Miley Cyrus once said,
"Going out doesn't make you a bad person, just like going to church doesn't make me a good person." I never expected to call a twerking ex-Disney star wise, but I'm gonna go ahead and call Miley pretty damn smart.
As I enter the battlefield of the job market (aka some sick and twisted version of The Hunger Games), I noticed a lot of interviews that absolutely have to mention my university's reputation. With a wink in their voice each time, it's like I can almost hear them saying
I know what you did for the last four years you crazy animal, through the phone. I've tried laughing along with it, tried defending it, and once just flatly responded with "haha ya." (Which I really don't advice because it's basically the bitchy cousin of the "K" text.) I haven't decided if my school's reputation is helping or hindering me yet- but seeing as I currently don't have a job with a salary, I'm going to go ahead and assume that it's not exactly helping.
Looking back on my college career,and painfully reflecting on the X amount of dollars of debt that I'm
probably most definitely in, I began to realize that all of my lessons and knowledge never took place in a classroom. Every skill and talent that I value myself for was not taught to me by a professor or a text book. I look back on the long weeks of classes, notes, papers and tests, and realized that while all of those things look good in my portfolio and reflected in a number (also known as a GPA), they aren't what make me a good communicator, a good writer or most of all, a good team member and friend.
So, for everyone who's currently attending a party school with hopes that your education will be valuable someday, or for anyone who has just graduated from a party school hoping that your university's name isn't a scarlet letter on your resume- just remember that your education is/was so, so much more than what you have on paper.
Oh, and for all of the employers throwing any resume with a party school name directly in the trash, you might want to go dig them out asap.
Here's why party school students are great:
Time Management Skills are Top. Notch.
Do you think we made it to graduation by blacking out every night to Rihanna's latest single with no sense of responsibility? Hell no. Every minute of our day was planned in order to meet every deadline. Every detail was thought out and executed from eating tons of carbs post-night out to drinking about 14 water bottles the morning after. We made it to every class on time, with time to stop at Starbucks in between. Every duck was precisely in a row while simultaneously dealing with a hangover- and if that doesn't make us superheroes, then I don't know what does.
You Can Handle Pretty Much Any Crisis. Ever.
Your friend did what last night? You ruined who's new Steve Maddens? You tweeted what lyrics
and tagged your crush? Where are your keys? Oops. Good thing you are a pro at fixing problems by now.
You're practically a CEO at dodging exes at the bar and comforting your best friend when her crush leaves with another girl. You're a trained veteran at helping the girl who had a little too much at the party get home safe, and most of all, you know how to handle your own mistakes.
I know what you're thinking, if you were a responsible adult, you wouldn't make these mistakes. As a dedicated viewer of the adults on
The Real Housewives of Orange County, I know this isn't true. Also, how would you learn to deal with mistakes if you never made them?
Also, you begin to learn that apologies are your best friend and to not sweat the small stuff- valuable for when you send that unnoticed grammar mistake in an to your boss.
Socialization Skills = Off. The. Chain.
Yeah, okay, we drank. We went to parties. Someone most likely has an embarrassing picture of us somewhere on their phone. But we met people that we never would have met in classrooms, from different majors and with different experience and skills that you've never even heard of. Conversations and connections were made with interesting people who you may have never talked to.
One of the things that bothers me about the school system is that you're immediately filtered into classes that only include students in your majors. Even many of your gen-eds were designed on a schedule centered around our majors.
Some of my favorite friends have no idea what public relations actually is- a nice breather from conversations about news releases, campaigns, and tough news reporting professors. Some of my best friends are training to be nurses, nutritionists, physical trainers, businessmen and teachers- people I never, ever would have met if I stayed in the Media or Journalism buildings day in and day out. I know people who only have friends in their major, which is awesome- they must have a great network of people to rely on throughout their career, but one of the things I'm looking forward to most in life is hearing the stories about these different careers, these different departments of employment, and learning from them.
Money Budgeting Is Something You Learned Early On.
Okay, if you're being honest, this probably took all four years to fully learn. There are probably many nights of ramen and scraping pennies together just to buy a gas station hot dog involved in this lesson. There are probably chilling memories of ordering $40 dollars worth of pizza and McDonald's receipts you found the next morning that made your stomach turn. (Or maybe that was just the hangover). But the fact of the matter is, you eventually learned your lesson- even if it did take awhile and cost you $150 dollars in french fries.
You also learned that nothing is free, going out to dinner without your parents requires you to actually pay for your food and that shots become 8 times more expensive after midnight. SAD.
Most importantly, you have life experience.
You're strong as hell. You know how to deal with rejection- which is great when about 30 companies don't even email you back. You've learned when to trust that "this is bad situation" intuition. You've learned that not all people are what they seem to be, and that just because someone buys you a drink does not mean he wants to marry you. You learned that you're not a good dancer, but it's okay. You also learned that you should maybe stay away from karaoke nights for the rest of your life, but that's okay too. You got real about the fact that you're probably not going to be a millionaire a year out of graduation, and that you need to work hard for what you want.
Most of all, you've learned about yourself. Something no textbook, no teacher, or no university curriculum could ever teach you. Cherish that. Forever.
And just remember, while an Ivy School degree looks badass in a frame on a wall- your actual, valuable skills are badass. And you don't need a piece of paper to prove it. XO.
