College Grad Lessons

2008 was a exciting year for me. Like all college graduates, I experienced the nervousness leading up to graduating, the fun of being a second semester senior, a job search (or two), moving in (and out) of my first apartment, the end of a relationship and the beginning of a new one, working full-time and more.

To recap my college graduation year, I thought it would be fun to write down a memory or two from each month of 2008. For those of you that have graduated from college, hopefully this will spark some fond memories of your senior year in college as well. For those of you that are still college students, I hope this senior year time line gives you a sense of all that you have to look forward to during your college graduation year.

In January, I started my last semester of college. I was working on my senior project, thinking about what type of jobs I’d want to apply to and starting to get a little nervous about life after college graduation. At the end of the month, I celebrated 100 days (party marking 100 days until graduation) with my senior class. I also decided to apply to Teach for America. (more…)

There are a lot of important things to consider when researching grad schools. Some of the most common considerations are the cost of tuition, rigor of the program, required coursework and acceptance rate. Another common consideration is the school’s city or region. Whether you are interested in staying close to family and friends or you are hoping to get a job in a particular location after graduation, a school’s city or region may impact the program’s appeal. When considering a school’s location, be sure to also think about the neighbor the school is in. Is there public transportation? Is it safe? How much will rent cost? Would I want to live here for two years?

This morning I drove to Baltimore with my parents to look at the area surrounding one of the grad school’s I’m considering - University of Baltimore’s M.S. program for Interaction Design and Information Architecture. From what I’ve read about the program, it looks like a great match for me. I’ve talked to two professors from the program, looked at the course requirements and researched where graduates work. Baltimore is a fun city, but each neighborhood is very different from the next. Having the opportunity to walk around the blocks that surround the university gave me (more…)

In the survey that I posted on Saturday, I asked college students and recent graduates what makes them nervous about life after college graduation. I got some great responses and have also thought of a few of my own. So here’s the list of what makes college students nervous about life after college graduation.

1. The economy and the strain it will have on the job market
2. Paying off student loans while still affording housing, food, etc.
3. Getting into a good grad school (more…)
   

Last year when I was considering law schools, it was easy to quickly determine the credibility of a program and admissions standards. There are endless articles about applying to law school, as well as multiple school rankings.

Recently decided that I wanted to pursue a career in interactive web design and information architecture - something I’ve been interested in for a long time, but never considered it as a career path for some reason. The challenge I’ve been faced with is that there aren’t rankings for the niche that I’m interested in. It’s easy enough to find an art school program for web design or something related. There are also library sciences programs with information architecture degrees, as well as computer science focused options like human-computer interaction. All of these could lead to something I’d be interested in, but might not build a diverse enough set of skills. I needed find the perfect graduate school.

Here was my plan of attack for finding the perfect grad school: (more…)

Last week I decided that I want to take the GRE next month. Obviously that
leaves me with very little time to study. Instead of stressing or trying to
cram hours of studying in each day, I decided to come up with a manageable
plan and just do the best I can.

The main focus of my study plan will be studying vocabulary words, so I’m challenging myself to learn 20 words a day for 30 days. (more…)

Around this time last year I was finishing up law school applications and looking forward to being a second semester senior. I had already taken the LSAT, submitted my transcript and asked professors to write recommendations. During college I majored in Economics, completed several internships and was active in Student Government. I was interested in studying business law and working with start ups and small businesses. I had researched schools extensively and had an idea of where I wanted to go to law school.

Then I changed my mind. (more…)