Following the success of our series of Q&As with college professors, which has been ongoing since June, we at Collegiate Gateway have decided to launch a new, complementary blog series: Q&As with college students! Our goal is to give you the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a student at schools across the country, and what our clients have enjoyed most about their college experiences so far.
We’re delighted to present the first installment of this new column with a contribution from Dean Vayias. A 21-year-old who hails from New Hyde Park, New York, Dean is currently a senior at Boston College, majoring in finance and business analytics.
What did you imagine college would be like? Has it been different than you expected?
I imagined college being more like high school, in that there would be a rigid structure for how my weeks would look. I thought the highlight of my college experience would be the class material I learned and job recruitment. Luckily, I could not have been more incorrect. Even as an introvert, I can firmly say the best thing about college is being surrounded by your best friends all day. I’ve met the best friends I have ever had in college and wouldn’t change my situation for anything. For many, college is their first time living totally independently, and many fear it. It should in no way be feared, as it will force you to grow so much as a person and find who you really are and what makes you happy.
Which college course have you enjoyed most so far, and why?
I took a random elective called Art, Politics, and Propaganda: The Birth of a Nation State, and it ended up being my favorite class at BC. The class was about how England went from colonial England to the world powerhouse that it is today. The main reason it was so awesome was the professor. He was an older man who had grown up in England and always threw his own personal stories into the lectures. It was a three-hour class but it never felt like it.
What’s your major, and why did you choose it? What has it been like so far?
I am a double major in finance and business analytics. I picked finance when I first enrolled simply because I didn’t know what I wanted to do after college and had heard that finance is very versatile and would not pigeonhole me into a specific career. Although I honestly have not enjoyed my finance classes so much, I am glad I chose this as a major and stuck with it, as it did open up many doors in my job search. My second major on the other hand is business analytics, which is primarily made up of coding classes for business settings. Before college, I never thought I would voluntarily be taking coding classes, but here I am. I declared the major right before my senior year after some experience with computer programs this summer and am very glad I did. I have loved all of my analytics classes so far, and I would not have ever picked this up as a major if I didn’t keep my mind open. I can’t emphasize how important it is to be willing to try new things, as you don’t (and I still don’t) know everything that is out there, and you won’t ever learn by being closed-minded. If I had to start college over again, I probably would major in computer science.
Could you describe what a typical week looks like for you?
I usually wake up at around 10 every day. On Monday, I have a weekly meeting at 11 with other peer advisors (I serve as a peer advisor in the Carroll School) and business school faculty. I go to the gym after the meeting, make myself lunch, and then head to a class I TA for. When that is finished at 4:30, I do work and eat dinner until 7, and I have class from 7-9:30. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I do work until my first class at noon and go to the gym right after. I usually go grocery shopping on one of the two days after the gym, and come back to do some more work until 6:45, when I have marching band practice until 10pm. Wednesday is my laundry day, and I do some work in the morning and go to the gym while my laundry is drying. I hold peer advisor office hours in the business school from 3-4 and then am in class until 7. Friday is the day I do all my work for an online class I am taking. Saturday is usually a catch up day, unless there is a football game, in which case I perform from 8am to whenever all of the fans leave (usually most of the day). Sunday is a day for doing work while watching football.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I have accepted a full time offer from the consulting firm I interned with this past summer in NYC. I will be working at Sia Partners, a boutique firm that primarily works with financial institutions. Management consulting was attractive to me as the work that I have done so far has been very strategic and operative, as opposed to something more repetitive. It provides new problems to solve every day, and the variety of work is what gets me up in the morning.
Thank you to Dean Vayias for participating in our Student Q&A series! Asking questions to current students at schools on your list can help you decide on your best college fit in the college admissions process. Explore the upcoming presentations on our website or set up a complimentary consultation to learn about our services. Whatever your question, Collegiate Gateway is happy to help!
