#9: Apply to Grad School

Grad school wasn't an original goal of mine. I didn't go through my undergraduate career thinking that it was paving the way for two or more years of intense study. On the contrary I thought that I would be totally set once that I had my Bachelor's Degree.

And I would have been. Except I couldn't find a job that made me feel fulfilled or excited. And I kept thinking about the amazing times that I had at NMU and how much those experiences made me the person that I became. Random memories from my college years would float through my mind during achingly long afternoons in the office and I would yearn for those days. It got me thinking that perhaps there was more. That maybe there was something out there for me.

Once I spoke to my friend who was in the Student Affairs program at Michigan State I knew what I needed to do; I knew where I wanted to be. Suddenly my path in life was a little less blurry: I wanted to go back to school to help students who were going to college.

While finding the letters of reference and writing a personal statement weren't exactly challenging, actually finding the strength to submit my application was. I filled out the forms online, but before I could click "submit" doubts filled my mind. "What if I don't get in? Then what? You want this so much--what if they say no?" My hand shook as I clicked the button. When the confirmation page popped up a wave of relief washed over me. It was out of my hands--now it was up to a committee who would hopefully see how passionate I was about it.

It took a few months, but on April 18, 2007 I got the official word: I was the newest addition to the Student Affairs program at MSU!