I Broke the Academic Policy at My Alma Mater, and I Would Do It Again
An Op-Ed with an Introductory Note
Last Summer, I read Writing to Persuade: How to Bring People Over to Your Side by Trish Hall, a seasoned journalist and former op-ed editor at The New York Times. One year had passed since I graduated college, and I was excited to continue learning and developing new skills. So I visited the library in my hometown of North Little Rock, Arkansas and checked out some books on fashion, marketing, writing, and data science — including the aforementioned title. It was a quick read filled with tips on writing persuasively and constructing op-eds. And while perusing my library’s nonfiction collection, I remember thinking about the simple yet radical notion of a library in how they allow people like you and me to access knowledge for free. But that’s a topic for another day.
After finishing the book, I felt inspired to draft my own op-ed as a way to apply what I had learned and rekindle my relationship with writing. My intention was to submit the piece to The New York Times or another publication in hopes of earning my first official byline, and I eventually did. But it was denied by every news outlet I shared the piece with. So I stopped trying to pitch it and started reading the next book on my summer reading list.
I wrote the following op-ed a year ago. I planned to keep it private until I found the right moment to press publish, but I’m not exactly sure when that time will come even as I write these words. I think I wanted it to be published by a prestigious magazine to somehow validate the opinion I was sharing. However, I didn’t have this newsletter a year ago. And now I do. So why delay? I no longer want to wait on established institutions with authority and influence to greenlight my work. Sure, I desire their support in the future, but I refuse to let their timeline dictate my workflow. Still, with moments of doubt and uncertainty, I’ve confidently leaned into this practice when building The Aftergrad Podcast with my friend and cohost, Victoria Gilbert, and I want to maintain this energy when prioritizing my writing.
If anything resonates with you in the forthcoming opinion, I’d love to hear your thoughts and — of course — welcome your opinions. I hope to write more of these in the future when passion strikes.
I didn’t attend Claremont McKenna College (CMC) because of its values on responsible leadership or its highly ranked career services center or its status as one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions. I had no choice. I was a poor black kid from North Little Rock, Arkansas searching for a school that would finance my education. CMC was the only school out of the 23 I applied to that covered the total cost of attendance — with grants, not loans.
Like most high school students, I had no idea what I would eventually do with my life, so college seemed like the logical next step. And I’m grateful for it. Among the many lessons I learned while studying at CMC, perhaps the most important was the following belief: one must occasionally break the rules in order to succeed, especially when the space you’re occupying is not totally reflective of your academic interests or personal identities.
I was a creative interested in the intersection of media, marketing, and numbers at a school where economics, finance, government, psychology, and international relations were among the most emphasized disciplines. Media and marketing were afterthoughts. Still, I majored in applied mathematics as well as media studies, which was offered through a joint program in partnership with the university consortium consisting of four other colleges. My school had only one professor as an active participant in this intercollegiate media department.
It’s no surprise that not many CMCers pursue media studies. In fact, less than 5 students per year graduate from CMC with a media studies degree, on average.1 And aside from the small community, the degree curriculum did not satisfy my desire to learn about the ins and outs of launching global advertising campaigns, building sustainable brands, or taking captivating fashion images. I explored my passion for data and numbers through applied mathematics and statistics, but I struggled to thrive creatively.
So I left.
In studying and working abroad for a year, I filled this void. But I had to break CMC’s academic policy if I wanted to graduate on time. General education requirements plus major credits for two degrees can add up quickly.
In most cases, students can apply a maximum of two abroad credits per semester to any given major, according to the Center for Global Education at CMC. Therefore, I had to make a choice. Do I graduate with a degree in applied mathematics and media studies without leaving campus? Or do I sacrifice the media studies major altogether in exchange for a year of practical, hands-on media training in journalism, marketing, and photography at international universities?
Neither outcome was acceptable to me.
So I designed a third option: graduate with a dual degree in applied mathematics and media studies, as I planned, in addition to spending a glorious year abroad immersed in culture and creativity – on my terms. All but two of the eleven credits for my media studies degree came from the classes I took while studying abroad in Thessaloniki and Prague.
To be honest, I made my decision to leave when an Econ Bro asked me, in the middle of a philosophy lecture, “What even is media studies?” And jokes aside, it’s a perfectly valid question for anyone to ask. However, I craved an academic setting where media was more of a priority and less of a cute add-on for laymen to be somewhat curious about. It was painfully clear to me that I was not in the right place.
When applying for postgrad jobs and internships during my senior year, I interviewed at Davila Multicultural Insights, a strategic marketing firm with an emphasis on diverse segments. And I’ll never forget what my soon-to-be supervisor and co-president, Lisette Arsuaga, said to me during one of our interviews when asking about what led me to major in math and media: “There’s a need for people like yourself who can think creatively and analytically, especially in the field of marketing.”
I valued her words deeply. Because for the past four years, it had just been me validating this intersection for myself when I knew I wasn’t the only person who saw the world in this way.
According to gender non-conforming writer, performer, and activist Alok Vaid-Menon who said in a recent podcast interview on LinkedIn News’ Get Hired with Andrew Seaman, “If we just followed the rules, we wouldn’t exist.” In this case, Vaid-Menon was referring to LGBTQ+ people bringing their authentic selves to work, but I think they would agree that this representative “we” can extend beyond the queer community to include any person who feels othered or as if they don’t quite belong. And to be fair, there are more dire circumstances surrounding this truism than a student trying to graduate on time, but the principle still holds.
In May 2021, the year I received my diploma, the number of CMC graduates with a degree in applied mathematics and media studies increased from 1 to 2.2 As it turned out, I wasn’t alone after all.
Claremont McKenna College’s Office of Institutional Research has tracked current student major declarations, majors of recent graduates, and sequences for both enrolled students and recent graduates over the last 20 years. Access the data via CMC’s website.
Ibid.
Nice work! Welcome to the world of misfits! It’s great here, isn’t it?
Love your writing and storytelling!