51 Days Left...

Whew. Sincerest apologies for the unexpectedly long hiatus! It has been a B.U.S.Y. few weeks in the life of Amanda. Amid all of the chaos of planning web chats, on campus open houses, and trying to keep up with school work (senioritis has hit hard) there have been some really exciting things happening!

First, we're in full swing and preparation for welcoming many of our accepted students to campus this week! Hopefully many of you reading this will be in attendance - I can't wait to meet you! It's strange to think that there's a whole new cohort of GSE students coming in the summer or fall and I'll be an alumna!

Remember when I mentioned "the dreaded comps" about a month ago? Well today the results came in aaaaannndddd... I PASSED! That is a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders, and it means I am OFFICIALLY graduating! Which brings me to my next point...

We graduate in only 51 days!!! I picked up my cap and gown last week and the official count down has begun. As exciting as that is and as much as I'm looking forward to it, that means it's officially crunch time (as if it wasn't already). Now that most of my requirements to graduate are out of the way, I just have to push through the struggle of the final six weeks of the semester, and FIND A JOB!

Job hunting has become one of my favorite pass-times and modes of procrastination, but it can quickly become very stressful! It's incredible to see the huge variety of higher education administrative jobs that are out there, and it's been really great to do some soul-searching and figure out what it is that I truly want to do, but it can also be incredibly disheartening to see some of the minimum qualifications for my "dream job" and realize that I still have a looooonnggg way to go before I can reach that point. And don't get me started on the depressing "Sorry you're not the right candidate for the job" emails. Those suck.

Along the way, I've encountered some great resources for finding and securing a job. One of the great parts about Penn GSE is the dedication and connectedness of the alumni. Many of them work on campus and have been kind enough to host workshops or networking sessions for the current students. These are great ways to connect with professionals (who you have something significant in common with) and get some tips and insider information. Most of these people were in our shoes not long ago so they remember how we feel and are enthusiastic about helping us to be successful! I've also been really blessed to work my GA in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at Penn GSE, where my supervisors and co-workers have been amazing in helping me (and my fellow graduate assistants) along the journey. I'm so excited to be able to call all of these individuals colleagues eventually!

Hopefully there won't be a long break between this post and the next one, but in the meantime, keep the questions coming! I love getting messages from people reading the blogs! If there's something you want me to post about, just send me a note!

Until next time :-)

Ask Amanda

Hello Blog Readers!

This week is Penn's Spring Break, and boy is it different from my spring breaks during undergrad. I'm not doing anything terribly exciting - no road trips, no vacation getaways, no binge-watching my favorite shows, just a quiet week at home with my family. Most of my time so far has been spent trying to do some work before the remainder of the semester picks up (only 66 days until graduation!) but unfortunately, my brain thinks it's on vacation, so not much is getting done.

As a productive means of procrastination, I figured I would answer a few of the most frequently asked questions I've been receiving through the blog throughout the year. Hopefully the answers are helpful, and if you have any other questions for me, feel free to submit them through a comment or the "Contact Me" box on the left side of this page! Here goes...


Q. I'm a senior in college now. Should I take a year or two off before applying to grad school?

A. This was a question I got a lot at the beginning of the year, but the answer might be helpful for some of you who are still considering applying this year, or thinking about applying next year. I think the answer to this question relies heavily on what you want to do. I applied to grad school right out of college but I knew I wouldn't be doing anything really productive or helpful to further my career during a year or two off, so I decided to get the degree right away. I know many people who take a few years off to do national or international service programs, teach in the U.S. or abroad, or try to work in early level positions for a few years to build some experience before applying to grad schools. It really depends on who you are and what you want. I knew I needed the degree to get where I want to go in higher education, and I was afraid if I didn't complete it right after undergrad, that I wouldn't want to go back to school later on. I also think my graduate assistantship is more beneficial to me now without a lot of higher ed experience rather than if I held the position after several years of working in the field.


Q. I think I want to apply to Penn GSE this year. Is there some way I can come see the campus and talk to some people before I decide to apply?

A. This is another question that was more prevalent earlier in the year, but the answer is YES! We offer a comprehensive campus visit program for prospective and accepted students to help them figure out if Penn GSE is the right fit! We offer the campus visits between 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. During the visit you have the opportunity to meet with the program managers from the program(s) you are interested in, meet with a representative from our office of Admissions and Financial Aid, take a tour of our campus, sit down for coffee with one of our current students, and even sit in on a sample class session if it's available. You can find the form to register for a campus visit here. Indicate any particular requests or notes you may have in the comments section.

Please note: we ask for at least two weeks' notice to arrange any campus visits and cannot guarantee availability for your requested day. You will typically receive a response within 24 business hours of submitting your online request. To avoid inconvenience, we recommend that you do not book any travel until  the date has been confirmed.


Q. I'm coming to Penn in the Fall. Are there any options for me to live on campus, or do I need to find my own apartment? Where do most GSE students live?

A. This is one of my favorite questions to answer, but it can be challenging because there is so much information and so many resources and options available to students at Penn! From my experience, I would say most students at GSE live in the University City/West Philadelphia area. These are the neighborhoods where you can easily walk or bike to campus in 15-20 minutes. Some students live further away in Center City (across the Schuylkill River) or in neighborhoods outside the main part of the city like Manayunk, East Falls, or Roxborough. You can easily get to Penn from these neighborhoods by driving or taking one of the Regional Rail SEPTA trains. Many students also opt to live in Sansom Place - the on-campus housing option for graduate students. These are essentially furnished apartments on campus which are perfect for students who are coming from mar away or who don't plan on staying in Philadelphia after graduation. Sansom is a little pricier than most apartments in West Philly, but the leases cover the duration of the school year and you don't have to worry about buying your own furniture and moving it in and out. Plus, it's only a 5 minute walk to GSE so you can sleep later in the mornings! Here is some information about living in Sansom Place. Penn also offers some really great off-campus resources like student submitted reviews of landlords, help locating apartments close to campus, and surveys to find potential roommates. Before you start your search in Philly, definitely explore the off-campus services website. As a final housing resource for you, the Graduate Student Center offers online housing orientations throughout the Spring. Check out the dates and register for an event here!


Q. Where can I apply for Penn GSE scholarships or financial aid?

A. Graduate financial aid and scholarships at Penn are a lot different than what typical undergrad schools offer, and maybe different from a graduate school you previously attended. Penn GSE offers merit-based aid in the form of scholarships. There is no separate application for this merit-aid, you will automatically be considered when you submit your application. You will receive notification of your award in your acceptance letter. If you accept the offer of admission and the award, make sure you sign and submit the supplemental form! Unfortunately, there are no need-based financial aid awards or supplemental scholarships that you can apply for. You may be able to find an external scholarship that could be used, but if you have any questions about your award email finaid@gse.upenn.edu. Also note that funding and financial support for doctoral students can be very different, so this information might not apply.


Hopefully this helps some of you! Keep the questions coming!

The Dreaded Comps

What’s the hottest topic in the higher education cohort right now? The comprehensive exam, lovingly known as “comps”. For the higher ed master’s program at GSE, as well as a few of the other programs, rather than completing a written thesis or completing a culminating project of some kind, we take comps, which is essentially a take home essay. Well, it’s an essay that has the power to determine your future – whether you get the master’s degree or not. Actually, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. If you don’t pass the first time, there are options, but you don’t really talk about those until after the exam. In my opinion, the bad part about the comps structure is that they occur pretty early in the Spring semester, before you've been fully immersed and exposed to all of your Spring courses. I keep wondering if things I will learn more about later this semester would have been helpful in my writing…

We had our comps this weekend and I’m so relieved they’re over! We received an email on Friday morning at 9:00am with the two prompts, we had to choose one, write an essay of no more than 2,000 words (that part was really difficult!) and submit it by 5:00pm on Monday. 80 hours. That’s all the time you get to read the essay choices, identify your topic, plan your essay, do any final research, write the essay itself, proofread, revise, and attempt to cut your precious words down to only 2,000. Oh, and don’t forget time to sleep, eat, shower (or not), and if you’re anything like me, factor in some time for coffee breaks, distractions, and procrastination. Sounds really daunting, right? I actually found that the weekend was more than enough time to complete the essay sufficiently and even maintain my mental health. I guess I've been training for this process for the past six months – I love the adrenaline rush from deadlines!

As a cruel joke played by Mother Nature this weekend, we had a break from the snow and below-freezing temperatures and experienced sunshine and temperatures in the high 50’s! I couldn't let that weather go to waste, so I made sure to leave my jacket at home and take a few walks to get food and coffee. They were nice breaks and I made sure to take the scenic route to get places to give me a little more time outside. I also took some time to de-stress by watching the Olympics and meeting my best friend for brunch on Sunday! It ended up being a really nice weekend, excluding the whole writing process, of course :-P

At this point, I've submitted my exam, I did my best, and now it’s really out of my hands. Originally I was worried about writing the exam, then I was worried about receiving bad results, but it’s not worth expending the energy right now. We won’t hear our results back until the end of March, so there’s no sense in worrying until then – I still have a lot more work in the meantime! Passing comps is only half the battle. I still have to make it through the rest of my coursework to graduate!

I figured I’d share a few pictures that I found before, during, and after this weekend. Side note: I wish I hadn't thrown all of my coffee cups away because it would have made a great picture! You would need two hands to count how many iced coffees I consumed in three days…

My stack of materials for the weekend - laptop, iPad, and
all of my old readings and notes from all of my classes.
(Not pictured: copious amounts of iced coffee)

This is how I thought I would feel this weekend
(from Pinterest)

Thanks for the advice, Walt!
(from Pinterest)

This is now my primary concern!
(from Pinterest)

Come Chat With Us

Don’t forget – we have several on- and off-campus events coming up in the next few week!

Also, as promised, we have a handful of online events occurring in the next few months!

Please join us for web chats with current students, alumni, and representatives from various groups and resources around campus relevant to the graduate student experience. This semester our web chats will each have a particular “theme” which will determine which campus representatives will join us. Hopefully you can attend the ones that are relevant to you, but don’t worry if you can’t – we can answer all of your questions at any of the four upcoming chats!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

9:00-10:00 AM (ET)

This web chat will be geared towards students from outside the United States. We will have a variety of international alumni, students, and resources to answer your questions about Penn and life at GSE.

RSVP here.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

8:30-9:30 PM (ET)

This web chat will be geared towards incoming students with families or those who are changing careers into higher education. We will have a variety of current students, alumni, and campus resources to talk about the adjustments involved when coming to GSE.

RSVP here.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

8:00-9:00 PM (ET)

This web chat will be geared towards students identifying with the LGBT community and students of color. We will have current students and alumni from these communities as well as various resources available to discuss the campus climate at Penn and answer any of your questions.

RSVP here.

Friday, April 11, 2014

7:00-8:00 PM (ET)

This will be our final web chat of the semester. It will not be themed, but we will have a variety of individuals present to answer any of your remaining questions to help you prepare for life at Penn GSE.

RSVP here.

Busy, Busy Weeks Behind Us...And More to Come!

 I wanted to give an update on one of my previous posts – due to the snow we had during the first week of the semester, our add/drop deadline at GSE was extended to this past Thursday. I know there were still some people who were trying to find a final class for the semester up until the deadline, but I finally made my decision at the end of last week – I’m keeping ALL of my classes that I mentioned! Specifically, I’m remaining registered for four of the classes and I’m auditing the course on Intercollegiate Athletics. This allows me to attend the class and participate in the learning and discussions without the added pressure of completing written assignments or receiving a letter grade for the class. I’m already so excited about all of the new things I’m learning this semester, but the homework and reading is making for some very long days and nights.

In addition to an immense amount of work for class, we’re also running full speed in my GA office. We host a weekend every year where some of the Ph.D. applicants are invited to come to campus, meet the other applicants who are invited, pick the brains of some of our current doctoral students, and have one-on-one conversations with the faculty members in their department of interest. This took place last weekend so we were incredibly busy last week (hence the very brief blog post and the long delay before this one). In fact, I’m still recovering from the long hours!

The weekend kicked off with a welcome dinner at a restaurant in Center City – this was the first time the applicants and current students were meeting each other, and I’m amazed how quickly they became comfortable with each other. By the time they left that evening they looked like they had been friends for years!

The next morning started bright and early with breakfast and a welcome from Dean Porter, followed by an open poster session where some of the faculty and current students displayed their research and discussed it with our applicants. I was blown away by the informal presentations these individuals gave! There is truly some amazing work being done at GSE!

After Lunch began the stressful three hours during which applicants were able to meet with faculty members to learn more about each other’s interests and research. Even though it had been a long day and night (many had travelled into Philadelphia right before Friday night’s dinner) I was impressed by the constant smiles on everyone’s faces and the positive attitudes that filled the building.

Then came my favorite part of the weekend – dinner at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. This is hands down one of my favorite buildings on camps, and having the opportunity to celebrate a great event there was a real treat! I’ll leave you with a few pictures from the dinner – specifically photos of my delicious meal, and my fantastic dinner company – Wesley, Rebecca, and the miniature Sphinx!!

My DELICIOUS dinner: caesar salad, filet mignon, apple tart,
and chocolate gelato. YUMM!

Me, Rebecca, Wesley...and the SPHINX!

After an exhausting Friday and Saturday, Sunday morning brought a leisurely breakfast where a panel of some of our current Ph.D. students spoke to the applicants about living in Philadelphia and answered a few of their questions. The final event was a trolley tour through historic Philly. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the tour, but I heard it was really interesting and eventful! Hopefully I’ll get to go when our Ed.D. applicants come to visit next weekend! Would you believe, I’ve lived in Philly for five years and I’ve never taken the trolley tour? I guess it’s about time to be a tourist…

This week ahead looks to be just as busy as the last few as we prepare to welcome the Ed.D. applicants to campus next weekend. Hopefully I’ll have some more pictures for you next week! As always, feel free to email me any of your questions – I’m working on an upcoming blog post answering a few of the more frequently asked questions, so stay on the lookout for that one.

Finally, I want to give a HUGE shout out and a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Lauren, our Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid who planned the entire Ph.D. weekend (and is still knee-deep in the Ed.D. planning) and Rebecca, who helped her every step of the way. You guys are the best!!!