If you haven’t heard, tomorrow night at 6:30 PM, admissions counselors from UVA are going to be present at a special buffet dinner where they’ll answer your questions about grad school and UVA admissions.<\/p>\n
Kellie Sauls, Director of Financial Aid and Admissions at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, was kind enough to sit down with The WISHington Post for an interview. Read on for important graduate school knowledge straight from the head of admissions!<\/p>\n
Three Key Takeaways. First, I want them to know what a Masters of Public Policy degree is, and what it can do for their goals and careers. Second, I want to communicate why the Batten School in particular is such a great program and third, I want to give the interns a chance to talk with myself, with my co-worker Patti and the six or seven alumni we have coming to the event.<\/p>\n
Our alumni come from a bunch of different sectors, not all of them are working in government jobs, and a Masters of Public Policy certainly doesn\u2019t limit you to working in government. We also have alumni with careers in the non-profit sector and the private sector, so tomorrow<\/span> we\u2019re going to have a lot of different career paths represented. I\u2019m excited for it!<\/p>\n If you feel as if your career has reached a plateau, or there are no additional ropes to climb professionally, it might be time to assess whether a graduate degree is right for you.<\/p>\n Or, if you\u2019re coming right out of undergrad, make sure you have a very strong sense of the career you want and what kind of degree it takes to get there.<\/p>\n Explore. Understand what it\u2019s going to require just to apply. Graduate school applications are a big undertaking! There are exams, a lot of paperwork\u2026it takes time, planning, and financial resources. I think you\u2019ll know you\u2019re ready when all of that\u2019s understood.<\/p>\n You know, I always say \u201cknow thyself\u201d. <\/strong>Self–<\/strong>reflection is so important when making this kind of decision.<\/p>\n You need to take time to figure out what your passions are, to explore and discover the career that really fits those passions.<\/p>\n And then, you have to figure out the gaps<\/strong>. What do you need to learn and improve in order to get to that desired career, and that\u2019s where I think a great grad school comes in. Grad school really helps you bridge those gaps.<\/p>\n As for which specific program is right for you, in the case of someone interested in pursuing an MPP, there is nothing more valuable than visiting and meeting people at the school. Faculty, staff, alumni, and especially the current students. It\u2019ll help you develop a sense of whether or not that program is a great fit.<\/p>\n Honestly, visiting the campus, getting to know the community is even more important for prospective grad students. Grad programs are usually much more intimate, they\u2019re smaller, it\u2019s a much more tight knit community so getting a sense of the school is so, so important.<\/p>\n Huge. It\u2019s a huge <\/em> transformation, and it\u2019s honestly incredible to watch.<\/p>\n In your classrooms there are going to be so many different kinds of people, you\u2019re going to be encountering different backgrounds and experiences and you\u2019re going to learn so much just engaging with your peers. Without a doubt, it broadens our student\u2019s perspective. It\u2019s magic. Or it\u2019s what I call magic at least.<\/p>\n The Batten school in particular is all about experiential learning, which is such an important part of any grad school experience. It\u2019s not just about what you learn in the classroom, it\u2019s about going out and practicing what you\u2019re doing in the field.<\/p>\n Our program in particular has, as a part of the curriculum, a summer internship in between years 1 and 2, and every year, watching how our students grow and mature over that summer is just amazing.<\/p>\n \u201cLeadership\u201d is in the name of our school, it\u2019s at the core of our mission, it\u2019s a core value. No other MPP <\/strong>program has built their curriculum around leadership the way we have.<\/p>\n We assume our students will assume leadership roles, and we\u2019re interested in cultivating their own personal leadership philosophies. We ask our students to define their missions as society\u2019s leaders, and our classes instill in them some fundamental truths about what it takes to be a leader, and the psychology of leadership.<\/p>\n I\u2019m looking forward to meeting all the interns! Honestly, my favorite part about my job is the traveling I get to do because of all the people I get to meet. I\u2019ve met so many lovely people, had them tell me their stories, and heard their personal visions for our society and our communities. It\u2019s inspiring.<\/p>\n Thank you so much for your time Kellie! <\/b><\/p>\nHow can someone know they\u2019re ready for grad school?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the best thing a prospective student can do to know whether or not a graduate school is right for them?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What kind of transformation do you see students go through in graduate school?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Besides your summer internship, what sets the Batten school apart from other universities?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What are you looking forward to most about the event tomorrow<\/span>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n