Using Your Coursework to Develop Academic Relationships
Using Your Coursework to Develop Academic Relationships
Transcript
Your undergraduate years can seem like a time of infinite possibility. In order to make sure that you keep your options available for your postgraduate career goals, use your time as an undergraduate to choose coursework, majors, and opportunities beyond the classroom to evaluate and test your assumptions about your values and career goals. Both within and outside of the classroom, the relationships that you build with your professors is crucial to a successful graduate school application.
With this in mind, we're going to cover the following. Planning ahead. Choose coursework, a major, and other opportunities that will help you determine whether graduate school is right for you and to prepare you for future graduate school work. Develop relationships with your professors. Your professors will often have the most knowledge about a particular field of study and will be your biggest advocates when it comes to applying.
Secure opportunities for recommendations. This might seem a little uncomfortable, but if you plan your undergraduate path smartly, your journey will bring you in close contact with a number of new mentors, people who will want to help you succeed. Your daily efforts as an undergraduate can make finding support for graduate study easy.
The coursework that you choose to engage can be a good way to see if a particular course of study is interesting to you and fits with your values and goals. Choose courses that excite you. Go through your class directory, and determine whether or not you'd feel like you'd be missing out if you didn't take a particular course. Listen to those clues.
What are the common factors in the courses that excite you? Is there a particular subject or set of skills that you'd like to engage with? Use every opportunity to determine if graduate school may be right for you by examining your choices and how you feel about your courses each semester. The reality of prerequisite competencies might influence the way that you choose your courses as an undergraduate.
We encourage you to think of this as an opportunity to use your coursework to help guide you in a direction that may be a good fit for your post undergraduate years. You may plan to go directly to work after you earn your bachelor's degree. But remember, it's not a zero sum game. You can prepare yourself for a career after graduation, while making deliberate choices now to keep your options open for further schooling.
Course selection is more than just a means to earning that degree. It's an opportunity to explore new directions, confirm that you're on the right path, and prepare for future education and employment. As you choose your courses, be aware that several common types of graduate programs, especially those in business or the sciences, will have specific entry requirements, demanding students show success and in particular courses before you will be considered for admission.
The major you that you choose to study as an undergraduate may have a direct impact on the postgraduate direction that you pursue. If you are thinking about continuing your education with a master's degree or doctoral degree in a particular subject, then it is important that you choose a major in that field. However, if you determine that a professional school or program like law or business may be your direction, the major you choose may not be as important in gaining a particular set of skills or choosing certain courses to demonstrate foundational knowledge.
Just like your courses, look for majors that offer classes that excite you, that have smaller classes, and offer opportunities for research as an undergraduate. These opportunities can help you decide if you would like to continue on a particular course of study beyond your undergraduate years. You will quickly discover that your undergraduate professors may be some of your most important resources as you think about graduate school.
The faculty-- especially the faculty within your discipline-- have expert knowledge about the field, and they are well positioned to offer you advice as you prepare yourself for graduate school. Get to know them. Start by dropping in during office hours. Office hours are more than just an opportunity to clarify difficult parts of lecture. They are a chance for professors-- especially professors teaching very large lecture courses-- to get to know their students.
It can seem a little intimidating for some students. For a veteran, it might feel like walking into the commander's office without an appointment just to have a chat. But trust us, professors want to see you. Make it a point to drop in frequently, and follow up your visit with a brief thank you email.
Aside from office hours, it's a good idea to enroll in some seminar style classes during your undergraduate work. These smaller classes bring students into weekly contact with professors. You'll find the conversation stimulating. The seminar format naturally encourages faculty to get to know students, and you can't hide like you can in the back of a massive lecture hall.
If you have the opportunity, take another class from a professor you like. These multiple engagements can help you build lasting relationships. You may also find that you will have an opportunity to do research with a professor, engage in independent study, or be able to delve even more deeply into the topics that you are really interested in.
As you begin to develop rapport with your professors, you will find them a wealth of information about graduate school. Finally, it can seem a little uncomfortable for some people to solicit letters of recommendation from faculty members. While you should cultivate relationships with professors to capitalize on their mentorship and expertise in your field, it's OK to ask for recommendations.
Here are a few things to remember. Writing letters of recommendation for deserving students is part of a professor's job, and trust us, they want to support bright students and many will feel invested in your success. Getting the process started it can be as simple as asking for your professor's support directly. Something like, I'm thinking of applying to graduate school. Would you be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation for me?
Don't worry if they say no. They may feel that they're not the right reference for the type of program to which you are applying. Often, these faculty members have your best interests at heart and would rather you obtain a strong, relevant letter, than simply a positive one. Good letters of recommendation take time, and so it's better to ask sooner rather than later.
Plan to give your letter writers six to eight weeks to get the job done. You'll want to provide them with a draft of your personal statement or statement of purpose, a resume, and a potential list of graduate programs that you're interested in. Keep an eye on their progress. A gentle reminder of an upcoming deadline, usually a few weeks in advance, is not unappreciated.
Your course selection and other opportunities can be more than just steps toward completing your undergraduate degree. While you will certainly learn foundational skills in your academic field, these opportunities also give you a chance to cultivate relationships to build a community of peers and mentors who may support your career beyond your undergraduate years. We encourage you to approach your time as an undergraduate professionally. Unlike in high school, professors are not simply there to deliver content to you. They can become important interlocutors, guides, and mentors.
Cultivating these relationships takes time, and the courses you take and the research you perform can give you access and opportunity to build helpful professional relationships as you progress through your undergraduate career and beyond.
With this in mind, we're going to cover the following. Planning ahead. Choose coursework, a major, and other opportunities that will help you determine whether graduate school is right for you and to prepare you for future graduate school work. Develop relationships with your professors. Your professors will often have the most knowledge about a particular field of study and will be your biggest advocates when it comes to applying.
Secure opportunities for recommendations. This might seem a little uncomfortable, but if you plan your undergraduate path smartly, your journey will bring you in close contact with a number of new mentors, people who will want to help you succeed. Your daily efforts as an undergraduate can make finding support for graduate study easy.
The coursework that you choose to engage can be a good way to see if a particular course of study is interesting to you and fits with your values and goals. Choose courses that excite you. Go through your class directory, and determine whether or not you'd feel like you'd be missing out if you didn't take a particular course. Listen to those clues.
What are the common factors in the courses that excite you? Is there a particular subject or set of skills that you'd like to engage with? Use every opportunity to determine if graduate school may be right for you by examining your choices and how you feel about your courses each semester. The reality of prerequisite competencies might influence the way that you choose your courses as an undergraduate.
We encourage you to think of this as an opportunity to use your coursework to help guide you in a direction that may be a good fit for your post undergraduate years. You may plan to go directly to work after you earn your bachelor's degree. But remember, it's not a zero sum game. You can prepare yourself for a career after graduation, while making deliberate choices now to keep your options open for further schooling.
Course selection is more than just a means to earning that degree. It's an opportunity to explore new directions, confirm that you're on the right path, and prepare for future education and employment. As you choose your courses, be aware that several common types of graduate programs, especially those in business or the sciences, will have specific entry requirements, demanding students show success and in particular courses before you will be considered for admission.
The major you that you choose to study as an undergraduate may have a direct impact on the postgraduate direction that you pursue. If you are thinking about continuing your education with a master's degree or doctoral degree in a particular subject, then it is important that you choose a major in that field. However, if you determine that a professional school or program like law or business may be your direction, the major you choose may not be as important in gaining a particular set of skills or choosing certain courses to demonstrate foundational knowledge.
Just like your courses, look for majors that offer classes that excite you, that have smaller classes, and offer opportunities for research as an undergraduate. These opportunities can help you decide if you would like to continue on a particular course of study beyond your undergraduate years. You will quickly discover that your undergraduate professors may be some of your most important resources as you think about graduate school.
The faculty-- especially the faculty within your discipline-- have expert knowledge about the field, and they are well positioned to offer you advice as you prepare yourself for graduate school. Get to know them. Start by dropping in during office hours. Office hours are more than just an opportunity to clarify difficult parts of lecture. They are a chance for professors-- especially professors teaching very large lecture courses-- to get to know their students.
It can seem a little intimidating for some students. For a veteran, it might feel like walking into the commander's office without an appointment just to have a chat. But trust us, professors want to see you. Make it a point to drop in frequently, and follow up your visit with a brief thank you email.
Aside from office hours, it's a good idea to enroll in some seminar style classes during your undergraduate work. These smaller classes bring students into weekly contact with professors. You'll find the conversation stimulating. The seminar format naturally encourages faculty to get to know students, and you can't hide like you can in the back of a massive lecture hall.
If you have the opportunity, take another class from a professor you like. These multiple engagements can help you build lasting relationships. You may also find that you will have an opportunity to do research with a professor, engage in independent study, or be able to delve even more deeply into the topics that you are really interested in.
As you begin to develop rapport with your professors, you will find them a wealth of information about graduate school. Finally, it can seem a little uncomfortable for some people to solicit letters of recommendation from faculty members. While you should cultivate relationships with professors to capitalize on their mentorship and expertise in your field, it's OK to ask for recommendations.
Here are a few things to remember. Writing letters of recommendation for deserving students is part of a professor's job, and trust us, they want to support bright students and many will feel invested in your success. Getting the process started it can be as simple as asking for your professor's support directly. Something like, I'm thinking of applying to graduate school. Would you be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation for me?
Don't worry if they say no. They may feel that they're not the right reference for the type of program to which you are applying. Often, these faculty members have your best interests at heart and would rather you obtain a strong, relevant letter, than simply a positive one. Good letters of recommendation take time, and so it's better to ask sooner rather than later.
Plan to give your letter writers six to eight weeks to get the job done. You'll want to provide them with a draft of your personal statement or statement of purpose, a resume, and a potential list of graduate programs that you're interested in. Keep an eye on their progress. A gentle reminder of an upcoming deadline, usually a few weeks in advance, is not unappreciated.
Your course selection and other opportunities can be more than just steps toward completing your undergraduate degree. While you will certainly learn foundational skills in your academic field, these opportunities also give you a chance to cultivate relationships to build a community of peers and mentors who may support your career beyond your undergraduate years. We encourage you to approach your time as an undergraduate professionally. Unlike in high school, professors are not simply there to deliver content to you. They can become important interlocutors, guides, and mentors.
Cultivating these relationships takes time, and the courses you take and the research you perform can give you access and opportunity to build helpful professional relationships as you progress through your undergraduate career and beyond.