Grappling with grad school

Should students go straight through or take time off?

Jonathan Dyck

Between fighting off the back-to-school blahs and struggling to stay on top of readings, all university students know that January can be a challenging month. But for those grappling with graduate school applications on top of their studies, things can be even tougher.

Mladen Kojic, a U of W student in his final year of a politics degree, is in the middle of completing applications to four different graduate schools.

“It’s incredibly stressful,” he said. “I do one thing at a time, so I put everything aside and focused on ... applying.”

Kojic said that the application process is quite gruelling. In addition to an online application, the grad schools he applied to each required a separate application package consisting of official transcripts, a writing sample, two or three reference letters and a letter of intent detailing one’s academic history and reasons for applying to the specific program.

“[The letter of intent] is by far the most time-consuming part,” he said. “It is very frustrating because there is no clear criteria for it.”

While applying to grad schools and keeping up his studies proved to be stressful, Kojic does not regret applying when he did and is looking forward to his graduate studies.

“I really like the atmosphere of the academic environment. And it’s better than working for a company or some other kind of work.”

While some students like Kojic go straight through to grad school, others opt to take some time away from the world of academia.

Mya Wheeler Wiens, a grad student at University of Manitoba’s Natural Resource Institute, is glad she took time off before going to grad school.

“I just needed a break,” she said. “I was really tired of studying.”

In her years off, Wheeler Wiens went to China and taught English.

“I really had wanted to travel, so as soon as I graduated I took that opportunity because I wasn’t committed to anything,” she said.

Kathryn Ready, graduate co-ordinator for U of W’s Master of Arts in English with a focus in cultural studies, said that while it is a personal decision, one of the dangers in taking time off after an undergrad degree is that students run the risk of losing momentum and not returning to school.

But for Wheeler Wiens, time off only enhanced her desire to continue her studies.

“It was a good time for me to think about what I wanted to do and what kind of projects I wanted to work on,” she said.

Regardless of when students decide to go to grad school, Ready said that a sure way to ease the application experience is to ask professors for help. This proved to be true for Kojic and Wheeler Wiens, who both sought out professors for guidance.

“The support you can get from your professors is invaluable,” Kojic said. “They have all been through the process; they know what is required.”

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