It’s hard for me to believe that I just turned in my second midterm as a graduate student. Part of me hopes that time continues to fly this fast and that I’ll have my degree in no time. The other part of me wants to slowly savor the challenge the next 11 courses will undoubtedly bring. But I suppose that’s what trade conferences are for; continually learning more about your industry and those you serve.

I love being challenged, but what I’ve found to be most challenging as a grad student is finding the energy and time to read for class. Granted this semester is a little insane on my schedule. Take this week for instance. I have to read a 100+ page book which is typically no issue for me. Since I stare at a blank wall at my desk at home, and because I can’t stay away from Twitter if I’m at my desk in the office, I decided I would try to find a good place to call my “study home.”  The college doesn’t have a formal student union, so the library is the typical hot spot on campus. I tried studying there last semester, but that was an utter failure for someone with such short attention spans like myself. (Although, a man sitting in the cubicle next to me one night had the brilliant idea of ear plugs.)

My job has allowed me to embrace a work shifting mentality, and I’ve found a great home in Panera Bread as a temporary office when I leave Charleston. With that in mind, I figured I could attempt studying at a local bookstore. It worked for my boyfriend, so it could work for me, right? How about no. I was more focused on the music coming from the ceiling above my chair than I was on the words in front of me. Plus, my left foot kept falling asleep.

In hopes of getting through at least a chapter of the book Monday night, I went home thinking I would sit at my desk and read until I found a better place. That’s when procrastination kicked into fifth gear and I felt the need to clean up my usually spotless room.  Finally, after the room was vacuumed, the receipts put away and all the old magazines recycled, I was able to finish the last few pages of Chapter One.

I haven’t opened the book since Monday night, which means I need to get moving and finish the book before the Buffalo Bills start playing on Sunday.  Even though I know how it will end, I still want to watch the game and munch on a chicken finger hoagie. So, hope for the best for the Bills and wish me luck in finding a good study place!

Related Posts:
The I95 Expedition: Part I
Getting to Know You
How I survived my first year as a grad student

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.

Related Posts
Guest Blogger: Geoff Pallay
Getting to Know You
How I survived my first year as a grad student

Wow, so what can I say. It’s been a whirlwind few months since graduating from the MPA program in May.

I had spent the last two years working as a graduate assistant on campus while obtaining the Masters in Public Administration.

The final week of school I was informed that I had been selected for the Charles Koch Associate Program, which is a one-year program that trains futures leaders of nonprofits interested in liberty. I am spending the year working for the South Carolina Policy Council as a Policy Analyst, while also learning Market-Based-Management — a management philosophy created by Charles Koch, CEO of Koch Industries. The program lasts until May 27, 2010.

My first week was spent in Washington DC, where the program is based out of, for a crash course in the program. There are 81 other associates in the program scattered throughout the country — 60 based in DC, 21 in other cities.

The mission of the South Carolina Policy Council is “to promote limited government, free enterprise, individual liberty and responsibility.” It has been a great experience working in a nonprofit organization, after spending two years learning about the nonprofit world in the classroom. Working as a policy analyst, it has extremely rewarding to be a part of important state and national issues that are shaping our world.

Being able to apply the academic principles I learned at the College to read world problems is another great reminder of why the MPA degree is so helpful!

Now that I’ve plugged my program, I’d like to answer the other most common question I get from friends who are considering going to graduate school: How on earth did I get an assistantship, and what the heck is one exactly?

An Assistantship is a real job, requiring a commitment of 20 hours per week. Unlike grants or scholarships, it is not “free money.” You do have to work!  You also have to be enrolled as a full-time, degree-seeking graduate student in order to qualify. Of course, this means that you will have to be very committed to balancing your time between your studies and your job!

Getting an assistantship requires filling out an application, which can be found here.  You may submit it either along with your application to the Graduate School or after you’ve been accepted. Attach a résumé to your form, and then send it in to us here at the Graduate School Office. Be sure to make your résumé extensive and accurate! Departments hiring graduate assistants peruse the applications to see whose prior experience matches the position for which they’re hiring. If you happen to match an open position, you too could live the luxurious life of a G.A.

I hope that answers all of your questions about assistantships. If not, don’t hesitate to contact us on Twitter, Facebook, or by e-mail. Now, if only I could find where my computer mouse got packed…

Related posts
Monday Motivation: Paying for grad school
Monday Motivation: Finding Balance in Grad School
Guest Blogger: How I Survived My First Year as a Graduate Student

One Year Down!

Upon entering the history graduate program at the College of Charleston, two more years of school seemed like a lifetime!  But here I am, the first year flew by, and I’m no worse for the wear.

I improved scholastically and met some incredible people!

The GSO Grad Assistants, Bree, Amber, Bonnie, Gwen and Tiffany

I moved from a small mountain hamlet to Charleston, South Carolina.  Before the school year began, I was hired as a graduate assistant.  Through this quirky office setting, I found a surrogate family.  The ladies keep me laughing and the impressive career of a gentleman in the office, reminds me what I have the potential to accomplish.  The position keeps me in contact with prospective students, current students, and faculty from our 28 different programs.  I am exposed daily to the exciting projects and research happening throughout the College.  The most important thing I learned in this office is that the faculty is dedicated to student success.

Joi, Chris, Amber, Gwen and Eric

Initially afraid that dedicated, academic pursuit might limit opportunities to make friends, I soon experienced quite the opposite.  The first-years in my program bonded during class discussions, over research, and even an occasional beer.  We ran the gauntlet of a staggering workload and survived!  (”Survive” may seem like a strong word for me to use, but there were definitely times we wondered whether or not we’d make it)  Once we realized that we could survive, my fellow first-years and I relaxed.  We became friends.  We continue to hone our academic skills.  On a professional level, we learned one another’s research interests and career goals.  My colleagues and I share ideas, pass along readings, and support each other.  And when our brains need a rest, we get to play in Charleston!

Joi, Kristin, and Amber

I am so fortunate to have these friends and colleagues in my life.  When I left my small home town for the first time, I was convinced that making friends in graduate school would be impossible.  But I found them and am better for it.

Related Posts:
Keeping it all together, by Regan Fantry
In her words, by Kellee McGahey
The rantings of a thesis writer, by Bree Tomlinson
Wherever you go, go with all your heart, by Kolo Rathburn
Why she chose South Carolina over Michigan, by Bree Tomlinson

That was my life during the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters.  Not only do I work at the Graduate School as the Director of Student Records, I’m also a part time student in our very own MPA program, and I got married at the end of the Spring semester on May 30.

The lives of graduate students can be complicated.  In addition to going to school, many of us work full time, have families, have more than one job, or responsibilities to other people– with big life events to boot!  And we have to find the time (and learn to manage it) to study and keep our grades up in addition to everything else.  Our lives can turn into juggling acts that should surely qualify us to be in one of the rings for the circus!

The hardest thing to do was remembering what I had to do in each role.  My job didn’t wait for school, school didn’t wait for all of the responsibilities that come with pulling together an event as big and a wedding.  And did anyone remember to call the caterer?!

I kept lists.  A lot of lists.  Reminders on my work calender and PDA.  Emails to myself.  Emails to people helping to remind me of my “goals of the week,” and keep me on task (thank you Mom).  Wedding planning spanned three spreadsheets.  It helped that I was marrying someone who was willing to step in and steer the ship when things became too much, or that paper was proving hard to write.

The most important thing that you can remember is to ask for help, and accept it when it is offered.  And breathe.  Breathe in, breathe out.  It’ll be ok– even if the napkins don’t exactly match the dresses, or page 10 of that paper was a little shorter than it could have been, and the conclusion a little less wordy.   

And don’t forget to stop and enjoy life.  Just keep that PDA handy and take that fascinating book on networks and organizations to the beach!

Well, Kellee McGahey doesn’t quite make coffee nervous, but I have absolutely no idea how the woman finds the time to sleep.  Not only is she the Assistant Director of the Lowcountry Graduate Center, but she is a grad student in our Communication program and serves as the Chair of the Charleston Young Professionals.  If you’re at a Chamber meeting, an AMA meeting or any other meeting, don’t be surprised if you see her there.

Kellee recently opened up about balancing work, life and graduate school in Smart Family magazine.  You can find her two-page spread starting on page 74, including three reasons why you should go back to school.  Other women featured include Shari Bouis, Principal at Cario Middle School; Heather Woolwine, Media Relations Director for MUSC; and Lisa Wade, Social Work Case Manager for the Ryan White HIV Care program.

Balance is a delicate thing, but something you can certainly achieve when you’re a grad student.  Take the time to talk with friends and family that have received their degree, or are in the middle of their program.  See what works best for them.  Also, use social media to your advantage.  There are so many groups out there dedicated to helping graduate students like GradShare, LinkedIn, and Mom it Forward.  If you’re stuck, you can always talk with your program director.  S/he might know of a student in a similar situation, or might even have similar experience of his/her own.

Related links:
Rantings of a Thesis Writer
A comic for your Monday
One working professional’s path to a master’s degree

*The first person to email me with what 1998 movie that quote is from will receive a free GRE or GMAT book.

MES candidate, Bree Tomlinson, is still chipping away on her thesis.  If you’re curious what it’s like to write a thesis for a master’s degree, here’s a look into her mind:

June is well under way, and my mind is consumed by my thesis project (I am slowly making my way through the final/written stage).  Every day I wake up and ask myself, “What am I doing for my thesis today?”  I know, I know.  It’s not quite as poignant as JFK’s  “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?”  but at this point in “the game” they feel equally as important!

I have constant reminders of tasks that have not been completed, and “to-do” lists left without checks.  But if that wasn’t enough, I see “my” birds – the birds I am studying – EVERYWHERE!  I am convinced they are following me around the Lowcountry.  I see them while I am driving to the grocery store. I see them flying over my house usually while I am in the backyard (reading smutty magazines). And I see them while walking to the bus stop.  Not sure if these fly-bys are coincidental (after all it is their breeding season and they are constantly searching for food…oh my mind never stops), but all I know is that I am excited for the day when I see my Storks and think “OOH LOOK, my bird friends from the thesis I just completed!!!”

Thankfully, I am nearing the end of my project and can almost see the light at the end of my graduate tunnel!

Other posts you might find interesting:
Why she chose South Carolina over Michigan
Wherever you go, go with all your heart

From there, I started evaluating where I stood with the application packet.  First, there’s the critical fact that I had yet to take the GRE.  Since I didn’t want to wait another semester to start taking classes, I decided to apply as a non-degree seeking student.  That way, I was able to take a grad class immediately and start studying for my entrance exam.  It’s a great option for several reasons.  I already mentioned the first, but the second is that I was able to get back into the mode of studying.  Let’s face it – I haven’t picked up a stack of 3×5 cards since 2003 and the thought of studying for the GRE cold was a little overwhelming.

My first class helped me realize that the students in the program are incredibly close-knit and proud of their program.  They are part of a wonderful  community and were very supportive and welcoming to me as a newbie.  It was encouraging to see such a diverse group of students that were ready with advice at any given moment.

One of the many places I get to travel.

Now that I’ve taken a class, I have the summer months to keep me occupied.  I didn’t want to lose momentum, so I accepted an internship with a local charity to help me gain another perspective of nonprofits.  My summer months are relatively quiet at work, so taking on another position was something I felt I could handle. Plus, I already volunteer with this organization on a regular basis, so it was a natural fit.

This fall will be another story altogether, and this is where I really enlisted the help of other graduate students.  Two students in particular have been incredibly helpful. Both have unbelievably busy schedules and one of them travels just about as much as I do in the fall.  I can be gone anywhere from three to 11 days during the fall, averaging travel to at least two cities a day.  I didn’t want to wait until January to take another class, and figured that it was incredibly important for me to get tips from someone who was in a position much like my own.

There are so many paths available when going back to grad school.  I really recommend that you take the time to talk with students who are in a situation similar to yours.  Find out how they balance life, work, school, etc. Also, rely on your program director.  S/he will be more than happy to help connect you with current students and alumni.  There’s no reason to go at it alone.

Other posts you might find interesting:
Considering grad school? Get an application fee waiver
The application process: Part one
The application process: Part two
The application process: Part three
The application process: Part four

More than 100 students will cross the stage in Sottile Theatre tonight to receive their Master’s degree, and our office is buzzing with excitement.  I’ve worked with several of these students since they first came through Porter’s Lodge their first semester, and have enjoyed each and every experience.  One of the students that I’ve had the privilege of working with is Kolo Rathburn.  He has made such an impact on the college, including his dedication to the Graduate Student Association.  Kolo is one of the founding members, and our most recent president.  He was also gracious enough to guest blog for us on this very special day.

Kolo in the lab

I’m graduating tonight!  Well sort of, you see there is still this monster of a thesis I have to defend, but I have met all other requirements and with a small petition the graduate school has allowed me to participate in tomorrow’s ceremony.

All I can think of is what an honor it has been to be at the Graduate School of College of Charleston.  Not only does this institution have great academic support in administration and faculty, but the campus itself is embedded in a great historic city which makes the experience of being a student here truly unique.

During my brief tenure here at the College, about three years now, I have witnessed many changes in the grad school- all of them for the better.  With the formation and prosperity of the Graduate Student Association, an organization I am quite fond of, a more tangible graduate student community has formed at the College fostering a true sense of belonging among graduate students.  But on a personal level my experience here in Charleston has been absolutely amazing and life-changing.  I come from a small town on the North Shore of O`ahu, Hawai`i.  Coming to Charleston and the South was a huge change for me.  It was through the Graduate School in classes, research, and extracurricular activities that I really made this place my home.  The College itself has embraced me each time I’ve reached out regardless of which department it may have been.  It has also been my experience that when any graduate student has reached out on campus, they have been welcomed full heartedly.

There is a lot in my heart for the graduate school and this special place in Charleston, but I will refrain from spilling it out in this blog.  Suffice it to say that this has been the best decision I have made in my life thus far, coming to the Graduate School at the College of Charleston, and I will always cherish the times I’ve spent here.  But for now it’s time to graduate, well sort of.

Until I blog again, as an alumni, Thank you College of Charleston!

And from the bottom of my heart, Aloha.