NYU to Nowhere?
~ An international student’s perspective
According to the Institute of International Students, the U.S. hosted over 1.1 million international students in higher education institutions, NYU being in the top 20 colleges in terms of international student percentage. Students coming in from developing countries, especially South Asian countries, arrive with dreams,aspirations, and a hunger in their eyes to learn and make a place for themselves in New York City–a hub for fashion, advertising, marketing, and public relations. Yet, they are soon faced with the stark reality that all the possibilities that they were shown are nothing but a facade. Even when equipped with stellar qualifications, necessary experience, and a demonstrated eagerness to learn and work hard, securing internships ise an uphill battle for these students. Even with the prestige of attending a top university like NYU, international South Asian students continue to face unique obstacles such as cultural nuances and industry-based biases when applying for internships or jobs in PR, advertising, and marketing in the fashion or entertainment industry.
Although international students often perform excellently in their academics and networking endeavors, they tend to be overlooked in the job search due to factors out of their control. Undergraduate students with F-1 visas are allowed to work after their freshman year under Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT), but major companies generally hesitate to hire them due to the tedium and difficulty of legal paperwork and sponsorship requirements. This is especially true in the fashion and entertainment industry–thanks to the pervasively cutthroat competition, brands rarely sponsor work visas for entry-level jobs. To gain any hope of working in the U.S., international students often resort to working illegally by completing unpaid internships, which are extremely common in fashion and PR industries. This then leads to widespread labor exploitation, which eventually puts their current visa status in jeopardy. The legal roadblock of work visas creates an uneven playing field where talented individuals are sidelined before the game, never receiving even a single chance to prove themselves.
Beyond these legal barriers, South Asian international students in particular often struggle to navigate through unwritten handbooks on networking in the U.S. In South Asian countries, academics and universities play a huge role in making the recruitment process easier though on-campus interviews. This is not the case in the States, where inside links and informal referrals are imperative for landing internships in big companies in networking-heavy industries like fashion and entertainment. For international students, the challenge lies in understanding the unstated significance of internal connections and referrals in job and internship search - something that American students are more aware of. Lacking this crucial knowledge often results in international students lagging behind in this rat-race of scoring the best internship, who are still under the pretense that academic excellence is enough.
The struggle of international students does not end even after surmounting the lack of opportunities with an F-1 visa. If they manage to land an internship in fashion or entertainment with much hard work and luck, these opportunities are often unpaid–which just so happens to be illegal. International students on student visas are not allowed to work or even contribute to an employer for free, making these unpaid roles ]inaccessible. Not to mention, international students often pay higher college tuition fees compared to domestic students, with little access to financial aid options. Even in the hypothetical case that they could work unpaid, it would be barely affordable to support their livelihood in the States. American students without these legal or financial barriers are dealt a much better hand, usually paying little or no fees and easily acquiring part-time jobs to supplement their income and education.
There have been multiple times when I have been excited to apply for certain internships only to see that none of the companies provide visa sponsorships which significantly reduces our chances to even sit for interviews. Even with ample experiences on paper, our efforts and capabilities are overlooked compared to native applicants making us feel disadvantaged and ignored.
Despite all of these complications, international students are still choosing to come to the States for “better education and opportunities” and the hopes that they will be able to break into the industry. To circumvent the numerous visa limitations, these students are constantly cold emailing and messaging professionals on LinkedIn to attract recruiters and impress companies with their personal branding. With the highest number of international students in the U.S., NYU offers many career support events and services–such as university career services, mentorship programs, internship and job fairs, and alumni panels–to help international students.
While international students face a disparate number of challenges, their potential is undeniable. The legal, financial, or cultural barriers that they face do not reflect their capabilities but a system that prioritizes convenience over inclusivity. Companies must change their hiring and sponsorship policies to give everyone in the application pool a fair chance to justify their talent. By embracing diversity, companies can tap into fresh perspectives and new ideas and participate in a global workforce.
