GRF Sara led a productive discussion about the grad school process and helped many people in the room to formulate their own thoughts and plans. But for me it was most thrilling to hear how she paved her way to grad school. She worked in the consulting industry for many years before she had an epiphany. When she wasn’t consulting with clients, she was diving deep into literature, reading book after book of all sorts of genres. That’s what she wanted to do at the end of the day. So she figured, why wait until the end of the day? It’s a passion, not a hobby, so it should be ever present in life. She was already reading and writing extensively in her work for the consulting firm, so it wouldn’t be that dramatic of a shift. From that trail of thought she decided to consider grad school to pursue a career as an English professor. It was clear from the way she articulated her epiphany that she had made the right decision and that she is very happy. Tips can help in the near future without doubt. But sometimes it is a journey into the unknown that can be most rewarding in the distant future, the future we cannot picture in our minds even if we try.
Rose Scholars Spring 2018
Endless possibilities
This seemed like a really cool session, and GRF Sara’s story sounds really interesting. I find it inspiring when people take risks, and change their career or life goals to match their true passions! I’m curious what kind of tips the session actually included — was it mostly broad in terms of finding the right pathways to your career goals, or did it also talk more specifically about factors such as recommendation letters and CVs?
It was a mixture of both. She talked broadly about what kinds of grad schools are suitable for certain interests. But as for rec letters, she did mention that it’s important to get at least one especially if the writer taught you, got to know you, or witnessed you excel in some way.