This blog is written to help those who are
interested understanding the pathway to earn an advanced degree and optimize
their experience in graduate school. You
will find posts on getting letters of recommendation, setting up a plan for how
to apply, identifying what research is and is
not, time management and goal setting.
This season of life (graduate school) can be difficult. The application process can be overwhelming for those who
are also trying to juggle the last semesters of their undergraduate careers,
maintaining part time jobs, fulling obligations to sports teams, etc. In addition, may of those applicants can feel
stressed because they are undergoing a process that their close family and
friends have not undergone or at least not undergone in recent decades. They might also feel pressure to get into the
‘right’ place so that they can later get a ‘perfect’ job. If you feel any of that stress, know that you are not alone.
If you are applying to graduate school- you
will make the right choice in selecting a graduate program. The vast majority of students who I have met
during my time as a faculty member have said they made the right choice for an institution and
found the right research group. They don’t think about the program that got
away or the road not taken. It will be OK.
If you are in graduate school- you will not just survive but thrive. I am here to cheer you on and support you. Keep going.
Attending graduate school in materials science and engineering had
a profound impact on my ability to design experiments, my understanding of the
foundational underpinnings of metallic materials and opened a range of career
options that were not possible without advanced degree. I am so thankful I took the step and then completed my advanced degrees.
