As summer winds down and classes begin, you will most likely find me between stacks of paperwork, and my mouse flipping between Mapquest and university websites. The next three months happen to be the most eventful out of the year for me. Part of my job is to spend the autumn months attending Graduate and Professional School Fairs, talking with undergraduates and faculty about the 28 graduate programs the College of Charleston offers.
The travel season is a little different for me this year. For one, I have added more universities and fairs to my list of trips. I am literally traveling the Eastern seaboard, visiting schools from New York to Florida. The second reason this season is a little different is because I am also a part-time grad student. This means I have to juggle classes, homework, emails, planning events, managing hotel reservations and attending meetings galore across five states in just under seven weeks.
Over the next few months, I will blog my way up and down the I-95, relaying my tales as a grad student who happens to work full-time. Wondering if I was crazy for taking on a class with this type of schedule, I touched base with a colleague in our undergraduate admissions office who was also a part-time grad student. She knows the demands of a recruiter, and I asked her if I was crazy thinking I could balance said demands and a class. My spirits nearly died when she piped up with, “Absolutely!” She then gave me tips on making it work, and I hope that I can help other working professionals find ways to balance work, life and school.
I can’t say it will be easy. I know for sure that I’ll be out of town for two of my classes, which was approved by my professor. But I’ll give it everything I have to make sure it works. Even if that means finishing the 15 hour drive it took from New York a mere two and a half hours before my first class started Monday night.
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Good luck Niki – you can do it!
Hoodie Hoo! You’re really doing it up this year, Niki! I miss helping you pack- hey, I will be following you every step of the way and be here reading and writing back to cheer you on the good days and those that are…a bit more of a challenge! If anyone can juggle school on the road, it is you, girl! Just think- a library will never be too far away if in need of source material or a reference!
Yay- I’m so excited!
Thanks, Nick & MJ!
MJ – I think I found a GA who’s just in your league!! You’d be proud.
[…] I mentioned before, we plan to visit cities and universities up and down the East coast through mid-November. Below is […]