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Best Path to Graduate School? Discuss
The students at the workshop found out valuable tips on how to prepare for graduate school.
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or many Juniatians, life after college often means graduate school and the Juniata Career Services Office offered a guiding hand with The Graduate School Panel during Career Week. Five Juniata alumni talked about their experiences at Juniata, their reasons for going to grad school, and the kinds of experiences that helped prepare them along the way. Juniata’s small class sizes, emphasis on attendance, and even exam structure are elements not many big universities can provide their students. According to Elizabeth Book ’04, now working as an attorney in Washington D.C., these undergraduate experiences put her ahead of the competition when she went to law school. Parisha Shah ’01, now a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, stressed the importance of tenacity when pursuing just about anything. The overarching message from all panelists was that professionalism is paramount. Networking, keeping in good contact with former professors, and maintaining courteous and thoughtful interactions have contributed the most toward their current success. As a senior, I was most concerned with geography. Like many up-andcoming college grads, I have friends and family who are primarily located around one area. Choosing a grad school based upon proximity to my loved ones is a decision that has been both discouraged and supported. Although I didn’t make my decision about further schooling immediately after the panel, they reassured me that happiness, above all else, is key. Another key to graduate school is being prepared and each panelist had on-themoney advice that I will definitely use to prepare for my next academic adventure.
Peter Patitsas ’07 talks about his experience as an entrepreneur as Elizabeth (Rhodes) Book ’04 listens.
Photos by: Janice Jackson ’14
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2012 Spring-Summer
—Ellen Santa Maria ’12