Your Decision (Veteran Voices)
Your Decision (Veteran Voices)
Transcript
It'll work out in the end. Even if you don't get in on the first round, apply again. If it's really something you want, apply again. You'll get it, and you just need to put you on paper as best you can, right?
So things like the personal statement. I think a lot of schools probably have something like that. That's your best opportunity to sell yourself to the school. So I think-- yeah. Try not to stress too much. It'll work out.
You're never too old to go to grad school. I was really concerned with really being behind my peers and still being in school when I felt that I needed to be at work, building my career, and establishing my brand. But instead, I'm still in school, and I was concerned about that, but luckily, I've been able to do both, and also on a really great advice that I think goes with everything is that, even though I was comforted knowing that I'm not too old, that I don't need to rush it. I don't need to finish grad school super fast.
Because of what grad school does to you, and the fact that it forces you to align or figure out what your identity is going to be as a professional, you should take it slow. You should really enjoy the process, connect, build relationships with your classmates, with the professors, with the TAs, because that is going to be more meaningful moving forward than finishing the program six months before or a year before.
First, realize that you can get in. I think there is a tendency to want to compare yourself to what the typical applicant may look like in your mind, but realize that doesn't matter. What matters is your idea of you and your idea of who you want to be, and you just need to be able communicate that in an effective manner on your application. And then along with that, I would just say, if you've been pushing yourself hard in the military, don't think that that will necessarily translate onto your application.
It is certainly a sidestep at the very least, where there's an entirely new set of metrics, connotations, performance measures, and things that just generally exist in this new world that you're trying to enter into. And the more that you can understand the framing that other people will be viewing you with, the better you can convey your old experiences into your new pursuits and why you would be effective in those. So I think that goes back to the outreach thing, where you shouldn't be discouraged by the sidestep and the need to have new words, new understandings of the realms in play.
So reach out to people that have experience in those and that can help you say what you want to say and the right words to make it a successful app.
So things like the personal statement. I think a lot of schools probably have something like that. That's your best opportunity to sell yourself to the school. So I think-- yeah. Try not to stress too much. It'll work out.
You're never too old to go to grad school. I was really concerned with really being behind my peers and still being in school when I felt that I needed to be at work, building my career, and establishing my brand. But instead, I'm still in school, and I was concerned about that, but luckily, I've been able to do both, and also on a really great advice that I think goes with everything is that, even though I was comforted knowing that I'm not too old, that I don't need to rush it. I don't need to finish grad school super fast.
Because of what grad school does to you, and the fact that it forces you to align or figure out what your identity is going to be as a professional, you should take it slow. You should really enjoy the process, connect, build relationships with your classmates, with the professors, with the TAs, because that is going to be more meaningful moving forward than finishing the program six months before or a year before.
First, realize that you can get in. I think there is a tendency to want to compare yourself to what the typical applicant may look like in your mind, but realize that doesn't matter. What matters is your idea of you and your idea of who you want to be, and you just need to be able communicate that in an effective manner on your application. And then along with that, I would just say, if you've been pushing yourself hard in the military, don't think that that will necessarily translate onto your application.
It is certainly a sidestep at the very least, where there's an entirely new set of metrics, connotations, performance measures, and things that just generally exist in this new world that you're trying to enter into. And the more that you can understand the framing that other people will be viewing you with, the better you can convey your old experiences into your new pursuits and why you would be effective in those. So I think that goes back to the outreach thing, where you shouldn't be discouraged by the sidestep and the need to have new words, new understandings of the realms in play.
So reach out to people that have experience in those and that can help you say what you want to say and the right words to make it a successful app.