SSS Heads to the Windy City to Explore the Graduate School Experience
From the SSS Saguaro Newsletter
What did you do for your Spring Break? For eight lucky SSS students, they had the opportunity to spend their break in the great city of Chicago. Every year, SSS hosts a Graduate School Trip, in which prospective graduate school applicants get to check out a cool city and visit several graduate schools at some of the leading private and public universities in the nation. This year, students visited Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Chicago. The days were packed with faculty meetings and talks from students and administrators; but the nights were free for students to explore the Art Institute of Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium, Millennial Park, the Hancock Observatory and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade—one of the largest celebrations in the country . To fill us in on what the trip was like, Michelle Lai, a Nutritional Sciences Sophomore, was kind enough to tell us about it!
Saguaro: What interested you in attending the Chicago Graduate School Trip?
Michelle:I was interested in attending because of the information and knowledge I felt I could gain from speaking to various faculty and students about graduate school. Before the trip I knew very little to nothing about graduate school and the whole application and admissions process and I hoped that this trip would help me learn more about it.
Saguaro: In what ways did you find the graduate school trip to be beneficial to your academic future?
Michelle: The thing that helped me the most was attending the graduate student panels at each university. We were able to hear a first-hand account from current graduate students of their experiences, worries, struggles, and excitement about graduate school. The students wanted us to learn from their mistakes and it helped me see what graduate school might be like. They were also willing to give advice us on problems we may encounter in the grad school process—even if we contact them lat a later date.
Saguaro: What did you like most about the campuses?
Michelle: The thing I liked most about Northwestern’s campus was that the departments were located in houses around the perimeter of the campus. It gave it a more relaxed and “home-like” feel to the campus, as opposed to an intimidating feeling one may get at the U of A.
At the University of Illinois-Chicago, I really liked how their student union area looked very modern, especially with an escalator in the middle of the union. But the thing I liked the most was that the freshman dorms were connected to the union. That is a great way to get students involved on campus right away. It shows that the university had careful planning when designing these structures.
Saguaro: What do you think was the most important thing you learned about graduate school on the trip?
Michelle: The most important thing I learned was that graduate school is a very independent process and very time consuming. In order to succeed, you have to keep track of yourself and set goals for yourself. Though getting a graduate degree takes lots of time and commitment, the rewards seem endless. I’m really excited.
Saguaro: Finally, what was your favorite part about Chicago?
Michelle: My favorite part about Chicago was the view of the downtown area that we saw one evening in the Hancock Observatory. It was amazing. It was also neat to see them turn the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day too. It even snowed while we were there too!
Saguaro: Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
