This week I attended the graduate student information session. A common theme of the conversation was the importance of starting early, beginning with an honest assessment of personal goals. I have known personally for a long time that I want to attend graduate school so but, I had very little knowledge of the application and acceptance process. The entire process was broken down into five fundamental steps which I found very useful in making a process as stressful and complex as this much more manageable. Additionally, the session served as an indication that I need to begin the process, at least by beginning to explore programs of interest inside my major: microbiology.

I found the information about the Personal Statement and the Diversity Statement very informative. I often struggle on applications because I cannot decide what aspects of my life to include so by offering advice such as that the personal statement should be an explanation and expansion of a resume was encouraging because then aspects of my life that tie together and are very impactful on my day to day life can be explained in more detail rather than only explained by a phrase in my resume.