TEM #011: The story of my gap years.

September 8, 2023

Happy Friday!

This is a special edition of The Education Mindset: I’m excited to share my career and education story through a super fun podcast guest interview.

If you’re working before going back to graduate school (i.e. taking “gap years”), the episode below will highlight the benefits of those experiences for your applications.

This week’s highlights:

• Your education affirmation

• My gap years before graduate school with AmeriCorps

• Action steps for the next week

• Eiffel Tower growth spurts 🗼

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Education affirmation.

I chose to move forward every day, growing and learning as I go.

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On the Blog.

Before graduate school, I completed two years of service with AmeriCorps through City Year and then Ohio Campus Compact as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).

AmeriCorps is a government organization for national service - similar to the Peace Corps - that includes a $6,895 annual education award to use toward undergraduate student loans or graduate school expenses.

To learn more about my service years and career trajectory after graduate school, listen to my first guest spot on the AmeriCorps Connections podcast hosted by Nicki Fiocco.

We have similar energy so it was a fun conversation.

Prefer video? Click below to watch our chat on YouTube and see the Timberland boots I wore as a corps member in City Year. 🥾

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Application Action Steps.

Choose your own adventure 🚁

1. Thinking about school in the future?

   • If you’re hesitant to go back to school because you’ve been working a few years… don’t be.

   • Honestly, having life and work experience means you’ll have more stories to pull from when you apply.

   • Faculty also enjoy having students with work experience in class because they can help contextualize course material and are excited to be students again.

   • The action step? Take as long as you need to work before going back to school - you’ll know when it’s the right time in your career and life to apply.
     

2. Actively applying later this year?

   • Lean into your life and recent work experiences in your personal statement

   • Show application reviewers how these “gap years” will benefit your cohort in class and how they solidify your career intentions post-graduation

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Fun fact.

The Eiffel Tower is taller in the summer.

Due to thermal expansion, the iron can “grow” up to 6 inches when temperatures rise.

Share this with your favorite engineering graduate student (bonus points for bringing up expansion joints).

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Enjoy the podcast and let me know what questions you have about AmeriCorps or your gap year plans.

I hope your September is off to a solid start!

Dr. Jena

p.s. Have a coworker, friend or mentee thinking about graduate school? Forward this email so they can sign up here for The Education Mindset and get on track to apply.

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