Like so many of my peers, I have grad school on my mind. For those of you who know me well, I've always loved being a student. Not only that, I was good at it. I thrived when placed in the classroom setting with an engaging and thought provoking professor and peers as eager to soak in new knowledge as me. And while not as equally enjoyable, I even thrived in classrooms that required a venti caramel macchiato and binoculars to see the obsolete slides on the front projector.Needless to say, the idea of going to grad school is an exciting one for me. And while I'm not silly enough to simply enroll in a program just for the heck of it (exception to this statement: if money were to start growing on trees I would actually do just that), my eagerness to get back in the classroom as well as other influences are placing a bit of pressure on me to decide what it is I want to do.
So, to both quell this desire I have to get back into a classroom and satisfy my curiosity about what it would be like at the grad school level, last weekend I attended a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) course at American University. I went with a friend from college who has been trying to sell me on the program... even before his enrollment was official. He has been telling me to sit in on one of his classes for months now, so I took him up on his offer and attended his Facilitation and Team Building class on Sunday. This was exciting to me for two reasons: I'm strongly considering getting an MPA and I am currently involved with some of the facilitation work that my company does for our clients (and I love it).
The course takes place over three weekends with a full day of class on both Saturday and Sunday. I quickly realized that this could only work with a very engaging professor and an interesting topic, which for this weekend was team building. You know: the norming, forming, storming, performing team building. We spent 6 hours on the topic. As in 5+1=6. When I expressed my amusement with this the response my friend gave me was, "Welcome to grad school."
I couldn't help but smile. It was only a few days ago that my manager and teammate were laughing at how much I love to think all “pie in the sky”. I do love thinking conceptually. I’m an ideas girl. And in a classroom is exactly where I want to be again, sitting amongst a diverse group of my peers learning new concepts while reflecting on and sharing our individual experiences.
And for those of you who are thinking it but wouldn’t let me get to it: I am very aware of "how young I am" and "how much time I have" to going back to school. I thank you for those thoughts of encouragement and appeals to my spirit of procrastination. And to those of you who are committed to reminding twenty-somethings how “fast life passes you by”: I'm very aware of my own goals in life and the plans I have for myself so I have no intention on waiting too long either.
The grad school process isn't one that I intend to rush, but I have every intention of making progress over the next several months. That includes taking the GRE, doing some research on various programs, and maybe even applying to some programs if they are a good fit. I just know that the process has to be mine, and mine alone. I am more than confident that it will unfold appropriately as I continue to figure what I want to do and be for the next few years.
In the meantime, I'd love for you to share any wisdom and insights you might have on the general process of looking into and applying to grad school programs!
5 comments:
If you haven't read this post-http://bit.ly/bJKx7n, read it now.
Also, make sure you create a financial plan, determine if you will go full or part time and what your career goals are, that way you can better focus your work in the program.
AU is a great school, I am also a fan of GW's program. Ultimately finances and the emphasis on urban policy led me to stay in NC and attend UNC-Greensboro, however I was accepted into AU's program and it was a hard decision to stay.
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for the advice! Funny enough, that post was the first one I ever read on your blog. I made the MPA vs. MBA decision a few months after starting my job out of college. Consulting in the federal sector brings a good mix of both degrees so I had lots of opportunities to discuss the pro/cons with other professionals (based on my own interests of course). I will definitely take heed to your advice on the financial and career planning aspect.
Congratulations on deciding to go back to school. I just recently graduated from a 3-year part-time (nothing about it was part time) Master of Social Work program. I took 2 years off and gained work experience after graduating with bachelors in 2005. My MSW concentration is Administrative/Management skills.
The biggest issue for me in graduate school was balance. Trying to balance school, internship, work, class work, and a relationship (that failed). Like Kristen mentioned, you really do need a financial plan. Because if it can happen it will happen in grad school. lol. The biggest 'suggestion' I can give is make sure you get a degree in what you plan on doing. Even though I have both degrees in social worker, I never wanted to be a traditional social worker. I always wanted to be an educator, writer, speaker, researcher so that is how I plan on using my social work skills. Also don't be afraid to think outside the box in career options.
Sorry my rant is so long. I wish you luck!!!!
Thank you for the great advice Stacy! I love how you made a point to say that I should consider what I want to be doing yet I don't have to completely confine myself to the exact field of the degree. Whether you know it or not, you've just said something I really needed to hear.
I could (literally) go on and on on this topic...However I'll start by agreeing with you, if you don't have a specific desire, focus, and goal in mind then don't go--because its not worth it to be unfocused. Now...once you find that program that speaks to you, GO FOR IT!!! Unless you're getting a Law degree, and MD, or an MBA where people are going to potentially pay you to learn then just apply and enroll. There are always assistantships (whether research or teaching) that usually offer tuition remission as well as a stipend. I don't believe in paying for degrees LOL, furthermore, there's too much free money out there-find it!
Next, really ask yourself if what you want to do can only be done with a Masters. If it can, then what are you waiting for? Get involved in it! Even if you still want to go to grad school, you'll get so much more from it if you simultaneously work in your field of interest (even if its only part time). If you can't then get an internships, attend professional conferences, join organizations, etc get to know your future peers!!! This is so important...if you don't know who does what you want to do, then how exactly do you plan on getting hired? Networking is key. I really am an advocate for higher ed, but I'm a bigger advocate for utility. Make it work for you, not against you. Know that it is costly (conferences, testing, licensure, etc) but know also the cost of not going. Good luck!
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