A Shout Out From a Graduating Senior

Say hello to Benji Canning-Pereira, a graduating senior with a glittering and fast-paced future ahead of him! Benji, a Graphic Design major, has worked at the Career Services Center for four years. While we’re sad to see him go, we’re also excited for what this young man’s future holds for him: lots of promise! The following is a brief overview of Benji’s plans, struggles, and hopes for the future.

After much hard work and determination, Benji got accepted into the top-notch Interactive Telecommunication Program at New York University. He started preparing his application materials during the Fall semester of this year. Preparation involved polishing up his portfolio of work, which he had been working on for about a year, gathering recommendations from a professor and a work colleague, submitting a financial aid application, and writing his letter of intent, which is arguably the most important and difficult piece of the puzzle to fulfill.

Benji’s tips for gathering recommendations are to ask people, such as your professors, mentors, and employers, early. Benji gave his contacts two months to write his recommendations before they were due. He also spent a considerable amount of time working on his letter of intent, which basically give a person the opportunity to explain why they want to go to graduate school and what their future plans are. He worked on his letter every other day for a month before getting it checked out at the Career Services Center and proofreading it a zillion times.

Since Benji is planning on moving to a different state, housing is also a concern of his. Some graduate programs, such as the one he applied to, do offer housing to students. However, it tends to be very expensive. It’s important to try to study the geography of the state you’re planning on moving to. You don’t want to end up on the opposite side of the state you’re moving to from your school, especially if transportation is really expensive.

The most critical piece of advice Benji offers is to go to open houses and check out the school, especially for smaller and more competitive programs. The more you know about the program, the easier the essay writing can become. Talking to actual students or graduates of the program also makes a big difference. However, if you do plan on checking out the school, check with your professors about missing classes and assignments, especially if it requires traveling to different states.

Best of luck to all graduating seniors, and I hope this helps the rest of the student body figure out how to plan for grad school!

Seghel