Ginny Tan- B.A Economics and International Development

Ginny Tan is a U3 student double majoring in Economics and International Development. Her evident talent in public speaking and leadership has been so recognized that she is currently serving as the Secretary General of McGill Model United Nations. Here in this interview, she shares her insights and delineates some of the hidden opportunities around the campus.

Tell us about what you have studied at McGill.

I am currently a fourth year student pursuing a double major in economics and international development with a minor concentration in marketing.

What are you planning to do after your graduation?

To be honest, I don’t know and I am not sure. I am still trying to figure that out.

One thing I know for sure, I want to work somewhere that is completely different from the places I have been before.

What are some pros and cons about your program?

Pros: I think the biggest pro of my program is definitely its flexibility.

The freshman program in Arts really encourages you to explore all the different fields that the faculty offers before committing to a certain major.

In addition to that, course credits in Arts are easily transferable. Therefore, if you want to change your major during your second or third year, it is still possible.

Cons: The downside of the program is the overall lack of guidance that the faculty provides you. The Faculty of Arts is McGill’s largest faculty. Unless you actively seek out to advisers and professors, you can feel lost at times. For example, in my case, I was not well acquainted with the honor programs. Looking back, I might have chosen to pursue an honors degree in political science or international development instead.

What were some valuable involvements at school that taught about yourself and oriented your goals?

I currently serve as the Secretary General for McMUN 2017.

McMUN is the largest collegiate MUN level conference in Canada and one of the most prestigious and academic challenging conference in North America. Each year, it attracts 1500 delegates from all around the world and it is staffed by over 500 McGill students. I think my involvement with McMUN and IRSAM is definitely one of the highlights of my university career.

Serving previously as the Chargée and now as the Secretary General has really taught me a lot of different skills that a classroom environment could have never taught me.

In addition to McMUN,

I currently work as the Marketing Consultant for McGill’s Internship Offices Network (ION). My involvement with ION has played a pivotal role in my current career orientation.

Through ION, I completed an internship with the United Nations World Food Programme in Panama and the Embassy of Canada for Argentina and Paraguay in Buenos Aires.

Thanks to these internships, I currently work as a virtual foreign service intern for the U.S. State Department. I am truly grateful for the opportunities that ION provided me. Therefore, I am now working for them and helping them market their internships and make sure that McGill students get a chance to learn about their services and score great summer internships as I did.

What advice would you give to younglings at McGill?

Always try, don’t be afraid of being rejected.

I know this sounds incredibly cliché,

but what is the worst thing that could possibly happen?

Getting a rejection letter or phone call? Don’t undersell or underestimate yourself. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.

It’s better to say “oh well, I tried” than to have never tried.

Is there anything else you would want to add on?

I am not really that old or wise, please don’t take my advice too seriously….