Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

You’re Invited: Learn About the MPS in Management and Organizational Leadership

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Posted By: Career Enrichment Network

Please join us for an information session about the new Smeal MPS in Management and Organizational Leadership planned for Fall 2017 (pending Graduate Council and Board of Trustee approval in spring 2016).

When: Tuesday, February 9th

Time: 6pm-7pm

Location: 126 Business Building, University Park, PA*

Register by Sunday, February 7th!

PIZZA and SODA will be served!

(*If you are not a student at the University Park campus and would like to attend virtually, please register AND email your request for the connection link to sld138@psu.edu. The link will be sent out prior to the presentation.)

The 10-month resident MPS in Management and Organizational Leadership from the Penn State Smeal College of Business is being designed for recently graduated baccalaureate students with strong quantitative skills from non-business disciplines.

The Program—part of an emerging trend of career-acceleration degrees that are becoming very popular with prospective employers—intends to provide the essential business skills to compete for accelerated management and leadership roles within top organizations.

Current undergraduates, particularly those in their junior years of study, can now plan to apply for fall 2017 enrollment in the MPS. Pending curricular approval and presentation to the Penn State Board of Trustees, the college will begin reviewing applications in fall 2016. For the first year, the program will be capped at only 40 students.

The Program is adapted from the first year of the two-year residential Penn State Smeal MBA Program. The proposed 32-credit MPS curriculum will offer a strong foundation in the basics of business, with coursework in areas such as accounting, finance, management, marketing, and supply chain management. Beyond fundamentals and well-honed business acumen, MPS students will also be prepared to lead with integrity and character, emerging with the skills to communicate effectively and establish critical partnerships.

For more information about the information session or the program, please email MMOL@smeal.psu.edu or visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/mmol

Explore the School of International Affairs

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Posted by: Career Enrichment Network

Interested in global affairs? Want to make an impact on the world by helping a third-world country develop or implement an education system? Think you have what it takes to help negotiate peaceful resolutions, create policy plans, or analyze intelligence to assist national security? A Master of International Affairs can help you do all of this and more. We invite you to explore the Penn State School of International Affairs at our Explore SIA event. The event will offer the opportunity to sit in on a class taught by a former U.S. ambassador, listen to students explain how they prepare, study and gain real-world experience to become effective global leaders, and listen to faculty provide you with information about our unique, customizable program.

 

The afternoon’s activities include:

4:15 – 5:30: INTAF 802 (Foundations of Diplomacy and International Relations Theory taught by Ambassador Dennis Jett) – optional
5:30 – 6:00: Pizza and check-in
6:00 – 6:15: Welcome
6:15 – 6:45: SIA Overview including admissions, academics, and career services
6:45 – 7:30: Faculty and student panels
7:30 – end:  Tours of the Lewis Katz Building

 

Please RSVP via the button below.

RSVP Now

Date/Time: 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015 – 4:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: 

Lewis Katz Building

Penn State Graduate & Professional School Week

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Posted By: Career Enrichment Network

Interested in continuing your education? Meet with representatives from law, medical, health-related and graduate programs from across the country right here on campus!

Stop by to network, learn about program opportunities and see what options are available! View the list of attending schools now: http://careerfairs.psu.edu/GPWeek/default.shtml

Law School Day: October 20, 11AM-2PM, Alumni Hall-HUB

Medical School Day: October 21, 11AM-2PM, Alumni Hall, HUB

Graduate School Day: October 22, 11Am-2PM, Alumni Hall, HUB

Over 250 schools will be represented. No pre-registration necessary.

Introduction to Diversity in Doctoral Education And Scholarship (IDDEAS)

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This two-day program seeks to attract a diverse group of promising undergraduate students and introduce them to business research at the doctoral level. Funded by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Dean of the Wharton School, the goal of this program is to support and encourage student and faculty diversity.

What will you do as an IDDEAS participant?
  • Meet current doctoral students and faculty.
  • Learn about doctoral-level research.
  • Discuss careers in university teaching and research.
  • Take a master class from world-renowned Wharton faculty.
  • Gain advice about graduate school opportunities and insights on the application process.
  • To view IDDEAS 2014 agenda, click here.

When:
April 16-17, 2015

Where:
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA  19104

Participation in IDDEAS is through a competitive selection process. Attendance and accommodations are free of charge, excluding travel arrangements. A limited number of modest travel grants are available. The application deadline is Friday, January 30, 2015. You can access the application here. In addition to the application form, applicants must submit:

  •  Essay
  • Self-reported or official transcripts
  • Letter of recommendation from a faculty member or advisor

Questions?
Contact: Maggie Saia, Coordinator of Recruitment and Special Projects for the Wharton Doctoral Programs
E-mail: msaia@wharton.upenn.edu Phone: 215-898-4878

Meet with Wake Forest University MA in Management Representatives – March 24

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Are you thinking about a graduate degree?  Interested in business and management?

Ms. Amy Galbraith from Wake Forest University’s Master of Arts in Management will be on campus on March 24 in the Bank of America Career Services Building to talk with interested Liberal Arts majors about their program, which is focused specifically for Liberal Arts graduates.

The MA in Management program is a pre-experience business degree designed to build on your undergraduate studies, enabling you to pursue a broader range of careers. This program could be a great next step for those students seeking a graduate degree, who are not ready to go into a career and/or are still searching for a career fit.

Liberal Arts majors interested in this opportunity are encouraged to sign up for a specific time-slot in their Network Symplicity accounts.  Click on the “Events” tab, find the “Wake Forest University – MA in Management for Liberal Arts Majors” event, and sign up for a 15 minute time-slot that works with your schedule.

Surviving the Application Process

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I’ve finally accepted the fact that this is my final year at Penn State– for the most part anyway, as long as you don’t mention “graduation.” Because I’ve finally realized I’m moving on from this place, I am applying to graduate schools in English to further my education. My reasons for wanting to attend graduate school are varied and rather boring to anyone but me, so I won’t get into that here. I do, however, want to impart upon you all the various things I have learned and I am currently learning as I am knee-deep in this process:

Figuring out where to apply is hard work. Seriously, I had no idea where to start for a while. I managed to cut it down to two criteria– location and funding.  With the second, I tried to search programs that funded most, if not all of their PhD students. It turns out that many grad school programs provide funding, so this didn’t narrow it down much. Location, however, is important. As much as I love Penn State, I think I would like to be somewhere less rural as a grad student. Geographic location was also very important to me in this search, as I still am quite close to my family and I did not want to move across the country from them. Another criteria important to consider as you look around at grad schools is the ranking/reputation of the program. I wanted to find a mix of top schools that had stellar reputations in English and good schools where I had a better chance of getting accepted. With all of this to consider, finding a place to start was a difficult aspect of this research that I did not really expect.

Figuring out where to apply is scary. I’m hoping this one isn’t just me, but the idea of relocating to some place completely new where I do not know anyone– it’s exciting, but in a totally terrifying way. I remember the stress of freshman year of college, realizing that I needed to get out there and make friends– and quickly. I remember thinking to myself, “Not this again! I thought I was done with this process!” Though it is always fun to meet new people, the terror of spending my time alone for a while before friendships kick in is still lurking.  

Start early. There are some aspects of this where I did well and feel I can pat myself on the back, and others where I’m still stressing. If you’re applying to English grad schools, or anything else that demands an extensive writing sample, you can’t start working on this too early. Seriously.  I picked my writing samples rather early in the game, which was a good choice on my part, but because I didn’t finalize my list of schools until later, I was rather shocked and dismayed to find out that most schools have a different length requirement on their papers. I’ve seen it range anywhere from about 10 to 25–and some want two separate samples! This is a major headache/scare factor because the writing sample is an extremely important part of the application. So have a couple options and choose early. And edit until you can’t see straight. That helps, too.

Be flexible. From the applications I’ve completed so far, it seems most schools want similar information from you, but they all word it differently, or have a different length requirement, or have some aspect that was not included last time. The best way to tackle this is to have materials that you can easily adapt from one form to the next.  Many people think that preparing one personal statement is enough. But many schools have a secondary personal statement in which you are asked to talk about your life experiences, etc. Think of a couple good ideas for this and get ready to adapt them depending on the school’s requirements.

Be on top of deadlines and specific requirements for each school. This could be my most important tip for you: make sure you know when everything is due and what materials each school needs. Be on top of where you need to send official transcripts. Find out who has supplemental materials that need to be mailed or uploaded online. This will make a huge difference in timing. 

If you stay organized, you’re on your way to success in the application process. Those are the encouraging words I keep telling myself to get through the second half of this application process.

If you have any experience applying to graduate school, please feel free to share in the comments section of this blog post.

My Penn State Experience

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Being an underrepresented student in the College of the Liberal Arts at The Pennsylvania State University helped shape my experiences. I met people from different ethnic groups who I was able to connect with on a personal level, developing friendships that would last a lifetime.

My experience at Penn State was a little challenging at first because I am from an urban area. However, I was able to join different organizations that helped make my overall experience better at the University. I was a part of the NAACP serving as the Corresponding Secretary for a year. In addition, I was a part of the Fast Start Advisory Council which helped First Year students get adjusted to campus. This organization really helped me because I was able to get a mentor in my hometown, with whom I am still in contact with to this day. She has helped me throughout my Penn State career and is still helping me in graduate school. I was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. which put on programs for the Penn State community on issues that affect students, like how to avoid debt and how to maintain healthy exercising practices.

Attending The Pennsylvania State University is one of the best things I did for myself. It has helped prepare me for a graduate experience I could not imagine. During my undergraduate study, I was in the College of the Liberal Arts majoring in English. When I became a junior, I decided to double major in African American Studies. I learned to navigate through Penn State very well. I also had people who helped me along the way. One person who helped me was Mr. Merritt, the Director of Multicultural Equity Programs in the College of the Liberal Arts. Mr. Merritt assisted with my books, helped me to find scholarships that I was eligible to apply for, and provided caring advice when I needed it. Having someone that is able to help the needs of underrepresented students is very important to the Penn State community and can be a deciding factor of whether or not underrepresented students stay enrolled at the University.

Faculty were very supportive of my decision to attend graduate school. Three professors, Dr. Mhando, Dr. Thomas, and Dr. Gilyard helped me with my journey to graduate school. From being a part of the Ronald E. McNair Program, I was able to learn what research was by attending workshops and getting experience doing research with Dr. Thomas. I was able to learn Stata, a statistical software, and was able to learn about high school dropouts. This experience helped me to do research during the Summer of 2009 at the University of Michigan where I was able to study how achievement motivation affected African American adolescents. After these opportunities, my experience and motivation led me to pursue a doctoral degree in Education Policy Studies. Currently, I attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I am on fellowship. This past May I received my Masters Degree in Education Policy. I believe the experiences at Penn State helped me to be adequately prepared for this program. I have no doubt that I chose the right school for my undergraduate experience.

Pathways to Success

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Each academic year a multitude of students venture into higher education. As the Multicultural Equity Programs Director for the College of the Liberal Arts, I have the opportunity to work with a variety of undergraduates. Often students wonder how they will fit in this new milieu and what is expected of them. Every student must sort through their wish list to identify the path they will follow. Being inquisitive is a starting point for continuing your success. “Success is peace of mind which is the direct result of satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming” John Wooden.

I always encourage my students to start their first year at Penn State with a plan. It is never too early to think about studying abroad, participating in internships, or applying to graduate school. Factoring in these opportunities early in your undergraduate education will better situate you to achieve your goals. Below, I have provided a brief outline that might make sense for you, especially if you are considering graduate school:

First Year (Self-Discovery)
Explore your interests and abilities;
Visit and talk with your academic adviser;
Develop effective and efficient study habits and skills (you might even set a goal of making the Dean’s List);
Participate in out-of class activities that enhance your learning (you can check out PSU’s events calendar to see what exhibits, lectures, and events are happening on campus);
Visit Grad Fair and Career Day events to observe;
Do something each week that makes you happy.

Second Year (Assessing Options)
Define and establish your personal, life, and career goals;
Start to make contacts in your chosen career area – maybe even try to shadow alumni;
Identify potential mentors from professors, staff or graduate students;
Search for relevant internship/co-op opportunities (the College’s internship website is a great place to start);
Get involved with faculty research if possible;
Keep discuss your goals with your adviser and mentors.

Third Year (Engaging Your Goals)
Examine and confirm your career choice;
If you are considering non-profit, government, or corporate positions, make use alumni contacts;
Strengthen your mentoring relationship and discuss your plans with your adviser or faculty mentor;
Research appropriate graduate programs and visit school if possible;
Apply for summer research or internship experiences (it is always a good idea to begin this search and apply for positions early, anywhere between late-fall to early spring);
Attend graduate/professional and career fairs to establish contacts;
Research admission test/exam dates and schedule yours!

Fourth Year (Making a Choice)
Register to take admissions test if not already completed;
If you still haven’t, sign up for one of the Career Fairs sponsored by PSU’s Career Services;
Start applying to graduate school (apply early since most universities use electronic applications and comply with deadlines);
While you wait to hear the results from job interviews or graduate school applications, soak up the rest of your time here at Penn State!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this post further, please feel free to comment on this post or email me directly at efm1@psu.edu. I wish you the best of luck on your journey here in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State.

What was the highlight of your summer?

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“Only a life lived for others is worthwhile” Albert Einstein

I pose this question after just returning from the CIC Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) conference held at The Ohio State University from 7/22-25/2010. This event is part of the capstone experience for some 464 students who have participated in an eight-week research internship attracting students in numerous disciplines who aspire to graduate study. The goal of SROP is to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who will enroll and seek graduate degrees at CIC universities. Penn State University had a cohort of 31 students participating in this activity. There were three students from the College of the Liberal Arts in the aforementioned group. During the conference I met four other Penn State students participating in SROP at University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University. These students participated in poster sessions and discussion roundtables; networked with faculty and SROP alumni; and attended a recruitment fair.

We had the opportunity hear Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as the keynote speaker. He shared his experiences as a young person growing up in New York. His early passion to understand and study the universe was a driving force directing his achievements. He is a frequent guest on the Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and hosts PBS’s show NOVAscienceNow.

These SROP participants have a leg up on the process of getting admitted to graduate schools because they have shown the initiative, commitment, and the desire to make a difference by engaging in the research process. Some of these students will continue to be involved in research when they return to their home institution. Over 59% of these students will graduate by fall 2011 with GPAs of 3.4 or above.

If you have not been involved in research, you should consider connecting with the faculty in your major this fall to open this new vista. Check with your advisor or faculty to learn more about research experiences in your major.

Take a look at some of the photos taken at the CIC Summer Research Opportunities conference:

From Undergrad to Grad: A Recent CLA Alum Makes the Transition

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Jacque Andrews
Originally uploaded by LAUSatPSU

Many Liberal Arts students consider graduate school as they approach the end of their undergraduate education, but aren’t quite sure what to expect. Preparing for graduate school can be confusing and overwhelming while juggling classes and schoolwork. I recently got in touch with Jacque Andrews (’08, Communication Arts and Sciences, Journalism), to find out how graduate school is going for her and what she did to prepare for it. Jacque is currently a graduate student at the University of Denver, working towards a master’s degree in human communication studies.

What was the application process like for you when applying to graduate schools?

Jacque: I applied to three grad schools and took the GRE twice. I had to have 3 letters of recommendation for each school, so getting close to a few professors near the end of my time at PSU helped a lot with getting those taken care of. I think hearing back was really similar to undergrad application process. It didn’t take too long but it also wasn’t a short process either.

Why did you decide on a human communications graduate program?

Jacque: I chose human communications because I think a lot of jobs require great personal speaking skills and great writing skills. I also like that I can teach communications at smaller colleges with a Master’s degree.

What made you choose Denver when narrowing down a specific school to attend?

Jacque: I chose Denver because I was interested in going to a smaller school, and Denver is just an all around great city. Also – Denver is kind of a “best kept secret” in the rhetoric world. We aren’t huge and crazy well-known, but our professors are outstanding and all of them get published regularly and some are on the board of editors at a few important publications.

What are the main differences for you when comparing undergraduate coursework and graduate coursework?

Jacque: Graduate work is a LOT more writing and reading intensive. Having a book read by each class and 30 page papers due are a lot more than I was used to from undergrad. Also, because my program is very small, I work very closely with professors and other graduate students, which makes me feel like I have made really strong connections with other people who are interested in what I like to study.

What internships did you have as an undergraduate? What did you have to do and how did you find these internships?

Jacque: One of my internships was marketing for a Nevada garden shop–I helped plan and promote a wine tasting and gathered data on the shops demographic, did event coordination for a concert series in NV, took care of the band (food, drinks etc.) and set up the venue. I was a PR intern for the Reno Pioneer theatre, and I promoted upcoming shows. I did PR for the Reno Philharmonic where I wrote press releases and public service announcements for radio and TV, and then I wrote a television treatment for a show that a local company was pitching to FOX and ESPN. I found a lot of these through friends of my family, and then from people who knew me from events that I interned at.

Which internship have you found the most useful now that you’re in graduate school?

Jacque: I think anything that involved writing and personal communication with people that I had to work with were really helpful. My writing was a lot stronger after writing announcements and press releases, and having to talk to people for work helped my interpersonal skills a lot. Strengthening my writing with internship duties has helped my graduate studies.

What advice would you give to prospective undergraduates thinking about graduate school?

Jacque: I would say to start early, get to know some professors that you would like to write recommendation letters for you. If you have a personal relationship with professors, they will gladly write great letters, which I think helped my application look really strong.

To other CLA students who have applied for and been accepted for a graduate program: where are you going? Why did you choose that program? What do you hope to accomplish?

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