University of Dayton - MyLife

Graduate School....here I come

As the title suggests, I was indeed accepted to a few Graduate School Programs. Those who have responded have been Wright State University and The Ohio State University's Social Work Program. Although I am still waiting to here from the remainder of the seven schools, I have already accepted my enrollment at the prestigious Wright State University. After doing some intensive research, I have learned that Wright State's School of Professional Psychology (SOPP) is rated in the top 2 schools that have the PsyD program. For those who are not sure about what a PsyD in clinical psychology is, it is a doctorate degree which is equivalent to a PhD, the only difference is that those with PsyD's are less based in research and more "hands on". I would like to thank the three wonderful women who wrote the letters of recommendation for me (my advisor, one of my teachers, and my employer) because they must have written something grand!

My parents as well as my girlfriend are extremely happy for me and although I doubt it, they said they knew I would get accepted the entire time. Waiting and hoping with my fingers crossed for the past month and a half has got me to thinking. These "cat and mouse" games that we students (be that high school or college) play with admission offices is stressful to say the least. I say this because there is no appropriate way to find out before they are ready to tell you if you are accepted or not. I have been tempted to call early just to "make sure" all of my material had been properly sent in, secretly wanting to know if they have accepted me. I did not do this however, because I thought that if they thought I was pestering them they wouldn't accept me. I think the pendulum also swings the other way because many graduate schools and colleges want to take as many students as they can, be that for the money or for diversity, but they simply cannot. The question that comes into play for these institutions is how does one find a 'well-rounded' student?

Is a well rounded student one who has a 4.8? I would say no because it would seem to me that this student has spent his/her time studying and not developing good social skills and has spent the majority of their time in the library. Then it should be the student with the 2.0 right? Maybe they should consider this student because although his grads are low, he/she most likely has been in a lot of social settings and is cultured in that aspect. This individual may have also learned valuable life lessons that the 'star student' did not. The problem for the institution is, do you take a gamble on this kid and risk the school?s cumulative G.P.A. dropping, or do you take the 'smart' kid and hope he can deal with the overwhelming amount of societal pressure in a new setting. One may say that there should be both types of students that a single student should be comprised of, but how is that possible? I have been trying to find this delicate balance for the past three and a half years and it is harder than one may realize.

Another stark realization that I have come to is that everyone wants to get into a great program, therefore everyone may try and push the envelope a little to look better on paper. By this I mean, a kid applying for a college program can say that he was the 'top player' in his high school football team, and the school may never know. Is that fair for Billy who told the truth and said that he was simply a member of the football team? It seems to me that this other student has a slight advantage over Billy, don't you think? This pushing the envelope is a serious and real thing and since these institutions are looking for the 'best of the best,' it is only natural that you will try and make yourself look better. The problem for me is that I feel as though I am fun to talk to and very personable when you meet me but on paper, I do not look so good. By this I mean although I was able to achieve a 3.0, this does not look nearly as good as a 4.8, but if you would talk to me, you would see that I would be a great asset for your program. The problem is, if you never get the chance to showcase your communication skills, they may never know! Although many people are afraid/nervous about interview sessions, I am the opposite, so when Wright State said that they were only accepting 27 students into their program and are only inviting 50 to take part in the final interview process and I was chosen, it was music to my ears.

Overall I would like to conclude by asking my readers a question that I would like for you to ponder for yourselves and perhaps talk about with your friends and family. What makes a good college/graduate student? Also, is it acceptable to 'push the envelope' as I have talked about to try to get an edge on the competition? I will be taking a poll of my fellow students this week and next and report back to you on my findings, but until then.....be blessed and I love you all!!

Mar 28, 2007 12:25 PM Permalink