Category Archives: David N

Campus internationalization

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Internationalization is both an internal and external phenomenon for higher education institutions.  Because of our globalized world economy and the increase in international opportunities, this impacts everyone no matter their interests of study and research.  Whether or not you study physics, education, law, business, or psychology, our worlds are becoming more and more international.  That is why it is important to consider how international your institution is when deciding where to attend.

IU is international.  Along with its international strategic plan and its new School of Global and International Studies, IU’s alumni reach all corners of the world.  The programs here allow for study, research, and travel abroad to learn about your area of discipline in another country.  Experiences like these can only help you in your pursuit for a job.

Campus visits are important!

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Now that everything is submitted, it is now time to wait for responses. It is important to keep in mind that rejection letters are inevitable. Don’t let them get you down. There are many options out there, and it is not the end of the world.

However, you should still be proactive in the meantime while you are waiting. Do you yet know your list of preferred schools and why you want to attend them? Have you visited them? Visiting an institution and getting the “feel” to what it is like to be there will help you make a decision and not regret it later. Each institution is different. The campus life, environment, and structure can be a huge impact on how you will enjoy spending years there. Do you like big cities? Small college towns? A scenic campus to walk through? Visit, visit, visit! Visit IU by emailing us at emissary@indiana.edu! I hope to meet you at IU! GO HOOSIERS!

Publishing … an important component of academia!

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So holiday break brought some good news … an article I worked with a professor on will be published in the Education Law Reporter. An important aspect of academia is to research, write, and publish.  Some tips to accomplish these goals are:

1. Find good mentors who know the system well and can guide you through them

2. Collaborate with faculty members and other graduate students.  Find where your strengths can compliment theirs.

3. Work together and keep each other accountable.  Working with others help you keep yourself accountable and on track to achieve a goal.

4. Research and write on topics that interest you. This is a long process and if you are not interested in the work you are doing, it will become a task not a pleasure!

5. And last but not least … have fun!  Write about interesting and current topics, but also collaborate with fun colleagues!  You can learn so much from each other but also have so much fun!

Good luck!  Research … and write!

Grades and good test scores are important … but not a life & death matter!

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Many folks are concerned that if they messed up freshman or sophomore year with their academics and their GPA isn’t as good as they would want, there is no hope for graduate school.   Others are not as good test takers as others and are worried that their performance will hinder their admissions.  Remember that graduate school is not a life and death matter!  There is always hope and if you want it badly, you can achieve it!  YOU CAN DO IT!

If your GPA or graduate standardized test scores are low, supplement them with other positive characteristics of your application.  You may want to get another masters degree that is relevant to your field of interest to perform better as an illustration of your academic abilities.  Getting a job in your field of study and performing well in it will show schools your work ethic.  Studying harder and taking the test another time can supplement a poor score and show schools that you are persistent and really want to achieve.

Remember, there is never a dead-end, just a detour.  Don’t get frustrated and give up … there is hope!  Message me if you want more ideas!  Good luck … and remember … YOU CAN DO IT!

Strong recommendation letters are a must!

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When applying for graduate school, scholarships, fellowships, or internships, it is important to have strong letters of recommendation because this is one of the methods that application reviewers get to know you.  Many times, you will not able to impress them in an interview as there just isn’t time to interview everyone; as such, the letter of recommendation should portray what you have done and what others think about you professionally.

In order to have a strong letter of recommendation, consider these ideas:1. find someone who has known you for a while because you want someone who can speak to the depth of your abilities; plus someone who has known you for a while is a more credible recommender than one who has only known you for a limited amount of time; 2. find someone who has some clout; as much as it is important to find someone who knows you well, reach out in your connections someone who has some clout in the community, either academic, professional, or otherwise; 3. find recommenders that provide variety in your application; if you have one academic recommendation, then find another one who can speak to your professional abilities, etc.

Being able to place your foot forward through your recommendations is key, and your recommendations can serve to be the one big push to get you accepted or awarded.  Good luck!

Chicago … a metropolis only a short drive away!

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For those who enjoy large, bustling cities, Chicago is only a short drive away.  On a recent trip to the windy city, only over three hours drive from Bloomington, I enjoyed a dinner, theatre, shopping, and cultural! Firstly, I enjoyed dinner at Russian Tea Time before laughing out of my seat watching The Book of Morman at the Bank of America Theatre around the corner.  After a wonderful night of music and food, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile has all the shopping to offer plus the Christmas spirit at the ice-skating rink in Millennium Park.  Thank goodness the weather wasn’t too cold, windy, or snowy … Chicago can be brutal with all three.  My day was also accompanied with culture with a dim sum lunch in Chinatown and tacos in La Villita.  With only a short drive from Bloomington, Chicago offers a change of pace to students who are looking for a weekend away.  Don’t forget to stop by near by Indianapolis along the way!

The metropolis of Bloomington, IN

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If you want to go to a graduate school with culture, don’t look any further.  Bloomington may be a small college town, but it is a cultural metropolis.  The IU Auditorium has a myriad of shows from music and plays to Broadway musicals.  This year, the IU Auditorium is showing The Cleveland Orchestra, Peter Pan, Traces, Dream Girls, and more.  They have a selection that will please anyone’s distinct tastes.

Don’t forget that the IU Jacobs School of Music is one of the best in the world, and its students and faculty perform at the IU Musical Arts Center.  Enjoy ballet, recitals, and music performances of the New York Met quality in your backyard in Bloomington.

The IU Cinema, a newly restored theatre, offers movie screenings from the classics to stunning documentaries.  Moreover, festivals help bridge the university life to the community.  One festival, the Lotus festival, engages the university community and attracts participants from other cities and states.

If you want culture, you have come to the right place!

Faculty mentors are critical to success in grad school

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Mentorship is important to being successful in all that we do.  It is no different in graduate school.  It is important to find good and compatible faculty mentors to help you succeed and progress through graduate school.  I have been very fortunate.  Both of my mentors have been very involved in my academic work and development to enter the professoriate.  I have been able to collaborate on scholarly research with my professors, and I have been introduced to academic and scholarly conferences through them also.  While attending a conference where I presented, my professor was very gracious to introduce me to other colleagues, get me involved in the association’s activities, and she helped me feel welcome. These activities and opportunities have helped me get closer to the professoriate, and I attribute it to my faculty mentors!

Your academic family: to colleagues in your department to those you meet at conferences … it’s a small world

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It may seem like a big world out there; besides your colleagues that you see and work with everyday in your academic department, your academic family can extend to others in your discipline.  Whether you see or interact with each other daily or even weekly, because of technology, the world is a much smaller place than you think.

It is important to meet and get to know others in your academic department.  The wealth of knowledge from your colleagues will help you explore areas that you may not have thought of or even known.  More importantly, this allows for collaborative efforts in teaching and research.  In addition, others in your department can help you network and navigate the larger world in your discipline.

I have had a benefit of professors at the IU School of Education to encourage me to collaborate with them on research and attend academic conferences with them.  This opportunity not only strengthens my academic portfolio for later employment, but it helps me make connections with other colleagues.  By being involved, the large and scary realm of academia becomes much smaller, manageable, and personable.  It all becomes your family!

Every person has something unique about them.  If you spend time to really get to know them and understand their life experiences, you will be amazed of what you can learn.  Reach out to your colleagues now; either those you work with everyday or those you see once in a while, you will be surprised of how much you can learn from each other.

Be Yourself: Submitting an Effective Application for Admission

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Often times depending on which program you are applying to, the only opportunity for the admissions committee to get to know you is through your application.  Most programs aren’t able to hold in-person interviews, and therefore, they rely on the application, personal statement, and recommendations to determine if the department will benefit having you as a student.  As a result, it is important to make sure that each piece of the application highlights a different aspect of your personal and professional life.

Your resume or curriculum vita should highlight your academic and professional accomplishments. For the difference between a resume and CV, please refer to one of my colleague’s post.  https://employmentelements.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/resume-sample.jpgYour resume is the opportunity to explain to the admissions committee the skills and abilities that you have.  It is important to highlight leadership experiences, unique educational and professional recognition, and tangible skills that you would bring to the school and educational environment at the university you are applying to.  Instead of being repetitive, use the opportunity of having different experiences to list different skills and accomplishments.  If you find that you have a long list of items, shorten it with only the most important and those that will really highlight you as an applicant.

Your personal statement is your “interview.”  Instead of writing about cliche topics, those that are expected to be read, use this opportunity to “wow” your readers.  Be personal.  Let them into your life and heart to understand why you are really pursuing this degree.  Everyone says, “make them cry,” and in essence, yes! You want to make an impact after the committee reads your personal statement.  This being said, you may have to dig deep and write about a challenging time in your life, a situation that is uncomfortable to rehash, or a topic that is uneasy to share.  Not only will such an experience help you to reflect upon your own life but it will give a personal inside look to the person you really are. To the committee member, you will become a person not just an application.

Letters of recommendations are very important.  Recommendations allow the admissions committee to see how others think of you.  While it is important to have a letter from an important person, it is more important to find someone who really knows you and can write to your strengths.  If you have a recommendation from an important person who doesn’t know you well, you will get a very standardized letter that won’t tell the reader much about you.  But if you get a letter from one who knows you well, the writer will be able to refer to specific examples and highlight the strengths and abilities needed to get your admitted.

Because the admission application is a critical piece of your admission into your dream program and school, utilize it wisely. Since there is limited space, be sure to make good use of every page without being repetitive.  An application that highlights all of your strengths and abilities while giving a personal, inside look of who you are will make you a strong candidate!  Good luck!