By Debbie Mix, Graduate Programs Director<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever considered applying to graduate school, you\u2019ve probably heard that it is a worthwhile endeavor, but not without its challenges. Even the beginning of the application process\u2014finding the right programs to apply to\u2014can seem daunting, so if you\u2019re looking at graduate school as the next step in your academic journey, we\u2019re here to help you consider aspects you may not have thought about yet!<\/p>\n
We hope that you\u2019ll meet with your professors and our Graduate Programs Director if you have questions about graduate school, but we also wanted to provide the student perspective for you. We spoke with our own graduate English alumni about their best advice for graduate school, both what they would tell someone considering graduate school, and what they wish they\u2019d known during their own programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo much of your grad school experience comes from the knowledge, experience, and talent of the faculty. I\u2019d recommend researching the specialties of the professors at the schools you\u2019re considering \u2013 then compare them to your interests to see where your best fit might be.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Jessie Ferree, MA Creative Writing 2021<\/p>\n Enrollment Specialist<\/p>\n Indiana Wesleyan University<\/p>\n \u201cTake the time to look into each program you’re interested in applying to. Look at the courses that have been offered in past semesters, look at the professors you’ll be working with and their scholarly interests, and have an idea of what you want to get out of your experience. There are a number of excellent programs, but if they’re not helping you develop as a scholar, then they’re not exactly excellent for you.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Tamaya Greenlee, MA Literature 2016, Literature PhD Student 2018-2019<\/p>\n Associate Interpretation Planner<\/p>\n Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields<\/p>\n \u201cFamiliarize yourself with the mental health resources both on campus and in the community. Graduate school is very challenging, and I am a big proponent of mental health advocacy.\u201d<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Elisabeth Buck, PhD Rhetoric & Composition 2016<\/p>\n Assistant Professor of English and Communication<\/p>\n Director of the Writing and Multiliteracy Center<\/p>\n University of Massachusetts Dartmouth<\/p>\n \u201cGraduate school can be an anxious and isolating time. I wish I knew that it’s okay to ask for help from your graduate cohort and faculty members.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Amory Orchard, MA English Studies 2018<\/p>\n Rhetoric and Composition PhD Candidate<\/p>\n Florida State University<\/p>\n \u201cGraduate school can be very demanding; it requires serious time commitment. At the beginning of my first year, I went all in and forgot about myself\u2026I eventually learned how to manage my time, stay within deadlines, and still take care of myself. It is important to have a social life outside of school life and moments of selfcare. I am better at it now.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Justine Waluvengo, MA Literature 2019<\/p>\n English PhD Candidate<\/p>\n Vanderbilt University<\/p>\n \u201cI’m coping with life and teaching abroad (which, let me tell you, is the most stress I’ve ever encountered) much better than I dealt with life and teaching at Ball State, and that’s because I’ve learned more about how I deal with challenges and have developed coping methods. Grad school taught me what I need to do to protect my mental health, and I’ve been able to use those methods here in Poland.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Valerie Weingart, MA Creative Writing 2020<\/p>\n Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Koszalin, Poland<\/p>\n Politechnika Koszali\u0144ska (Koszalin University of Technology)<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking time after undergrad to work and save money\u2026I don’t regret how events in my life unfolded, even though I’m absolutely not where I expected to be. Right now, if everything went according to plan, I would still be studying for my PhD. That being said, I wish I had a better understanding of the financial aspect of graduate school.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I wish I understood the financial burden of education, I wish I understood the significance of assistantships. I wish I went into my MA and PhD programs with a solid financial plan for paying for my education and life during my grad school years.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Tamaya Greenlee<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously consider your funding opportunities before applying. Don’t go into debt for 2-3 years of a master’s program or 4-6 years of a PhD program if you can help it. Research what kind of assistantships (research, administrative, teaching) are available in the programs you’re interested in applying to and what the estimated yearly stipend is. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ask the department if you can speak to current grad assistants, then ask them how well they’re able to juggle their GA responsibilities with their studies. If the GA workload is disproportionate to what you’re being paid, you don’t want to be part of a department that doesn’t properly compensate you for the work you’d be doing for them. Also, such opportunities should somehow be helping you towards your short and long-term academic, professional, or personal goals.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Amory Orchard<\/p>\n \u201cFind your support system. I know this sounds like such a clich\u00e9, but graduate school is a difficult endeavor. The sooner you foster a network of support, the better your experience will likely be. I tend toward introversion so it’s sometimes challenging for me to put myself out there, but I’ve never regretted saying “hi!” and introducing myself to someone at an orientation or event. Developing relationships with the folks in your matriculating cohort (i.e., the people beginning your program with you) is particularly important, as you’ll be reaching the same benchmarks at similar times.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Elisabeth Buck<\/p>\n \u201cI recommend building a support system or connecting with your cohort. I don’t think I would have made it if it wasn’t for my weekly Writing Center<\/a> appointments, the group chats for each of my classes, or the friend group I was able to make. Grad school was intimidating and exhausting, so it is easy to just go home and crash. However, pushing yourself to talk to your peers or set up study groups goes so far (academically and mentally).\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014Emilie Schiess, MA TESOL & Linguistics 2021<\/p>\n Assistant Lecturer<\/p>\n Ball State University<\/p>\n \u201cEstablish a relationship with your professors early in the program and create consistent and constructive allies with your colleagues, you cannot do graduate school on your own. Create a support system within and outside the program and even school. These people will make your graduate life much better. The Writing Center is a life saver. Take advantage of that. Be prepared to study a lot and hard. Take responsibility for your success.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u2014Justine Waluvengo<\/p>\n Thank you so much to our alumni who connected with us about their graduate school experiences! This post wouldn\u2019t exist without them or their thoughtful responses.<\/p>\n Looking to learn more about our <\/strong>graduate programs<\/strong><\/a> or graduate school more generally? <\/strong>Contact us at english@bsu.edu<\/a>!<\/p>\n For more information about the<\/span> Department of English, visit <\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>website<\/span><\/span><\/a>, contact\u00a0<\/span><\/span>our office<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0follow us on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/span><\/a>, and <\/span><\/span>Twitter<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Debbie Mix, Graduate Programs Director If you\u2019ve ever considered applying to graduate school, you\u2019ve probably heard that it is a worthwhile endeavor, but not without its challenges. Even the beginning of the application process\u2014finding the right programs to apply to\u2014can seem daunting, so if you\u2019re looking at graduate school as the next step in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":275,"featured_media":17014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1986,7,1985,13],"tags":[2001,498,627],"class_list":["post-17162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-guest-posts","category-humanities","category-our-opportunities","tag-admissions","tag-english","tag-graduate-school"],"yoast_head":"\nMental Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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