Tan's parents pay for her admittedly"astronomical" tuition, which will come out to a total of about $250,000 by the time she graduates next year. She's grateful her parents cover her tuition and school fees, plus a $1,000 allowance each quarter, which she uses with her earnings to cover housing, food and discretionary spending.
She also enjoys spending money on food and drinks out, including treating her friends. She spent around $2,000 for her birthday dinner in October."It's the Chinese-Indonesian way," she explains."If you're the birthday girl, you pay for the entire table's dinner."Tan says she sacrifices sleep to stay focused on her academics, social life and business. She also has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which affects her productivity.
"It's a little bit unconventional, and it only really works out because I have more control over my time right now because I'm a college student," she says.Tan's family prioritizes education, and she's the third generation in her family to attend college. She always knew she wanted to go abroad for college and chose to attend the University of Chicago so she could get a job and stay in the U.S. after graduation.