Asking questions: Is grad school for you?
By hola | Published | No Comments
Miriam Santana, a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, did not think college was for her when she was in high school in Southern California a decade ago. All her college-bound classmates had perfect grades and the money to pay tuition, she recalled thinking at the time. Those factors, combined with the fact that no one in her family had ever gone to college, led to her to enter the workforce rather than continuing her education. Still, after she became a mother, she changed her mind and enrolled in community college to see where it would go.
Santana’s time at Los Angeles Valley College, a community college near her previous home in California, inspired her to continue her education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a top-ranked public university, according to U.S. News & World Report. Now, a decade later, Santana is studying Mexican-American Literature at UT Austin, another top-ranked university, and working to become the first person in her family to earn a doctoral degree.
As George Washington Carver once said, “Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.” However, finding that key requires determination and a desire to better oneself, qualities people tend to take for granted. Determination is especially crucial for first-generation students, as they may face numerous obstacles without the support of family members who can guide them and serve as role models.
Santana credits her time at Los Angeles Valley College for setting her on her current path, and points out that you don’t necessarily have to have college-educated parents or siblings to find guidance.
“I took a class with a professor who, at the end of the first day of class, explained what office hours are, which is an opportunity for you to walk into the professor’s office and ask any questions about the class and the structure of the course or anything that you’re not understanding about the readings, right?” Santana says.
It was, she recalled, the first time anyone had taken the time to answer her questions about her college trajectory.
“I met with my counselor at community college, who gave me a list of required courses, but I didn’t have any direction,” she says. “It was a very blurry journey until I met this professor who explained the differences between associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees and PhD degrees.” And then he asked her, “What do you want to do?”
Eric Dieter advises anyone considering graduate school to ask many questions. At UT Austin, he directs McNair Scholars, a program that helps first-generation students from underrepresented backgrounds achieve success in graduate school.
“Get a lot of information so that you can make that decision with eyes wide open,” he says.
Furthering one’s education past the undergraduate level may seem like a Herculean task, but resources exist to help aspiring students make the transition. Scholarship programs like McNair also exist, said Dieter, that are dedicated to assisting first-generation students to achieve their dream of pursuing graduate school. Specifically for doctoral candidates, McNair is one of eight TRIO programs housed in the US Department of Education that are still funded for the year.
A few resources outside academia include websites such as Khan Academy, which offer free online tutoring, often for entrance exams. LinkedIn, meanwhile, can help with career planning, particularly in the close-knit academic community. But any educator will tell you that if you are considering furthering your education, you should first speak to your educational and career counselors.
“As someone who is a student and a single mother of a young son, I can say that child care is the most important thing to consider,” says Santana, who is working as an instructor in the UT Department of English while completing her degree.
“The thing with graduate school is that you often take classes for the first two years of your program, and when you’re not doing that, you’re teaching classes or conducting research. You’re also trying to build a community and present your research at conferences. So, it can be hard,” she says. “You’ll want to figure this part out before school starts. Still, my department was supportive and connected me with other graduate students who were parents.”
“With their help, I didn’t have to struggle as much,” she says. “My best advice for someone else in my position is to try to map out what child care will look like for you and to take advantage of the opportunities your university has.”
People often have misconceptions about graduate school and professional schools, Santana observes. One major misconception is that all graduate students are overachievers with perfect grades and ridiculously long resumes. In reality, good grades and a strong resume can be beneficial, but schools tend to take a holistic approach to admissions, seeking students who are a good fit for both the program and the campus.
Everyone is entitled to education, but not everyone can access it. Not all programs are the same.
“The answer varies from person to person,” Dieter says about why a student would want to go to graduate school. “But I suspect that each person has their own set of personal and professional reasons why.”
Some may seek the credibility and authority that an advanced degree can bring; others may want to change the world, says Dieter, adding that motivations may be multi-layered for first-generation college graduates.
“There’s also the motivator that some students, especially first-gen students,” he says, “to give back to their families and make them proud.”
– Story by Zoe Mares
– Copy edited by Kami Waller
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