CareerWorks hosts talk on graduate school

On Monday, October 30, 2006 CareerWorks at Seton Hill University (SHU) sponsored a workshop for students with an interest in graduate school. Laura Patterson, associate professor of English, spoke at �Don’tBe Afraid of Graduate School,� held in room 207 of the Administration building.
The purpose of the lecture was to make students aware of things that would help them in their application and selection process, said Jamie Martin, assistant director of CareerWorks.


By Valerie Masciarelli,
News Editor
On Monday, October 30, 2006 CareerWorks at Seton Hill University (SHU) sponsored a workshop for students with an interest in graduate school. Laura Patterson, associate professor of English, spoke at �Don’tBe Afraid of Graduate School,� held in room 207 of the Administration building.
The purpose of the lecture was to make students aware of things that would help them in their application and selection process, said Jamie Martin, assistant director of CareerWorks.
�I think as an undergrad you get so wrapped up in all the things you need to do in order to get your degree that you may not have the time or even be aware of�what’s available grad school wise,� said Martin.
The first thing Patterson told students to understand is their own reason for wanting to get into a more extensive study.
�It’s not a great way to hang out if you�re not interested,� Patterson said about students who merely wish to stay in school to delay entry into the �real world.�
�It’s important to be very honest about the commitment that’s required to go to grad school. It’s overwhelming, but it’s worthwhile. It gives you a deep understanding of your subject that some people really want,� said Patterson.
Before attending the workshop, some students were not completely aware of all the things graduate school entails, and how demanding it can be.
�I didn’tknow that you had to specialize in a certain area of your major in grad school� That really interests me because there’s a lot of things I can look at to focus my energy on,� said Kevin Hinton, a sophomore.
�She really stressed that it’s not a walk in the park�it’s a whole different ballpark than what we do here,� said Hinton.
Patterson also elaborated the importance researching institutions of interest beforehand. She discussed visiting graduate school campuses, talking to as many staff, faculty and graduate program students as possible, and taking into consideration even the smallest of details such as library/laboratory size and work opportunities available.
A lot of Patterson’s advice was derived from her own graduate school experience, for which she admits she could have been better prepared.
�I still take responsibility for not getting all the information that I might have, but I think that’s part of what motivates me to try to talk to students who are interested in going to grad school,� Patterson said.
�I think it’s helpful to hear from someone else’s perspective on how their grad school search was either negative or positive, and especially to get some tips and pointers on things not to do,� said Martin.
View this writer’s profile.