International Students’ Intern Experience During the Global Pandemic
It’s 8:20 a.m., and the alarm clock on the head of Julia Zhu’s bed rings. In thirty minutes, she throws on some clothes, grabs some breakfast, and rides her scooter into the morning traffic. At this time, she still has ten precious minutes left to herself before she starts working. At nine o’clock, usually as the first person in the department to arrive at the Entertainment Agency, Zhu begins to organize files, which marks the beginning of her workday.
This is a typical weekday morning for Julia Zhu. A year ago, Zhu was accepted into Northwestern University School of Communication as a part of the Class of 2024. However, the sudden COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the harshened visa restrictions instated under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, forced international students to face a multitude of barriers in coming to campus. The academic and professional trajectory of many international students has irreversibly altered its course because they are unable to take in-person classes. If it weren’t for the pandemic, Zhu would have been on Northwestern’s campus in negative 20 degrees Celsius weather, protecting herself against the biting wind of her first Chicago winter while running back and forth to get to lessons. But now, she interns at a media company in Taiwan, rushing between office buildings and talking on the phone non-stop. In contrast to Evanston, Taiwan is currently positive 20 degrees Celsius. During her lunch breaks, Zhu always goes for a walk to allow her morning fatigue to be blown away by the breeze.
If Zhu had come to Northwestern’s campus, she would have had to apply for a visa within 90 days before the reporting date of her college. Most schools start in September, which means that May and June are the peak period for visa applications. According to the non-immigrant visa issuance statistics provided by “US Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs “, in June 2019, the American Embassies issued 35,949 F1 visas to applicants from China. However in June 2020, the number was only 26. From five digits to two digits, the gap is not simply a number. This is a real dilemma faced by international students, one after another.
Whether students are taking classes or choosing internships, the pandemic has pushed us into a whirlpool of unprecedented changes. The decision to continue schoolwork or take time off classes to seek different experiences has become a complicated choice for many international students. Although the majority of undergraduates still entered the university as planned, a smaller portion of students, including Zhu, chose to turn toward a different direction.
“Distance learning weakens the possibility of communication between students and professors, and time zone differences make it difficult for students and professors to have contact other than teaching,” Zhu states. “I hope the tuition fees I pay will be more worthwhile.”
Having just graduated from high school, Zhu is only responsible for some minor things in the company, like coordinating the affairs of various departments and ensuring the normal organization of events. She feels very grateful that this internship has provided her with a platform for applying and practicing theoretical knowledge while she takes time off of school.
Many international students choose to return to their hometown for internships like Zhu, while others choose to utilize the resources provided by Northwestern to experience being part of the workforce in the United States.
Weinberg sophomore Owen Wang, for example, recruited through Northwestern’s Chicago Field Studies program to secure an investment banking internship in the Chicago area. As a former piano major, Wang used to spend most of his time practicing to reach perfection. Since he just recently decided to switch to Economics, Wang hopes to utilize this internship opportunity to deepen his understanding of the business industry.
Students seeking professional growth during this time, however, are also facing changes and unprecedented situations under COVID-19. For example, Wang says that the company he interns at has a tradition of participating in a technology exhibition in Las Vegas every year, but this year, it was cancelled due to the pandemic. In addition, if it were not for the pandemic, he would have more opportunities to travel around and meet people in person in the investment banking industry. Despite the less than ideal circumstances, Wang still appreciates this full-time intern opportunity. “I hope to work in an investment bank after graduation, and this internship provides me something I can talk about other than piano, when recruiting for investment bank sophomore internship,” he said.
Following months of uncertainty for international students amid the pandemic, an increasing number of students started to reconsider their future paths. However, what is certain is that although COVID-19 has left us with many changes, after overcoming these obstacles, students will have gained not only a college degree but also a belief in themselves and their ability to adapt and grow.
At the end of the day, despite the challenges of the pandemic, the situation offers some silver lining as well. Zhu said she was able to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family in Taiwan, which would not have been the case if she were currently in the U.S. Zhu also states that she would like to travel around Taiwan and gain a deeper understanding of her hometown in the extra time that she has before the start of school in Fall 2021. No matter what, life is a journey, and taking classes is just one of the paths.
