Finding the PERFECT Graduate School!- Kellee Britt

As a busy and graduating senior at the University of Florida, I’ve been trying to figure out my future beyond the undergraduate world. With hopes to complete my Ph.D. in Plant pathology, I encountered a frantic spring semester, brimming with graduate school visits and interviews across the nation. Selecting the perfect graduate program comes with many important factors, especially how happy and successful you think you’ll be in that certain city or on that certain campus. Yes, the research and graduate advisors are extremely important as well, but by flying out to these various regions, you have to wonder if you could ultimately grow and thrive as a scientist in that region.

During my individual journey of graduate school visits, I interviewed at three different schools. All were different and wonderful programs, offering phenomenal hospitality and striving to impress me more than I would have to impress them. Of course, throughout these trips, I was quite nervous myself, hoping to find a university that I would love and scientifically flourish at.

I went on tours of the campuses, cities, labs, and home buildings of my classes, loving all the new sights and different historic architecture. All three graduate schools had such welcoming faculty too, and were within cohesive environments with family-like dynamics. I instantly felt like a part of their program, which would make this decision that much more difficult. The process of choosing would be quite challenging, to say the least, and denying any one of these programs would definitely not be enjoyable.

However, after many weeks of careful deliberation and frequent weighing of the pros and cons of each graduate program and Ph.D. offer, I finally decided on my graduate school! Hooray!

Remember: this decision is for you and you only. I, of course, thought of the strong feelings the potential advisors had in wanting me to join their labs, but I could only choose one of the three, which obviously left two denials in my future. It took some heart to say no, but I believe I truly made the best decision for my future! Good luck, future Gator graduates!!!

The steps to Graduate School- Caitlin Cribbs

I always knew that I wanted to go to graduate school; I just did not know for what! During my first semester at the University of Florida, I was sitting in my first Family, Youth, and Community Sciences class and my teacher, Dr. Kate Fletcher started talking about where FYCS could take me with job opportunities. Knowing that I have a passion for education, when she said “Guidance Counselor” I knew that would be the perfect career path for me. That day, I went home and started researching what the requirements were for graduate school and set up an appointment with my advisor to make sure I was on the right track. I went to all of the websites of schools I was interested in to compare their programs and to see where I thought I would have the best fit. I started to become overwhelmed! The GRE, applications, resumes, letters of recommendation, transcripts and the list continued. Then I told myself to take one step at a time, it was important to see when the deadline was for each school, since each one may differ. Applying to grad school is something that you do not want to rush; make lists and more lists to know what steps still needs to be completed.

First things first, I decided that the GRE was the first thing I needed to tackle. The GRE stands for Graduate Record Examinations. Each school requires a certain score for admissions; it is usually a combined score of 300 – a minimum of 150 points for both Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning. It was important to do this test as soon as possible for a few reasons. It takes months to study and prepare, time needs to be allowed to retake it just in case you are not happy with your first outcome, and the scores have to be sent into the school of your choice. That alone takes a few weeks, it is important all scores are in before the application deadline.

The application is completed and sent to the program online. This is something that you can take your time with, you can save your work as you go and come back to finish at any time. This is where you put in all of your personal information, resume, goals and personal statement. This is very important because it is a chance for the committee to get to know who you are. You want to make sure that it is done to the best of your ability and to make yourself stand out from all the rest. Define who you are and show why you would be a great asset to the program! Always remember to read over your work and let an extra pair of eyes look over it to make sure everything is perfect!

Three to four letters of recommendations are required along with the application. If at all possible, ask your employers or professors to write the letters for you. Get someone who knows your work effect and has seen your academic performance.  Along with asking them, provide your resume, personal information and graduate school information so they know exactly what is expected.  This is something that you want to ask them of them a few months before the deadline so they have plenty of time to write the perfect letter for you!

All transcripts also have to be sent in to the program of your choice. If you first went to a Community College then transferred to a major university, both transcripts are required. The transcripts show them you’re current GPA, performance in certain classes and how close you are to graduating. You can order these on your school website and have them sent to your program with a few easy steps!

Once the application is sent in and received, some programs require an interview with the applicants who have made the first cut. If your program does, it will be stated on their website admission requirements. All of this information will be sent out a few months after all applications are in. The program will explain to you what is required on that day such as times, parking, dress code and the interview process. This is a time to really explain your experiences, strengths, and to be yourself!

When the deadline for your application approaches, you will feel such a relief when you push the submit button! It takes a lot of hard work and dedication all while going to school full time. It is important to never give up, and just remember everything will work out the way it is supposed to. I am so proud to have received the news just a few weeks ago that after graduation in May, I will be attending the University of Florida in the College of Education for their School Counseling Program. I made my goal of graduate school a reality and you can too!

Gators Spring Sports!

Are you still suffering from post-football season blues? Well, I have some good news. Even during the Spring semester the University of Florida has some great sporting events for students and Gator fans to enjoy. So unpack all of your orange and blue fanatic gear and practice those Gator cheers!

To start, if you haven’t been to a single Men’s basketball game, go sign up now! They are some of the rowdiest, most competitive, exciting sports to watch on campus. It compares to a Saturday in the Swamp but with air conditioning! Just as exciting are the Women’s basketball games. Plus, both are free to students. Also going on in the O’Connell  Center we have the impressive Gator gymnastics team and swimming and diving. Make sure to keep checking what games will have free T-Shirts!

If you enjoy watching a good sports game while soaking up some rays there are plenty of outdoor sports going on every weekend. Baseball and softball always draw a crowd so get there early if you want a close parking spot. We also have track and field, lacrosse, soccer, and golf matches. Check out a calendar of all upcoming competitions at www.gatorzone.com/schedule.

For those of you who want to be in the action instead of on the sideline, Rec Sports offers a variety of intramural sports that you can join individually or create your own team. There are the typical sports such as softball and ultimate Frisbee. But to make things more interesting, UF also offers some fun competitions that would never make it in the Olympics. For example, on April 12^th there is the ultimate board game brought to life- Battleship. To play battleship, each team piles into a canoe, then paddles around a pool while trying to sink other canoes. There may not be a lot of skill, but there is a lot of fun! For a complete list of upcoming sports visit www.recsports.ufl.edu/intramural-sports/spring-schedule.

Go Gators!

Tiffany

The Job Hunt: Suzy Rodriguez

As college students, when we stop and think about applying for a job or internship, it can be a bit intimidating. Here are some quick tips when it comes to the job market. These are not boring instructions on how to write a resume but tips, on what to say, focus on, and how to make yourself memorable.

While in an interview, with a potential employer it’s important to share about yourself! When you are asked questions, do not answer with a simple “yes” or “no”, but try to gracefully expound upon the questions, and share a little about yourself. When going into that important interview, or job fair, you want to have done your homework. Knowing the company's purpose and vision will give you a competitive edge. Often times a potential employer will ask you if you have any questions for them. Asking them a question is mandatory; it shows that you are interested in the company. And you get to dazzle them with all your hard preparation.

During an interview it’s important to not over share. When an employer asks the question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”, you want to be sure to keep your answer strictly professional and very business focused. They do not want to hear about your personal or life goals; not yet anyway. It is intimidating to race for a position you know many others are competing for. So often we want to make ourselves remembered. Just remember to be yourself and do this according to your style. For example, if you are not funny, don’t tell a joke. In short don’t try to leave an impression of someone that you are not.

Another way to be memorable is to follow up with the employer. Sending them a letter thanking them for their time is a great idea. Be sure to include where they met you and your contact information! All these tips will help and look great to a potential employer. Happy job hunting!

A Fun Weekend at the Ambassador Summit

From January 18th through the 22nd , we hosted the 2014 Ambassador Leadership Conference, which gave us the opportunity to connect with other ambassadors from all over the country.  The schools that attended included The Ohio State University, Purdue University, Auburn University, University of Arizona, University of Kentucky, University of Georgia, and University of Florida.

On Saturday, we participated in seminars given by professionals from Dow AgroSciences, and we toured the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie.  It was a great day for a walk on the trail, and it was really awesome to show all our guests one of Gainesville's hidden treasures.  There were a ton of huge alligators everywhere!

We left Gainesville Sunday morning to head to St. Augustine.  The bus ride was a great opportunity for us to get to know students from other institutions.  When we arrived in St. Augustine, we did a scavenger hunt on St. George Street, which is the historic downtown of the city. It was neat to see so much history. After that, we toured the Castillo de San Marcos, which is one of the oldest forts in the country.  We were able to watch the park volunteers fire the cannon.  The entire fort tour was like a step back in time; I recommend everyone going there for a visit.

On Monday, we got a behind the scenes look at the Anheuser-Busch plant in Jacksonville and a tour of EverBank Field. At EverBank field we were able to actually go out on the field, and we probably spent a good half hour just playing around on the field and taking some awesome pictures! I really can’t decide which one was my favorite of that day.

Finally, on our way back to Gainesville, we stopped in Hastings at UF’s Research and Extension Center, where they do all kinds of research with potatoes.  It was fascinating to hear the researchers talk about all the potato varieties they test for production.  Did you know a potato variety has to go through 10 years of testing before it is released for farmers to use? 

Overall, the trip was a really rewarding experience.  We walked away with first hand knowledge of the agriculture industry, complete with behind the scenes looks.  Of course, lifelong friendships were made with students from the other colleges, and plenty of new Facebook friends.

- Brian Skipper

Spring Back!

There’s nothing like the start of a new year. A fresh start. A time to start off on the right foot this time. We often use the excuse of a new year to finally start doing the things we know we should. I hate to say this but January is the honeymoon month. It’s almost like the free month trial that Netflix offers. Before you know it, you’re stuck paying $8 to further your procrastination. I think we all have this idea that we need to make drastic changes in our lives to finally reap the benefits that life has to offer. However, it is in this pursuit towards superhuman that we start to lose sight of what’s really important. Are we making changes for ourselves or for others?

Backtracking a little bit, my winter break was exactly what I needed. I finally had time to do the senseless things I love to do. If you couldn’t tell by my Netflix reference that I am TV junkie, then I am letting you know now that I am. When I wasn’t glued to my TV screen, I spent time with my family, visited the beach often, and really had time to reflect and take an introspective look at my year. As my break reminded me of all the great opportunities I’ve had thus far, I couldn’t help but ponder about what was to come.

For me, this semester marks a milestone in my life, since this is my last semester as an undergraduate student. Of course I want to make the most of this semester. Spending every moment with my best friends, trying all the local restaurants, going on spontaneous trips, this is my idea of having a last hoorah. As my time here at the University of Florida comes to a close, I can truly say that I’ve had an enriching college experience. I am no longer that unsure high school senior but a soon-to-be college graduate with a unique perspective on life.

My advice for my fellow college students this semester is this: Push yourselves enough to break free from your comfort zone. Challenge yourselves in every aspect of life. Be the person that you would want to spend your time with.

A dash of confidence and pinch of faith can go a long way.

- Sherin Thamarasseril