitely want to keep taking classesĀ and getting better! Ā
So cool! Going the opposite way: what is one thing that you most regret about your college experience?
I wish I hadnāt been a transfer student because ā and any transfer student can tell you this ā it sucks. It just really sucks socially, and you end up having a much smaller network because you didnāt meet tons of people your freshman year. And every single transfer student has a bad experience with it, Iāve bonded over it with other transfer students.
What advice do you have for underclassmen?
My advice is to fully take advantage of the opportunities here on campus. There are a lot of things that you can only do in college. Itās freaking me out that I donāt think Iāll be able to do them ever again. For example, certain types of clubs just donāt exist anymore when you go into the real world. So taking advantage of those things while youāre in college is super important because itās your only chance.
What do you still have to do left in your time here?
Nothing specifically! Iām trying to do all the āsenior thingsā and things I just havenāt done yet. For example, going to Holi because I hadnāt gone before at Columbia! Last question: Are you happy or content with where you are right now, as a person?
Yeah! Iām actually very happy with where I am right now. Iāve had a really good year academically, socially ā¦ Iāve learned so much. This was the year where I really delved into my interest in anthropology, and Iāve learned so much from reading social theory and taking different kinds of classes, and thinking a lot about people! Iāve also had a really great year socially and dance-wise because I joined Dhoom. I choreographed for Orchesis finally! That was on my bucket list, actually, but I did it already. Yeah, Iām very happy with my current situation! Which makes me more sad to leave, but itās okay.Ā
Thank you, Ellen for your amazing reflections and insights. We wish you the best of luck in the post-grad world!
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Think you or someone you know has something to share before graduation? Reach out to Her Campus Columbia Barnard for a chance to be featured!