TEM #018: What it means to be the first.
November 10, 2023
Cue the confetti, it’s Friday!
It’s been a fantastic week. I’ve started scheduling 2024 workshops for young professionals and am working 1:1 with an incredible PhD applicant on their personal statements (it’s been so fun, I love helping people connect life experiences with the future of their dreams).
This week’s highlights:
Your education affirmation
What it means to be the first 🥇
Umpires and rocking chairs
The Graduate School Application Bootcamp update
Education affirmation.
I can get through anything.
What it means to be the first.
In honor of this week’s First-Generation College Celebration (November 8), here’s an excerpt from my latest article:
How I Got Into Graduate School (After Being Rejected)
For much of my educational career, I’ve been a poster child for “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
I’m a first-generation college student; this means that neither of my parents graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
Even though I had plenty of emotional support from home, no one in my working-class circle had applied to graduate school or knew the inner workings of the admissions process.
I never let it stop me, but can see now how it slowed the process.
Fun fact.
Pre-1859, the best seat at a baseball game wasn’t in the stands.
About 20 feet behind home plate, the umpire sat in a rocking chair.
One of my favorite writing hacks is to sit in the same chair - it got me through personal statements and a dissertation. Try it out this week!
The Graduate School Application Bootcamp Update.
We just finished Week 2! This week we covered:
How to Connect with Admissions and Faculty
Managing Imposter Syndrome While Applying.
Here’s a fun reframe on admissions if you’re anxious about applying:
As much as admissions staff may feel like “gatekeepers” to your educational plans and future career goals, they're actually as eager to get the right people accepted - and enrolled - as you are to get an acceptance letter.
Want to join the next round of The Graduate School Application Bootcamp?
Make it an amazing weekend!
Dr. Jena
P.S. If you’re part of a young professionals group in your city or at work, I’m open for graduate school application workshops in 2024. Whether it’s a stand-alone event or a session during a retreat, I love to connect with new groups virtually and am happy to travel anywhere in Ohio.
Related Posts
Hi! I’m Dr. Jena. I help working professionals confidently apply to graduate school and advanced degree programs so they can achieve their career goals.
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