Victors in Grad School

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Chloe Summers, a graduate student in the Masters of Science in Biology program at the University of Michigan-Flint. We talk about Chloe's experience in graduate school and what made her take the step from her Bachelor's to Master's degree. We also talk about the power of research in graduate study and in building strong relationships with your graduate faculty.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Rashal Zureikat who is a Corporate Attorney for ALSAC and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as well as being the co-founder of the Lebanon Relief Project. We talk with Rashal about her journey from attending the University of Michigan-Flint to attending Loyola University Chicago School of Law. On top of this we talk about finding success in law school and what Rashal had to do to make a good transition into law school and what she had to do in law school to maintain that success.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Dr. Ladel Lewis who is a City Council member with the City of Flint, CEO of Jane Key Solutions, President of Sleuth Ink and Managing Editor of Courageous Woman Magazine. As you can see Dr. Lewis has a lot going on and we talk about her journey from receiving her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan-Flint to her Master's and PhD from Western Michigan University. We also talk about the journey that she had to follow to set aside being unaware of the possibilities of attending graduate school to thriving and finding success in the journey too. Dr. Lewis shares many tips that you can follow in your own journey to advocate for yourself and set yourself up for ultimate success in your career and beyond.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Brian Hercliff-Proffer who is the Assistant Director for Registered Student Organizations and Late Night Programming at Michigan State University. We talk with Brian about his non-traditional path to graduate school, how he chose to attend Eastern Michigan University as the school he chose to attend, working while in graduate school and more. We also delve into the work he is doing now and tips that he shares with students about attending graduate school that he has learned over the years working in higher education.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

When you think about a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree, what comes to mind? Do you think about the length of time each takes, the depth of the content you will study, campus life, the overall experience or some other factor?

On a basic level, when looking at the differences in degrees, a Bachelor's degree is typically a course of study that can take up to 120 credit hours, which can equate to eight semesters or four years of study. A Master's degree is a degree beyond the Bachelor's and is usually around 32-36 credit hours and can take from one to two years to complete.

Bachelor's degrees provide students with a basic framework for academic achievement in a specific area of study. Master's programs delve deeper beyond the general education (as you will take no general education courses during this) and focus on one specific targeted area of study.

What does a Bachelor's Degree Contain?

Usually when looking at a Bachelor's Degree you will find that you have two main type of degrees, a Bachelors of Arts (BA) and Bachelors of Science (BS). At some institutions you will find that there are other degrees outside of these, these two types of degrees tend to be the most common. As a part of your Bachelor's degree, about half of the 120 credits will be general education courses. When we talk about general education, these courses include areas such as English composition, mathematics, social science, physical science, history, art, and culture among other areas.

At times students that are coming to a college/university will be undecided when it comes to a course of study, but they will usually select a major in their first few terms at the university. There will be times when a student must apply separately for a competitive undergraduate degree that might have limited seats in courses or in clinical rotations (Nursing, Education or other such programs).

The number of courses for a Bachelor's degree can vary, but for many students, students are required to complete approximately 120 credits to graduate. To graduate students typically have to have a combination of general education courses, major courses and elective courses. Below you will see a possible breakdown of how a student might accomplish this.

Course Types Required Credits Number of Required Courses General Education Courses 52 17 Major Courses 44 15 Elective Courses 24 8 Total 120 40

What does a Master's Degree Contain?

Whereas in a Bachelor's degree students have to complete general education courses, during a Master's degree a student will focus completely on one subject/concentration area. Many times students will take a number of core courses in a specific discipline and then allow students to take additional courses in a specialization area. Some Master's degrees will have students take part in internships or clinical experiences to allow students to be able to take the skills they are learning in their coursework and putting them to use.

36-Credit Master's Program Required Classes 12 Average number of semesters 3-4 Average number of Classes Per Semester 3-4 Average Time to Completion 12-24 months

While Master of Arts and Master of Science are two of the most common degrees, there are a number of other degrees that colleges can also choose to offer that offer even more specialization.

Getting accepted to a Master's program can be very competitive depending on the program. Some programs will have very specific pre-requisites or other requirements needed to be considered while other programs may be more generic in their approach to standards. It is always best for a student to thoroughly review admission requirements for any program that they are considering.

The University of Michigan-Flint offers a full array of Master's and Doctorate programs for students interested in continuing their education. Click here to learn more.

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Amy Yorke who is the Associate Director of Community Engagement and Associate Professor within the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Michigan-Flint. We talk about Amy Yorke's journey from being an undergraduate to graduate student at the University of Michigan-Flint but also the journey from receiving her Physical Therapy degree to practice to finally returning to the University of Michigan-Flint as a faculty member. Dr. Yorke shares her own experience as a student, but also as a clinician and a faculty member to help all students in finding success in their own graduate school journey.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

This week on the Victors in Grad School podcast we are joined by Chandramukhi Thakkar. Chandramukhi is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint's Masters in Public Health. As an international student attending the University of Michigan-Flint Chandramukhi had to learn a lot about being a student in the United States and she shares this and some other experiences in our conversation today. She also talks about her transition from Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Jaipur to the University of Michigan-Flint and what she had to overcome to be ready for graduate school in general.

Chandramukhi plans to use her degree and her background in Dentistry in India to better the lives of many in the future.

This podcast is brought to you by the The Office of Graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also find out more about the 50+ programs that the university has to offer here.

The first thing to take into consideration, is that there is no secret formula or "right" way to choose a graduate school. There are simply too many factors at hand. Some of the most common might be current financial situation, the ability to commute or work remotely, your career interest(s), and of course, the availability of a program. Because of the many details needing attention, it may be a good idea to start with a list, making note of your needs and wants from your graduate experience. How to start that list? Let's begin with a few tips from our own experts in the Office of Graduate Programs at the University of Michigan-Flint.

What are the costs?

All graduate programs come with a price tag. Not just the cost of the program, but of materials, travel to campus, housing, technology needed, and one of the most important costs, your time! How long will the program take you to complete? Are you planning on being a full-time student, going part-time, or balancing your studies with work and family? These are important things to consider.

Most programs will list some, if not all of the costs through their website. A good example of this is the graduate tuition page through UM-Flint's website. You can find per credit hour costs for in-state and out-of-state students, as well as a breakdown by program area, which will come in handy when comparing institutions.

Another area you want to focus on is availability of financial aid. Do the schools you're looking at offer scholarships, loans, research assistantships, fellowships, grants, or any other financial assistance to graduate students? A key piece to getting the costs figured out is speaking with a school's financial aid office and getting your FAFSA filled out as early as possible (usually opens on October 1 of every year). Planning these details ahead will save you loads of stress ahead of starting your program.

Is my program offered?

This seems like an obvious one, right? But that isn't always the case. While there are some fields such as nursing, physical therapy, or engineering that are fairly direct tracks into a career field, there are others that are not so linear in nature.

Take business for example. Sure, you can go the traditional MBA route, and that covers a very broad area in terms of business. But what if you want to focus a little more in a particular area of business such as marketing, accounting, or even economics, as they all play an important role in business operations? There are graduate schools that offer very specific tracks into these areas, and so starting with a career objective might be the best way to decide on your specific track. For those that are still uncertain, then a more general approach may be the best way to go.

Speaking with a trained graduate advisor or faculty member is one of the best ways to get questions answered directly related to the program you're most interested in. Many faculty are available to answer questions via email, but we suggest reaching out to a graduate department first if the option is available.

Will a graduate degree help my career?

One of the top questions on everyone's mind when considering a graduate degree, and a good one at that. Craig Gomolka, Business Programs Recruiter for the School of Management at UM-Flint weighs in on some questions you should ask yourself:

• Will the classes in the degree allow you to apply what you're learning in your current position?
• What types of students are currently in the program?
• Is there a diverse population to network with?
• Are other students in the program on a similar career path?
• Have past students seen an increase in their salaries?

"These are all great questions to ask when considering a graduate degree", says Gomolka. It's important to note that you may not find the answers to every one of these questions at every institution, but most reputable schools will be able to provide some or all of the information upon request. While this list isn't exhaustive, it covers what we think are some of the best questions to ask your potential graduate school.

A degree that fits your lifestyle

Because we're all on different educational and career paths, it's important to take a look at how a graduate program will fit into your current lifestyle. You shouldn't necessarily have to force other things out in order to make room for graduate school. With the increasing flexibility of programs to be delivered in multiple formats, it's often possible to work that 9-5 job, take care of the family, and still go to school full-time!

Now, we didn't say it would be easy, but absolutely possible. When looking at potential graduate schools, consider the way you learn best and what fits with your schedule. Do you like to learn online? Are you the type of student that likes to sit in a physical classroom? Or maybe you would prefer a mix of the two and spend time at home or at school when it fits best around other responsibilities.

Many programs today have flexible options, so once you've honed in on your program, you can start narrowing down options based on format. Most institutions list these options clearly on their websites, but if you don't see your preferred method, it's always best to reach out to a central admissions office to confirm.

Remember, searching for a graduate school is different for everyone. You can find plenty of advice on ways to go about the process. But at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is that the decision you make fits with your personal situation, lifestyle, and goals. Take the time to talk to those that have gone through it already. This could be family members, former professors, friends, or anyone else you might trust for answers. If you're still wondering about other things to consider when it comes to graduate school, you can also contact the Office of Graduate Programs at UM-Flint. We're here to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. Have a great day and good luck on your graduate school search!