It’s that time of year again – the NFL Preseason! Just kidding. I’m actually thinking about the beginning of school, especially all of the undergraduates who are either beginning their college experience or starting to think of life after their bachelor’s degree. For undergrad members of ESN, this likely includes thoughts about graduate school.
I’ve asked about advice for undergraduates before, receiving some great comments in the process. Since the responses were so good the last time, I’ll just repeat the same questions:
- If you were once an undergrad, what do you wish someone had said or asked you at that stage of your academic career?
- If you are an undergrad, what kinds of questions do you have about grad school and the life of an academic?
- What kinds of resources would be most helpful for ESN to produce or distribute?
Leave your advice in the comments, or send it directly to me, if you wish.
Photo credit: sienacommunications via Flickr
The former Associate Director for the Emerging Scholars Network, Micheal lives in Cincinnati with his wife and three children and works as a web manager for a national storage and organization company. He writes about work, vocation, and finding meaning in what you do at No Small Actors.
My number one piece of advice for Christian undergrads: Find a church home in your university community. Campus ministries are wonderful, but you’re going to be surrounded by other 18-22 year olds week in and week out — take a couple hours on Sunday mornings to plug in to a larger community. The perspective will do you good — and it will very likely come with invitations for a home-cooked Sunday dinner.
Try new things and take advantage of new opportunities, even for things you aren’t sure you’ll like off the bat. Go for extracurricular activities, studying abroad – have fun with it!
Figure out your questions and ask ’em. Ask about everything from the very simple to the achingly complex. Oh, and don’t go to grad school without reading through the PhD Comics archive, because Jorge isn’t really exaggerating. Graduate study is not for everyone, nor is it any sort of “safe place” to hide after graduation. It can be destructive and painful as well as joyous and enlightening. Far better to figure out what you can do and earn application fee and moving money while you decide if you really want to go for grad school!