Posts in the Applications Category at Heller Admissions Blog

Category: Applications (page 1 of 4)

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in the Application Process

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

“Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.”

Recently, a prospective student asked how my application process for Heller was. I chuckled to myself and responded, “dramatic”.

I quickly let her know this was not because of anything Heller had done. Every student and admissions director I spoke to during my application process was kind and engaging (shout-out to the admissions office!). But that left the question, why was it so dramatic?

Well, the short answer is: me. However, the longer answer speaks to something I believe we all feel at some point in our lives, especially when trying something new.

Prior to attending Heller, I worked in my hometown, helping to open a museum about the Historic Greenwood District and 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (if you haven’t heard of this before, take some time today to learn about it!). Prior to that, I was in school, double majoring in Afro-American Studies and Political Science.

I tell you this to show how far my interests were from anything related to business! But when I decided to pursue an MBA, I did so with the same enthusiasm and vigor I had when pursuing my love of history and politics. Starting September 2021, I signed up for any and all virtual MBA fairs, signed up to take the GMAT, and got to work.

About a month later, all my work had stalled or stopped. I dreaded going to MBA fairs, just to be told I should think about not pursuing an MBA until I knew exactly what I wanted to do post-graduation. I got anxious every time I thought about studying for the GMAT. I felt so unmotivated. And as I reflect on that time now, I can see I was really just afraid. Afraid of not knowing, afraid of failing, and afraid of rejection.

I don’t know about you, but oftentimes when I am trying something new in life, I tend to come down with a serious case of amnesia. I forget about all the accomplishments, skills, and lessons learned I have acquired over the years. Impostor syndrome starts to creep in, and sometimes it wins. But if I could go back and talk to myself during my one too many crying sessions, I would shake myself and say “REMEMBER!”

And that’s what I say to you now. The process of applying to anything, let alone a master’s program, can be daunting, but remember. Remember that everything on your resume was not an accident or chance (maybe a little grace in my case), but it was your talent meeting your hard work. The words your recommenders have to say about you are not lies, but reflections of the value you’ve brought to each room you’ve entered. And maybe you lack some experience and you just barely scraped together three recommendation letters, that’s okay! Remember your why and start planning for the memories you will create.

Please don’t let the application process for you be as dramatic as it was for me! Breathe, take your time, and remember. (You should especially remember that the second application deadline for most programs is March 1st for domestic students, and the final application deadline for international students is February 1st :P)

The Waiting Game

January 19, 2023 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

With the first round deadline behind us, many applicants may find themselves with a lot more extra time… to worry. What if I don’t get in? How will I manage a move in eight months? How much will it cost?

I won’t lie: anxiety can definitely get the best of me. One sign that something might be wrong is sometimes enough to send me into a spiral, so I get it. It’s tempting to tell myself that the anxiety is somehow productive, that by thinking through every possible worst-case scenario, I’m actually preparing myself for said bad outcome, or that by imagining the worst-case scenario, I’m somehow preventing it. But the truth is, worrying about something completely out of my hands has no impact on the situation, and if I ever actually do get the bad news I was anticipating, I’m still just as upset. All I’ve really done is make the intervening days, or weeks, or months just a little bit worse for myself. Trust me when I say: I’ve been there, and I get it. But I’ve also learned a little bit about how to manage anxious thoughts during stressful situations, so with that in mind, I want to share a few tips to manage your anxiety during this time.

1. Channel your nervous energy. Have you been catching yourself refreshing your email for hours on end? Chewing your nails down to the quick? Tapping your foot so long it wears a hole in your carpet? While some people shut down when they’re anxious, other people find themselves absolutely bursting with energy. Find a way to redirect this energy, like taking a long walk while listening to a podcast or doing a quick work-out in your living room to let off some steam. You can also put that energy to a productive use by writing a thank you email to your recommenders or by engaging in some volunteer work (which will look great on any future graduate school or job applications).

2. Indulge in smart self-care. Self care doesn’t always look like giving yourself permission to eat that entire gallon of ice cream (although sometimes it certainly can!). Take this time to indulge in self-care that actually makes you feel good and energized afterwards, like taking a bath, meditating, calling a loved one, getting coffee or dinner with a close friend, treating yourself to a healthy new recipe (whether you make it yourself or order take-out), or taking yourself out on a movie or museum date.

3. Put things in perspective. Imagine the absolute worst-case scenario: you’re rejected from every single school you’ve applied to. What then? I don’t mean to downplay the feelings of rejection and sadness that receiving a denial can induce, but at the end of the day, it truly isn’t the end of the world, and it doesn’t even mean you won’t ever go to grad school. Sometimes when you think the universe is saying “No”, it’s really only saying “Not yet”. You can spend the next year making sure you’re prepared for the next round of applications, and you’ll have a head-start on everyone applying for the first time.

4. Take break from social media. There’s nothing worse than taking a break from relentlessly refreshing your email only to go onto Instagram and be immediately confronted with someone else’s post about their acceptance. Especially if a lot of people in your immediate circle are going through the same process as you, consider taking a break, or at least setting limitations for yourself when it comes to social media. By the way, this goes double for sites like GradCafe, CollegeConfidential, or Reddit discussion boards. Remember: everyone’s situation is unique, and trying to “hack” the application process by following the tips that worked for a stranger on the internet is unlikely to actually pay off.

5. Put an embargo on app-talk. Everyone has that one great-aunt is probably just dying to tell you about how her friend’s sister’s son-in-law got into every single graduate school with a full ride. Get out ahead of it by giving a quick update, setting a boundary, and moving the conversation along (“There are a couple of schools I’m excited to hear back from, but I don’t want to talk about graduate school when I have all this delicious food in front of me. Aunt Betsy, tell me more about how your vacation was?”). The same tip goes for your friends, even if they’re in the same boat as you. Set aside ten minutes at the top of the gathering to compare notes, and then change the subject.

What Are the Application Requirements?

September 20, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Working in admissions, you start to develop answers to common questions. “What’s the cut-off GPA?” “Is my background a good fit for this program?” “Is the GRE required?” But the most common question, the one I get the most, is “What are the application requirements?”

Now, you might be thinking that I’m going to spend this blog post laying out the different programs’ application requirements and what you should be preparing when you’re getting ready to apply. Maybe even some tips and tricks for how to strengthen those application requirements, or how to stay organized when you’re applying. But you’d be wrong! You can always find application requirements on our website, but today, I’m going to flip the script and ask you to think about what your application requirements are.

Huh?

Okay, here’s what I mean. When I was applying to graduate school, I applied to eleven programs (for those of you out there wondering, that’s way too many). Looking back, I’m still not sure why I put myself through that, but I think most of it came down to two things: first, I was terrified that no school would accept me, and I didn’t really have a plan for what I would do if I didn’t go to graduate school at that time, and second, I had no real idea what I was looking for. Yes, I knew I wanted a master’s in English Literature, yes, there were some areas that I was interested in living, but other than that, I really had no clue.

I share all of this as a cautionary tale: don’t be like me! Before you start applying to graduate schools, take a minute to think about what your requirements are. If you’re not sure, here are some things that it might be helpful to consider:

Do I have the opportunity to teach or work as a research assistant? If you intend to go into academia or research, this should be a really important question for you. Participating in research and teaching while in graduate school is a great way to start an academic career and build experience. Notice, however, that I also said “opportunity”: at Heller, although many of our students do work as research assistants and teaching assistants, it’s not considered part of your funding and thus, you’re not obligated to do it. If you know you don’t intend to stay in academia or teaching, I would recommend being cautious of schools that do require it: your time might be better spent in an internship or part-time job building skills that translate more directly to your future career.
Are there clubs, organizations, or leadership activities that interest and excite me? I won’t lie to you, this is probably a bigger factor in undergraduate programs, but you still shouldn’t discount it when you’re applying to graduate school. Especially if you’ll be coming from out-of-state or don’t have a support group already in the area, joining extracurriculars is a good way to network and make new friends outside of your program. Leadership experience (even if it’s for a club or organization) can also be helpful once you’ve graduated to put on your resume or as an example to draw upon during interviews. Heller and Brandeis clubs and working groups include Black Graduate Student Association, Brandeis Graduate Outdoors Club, Brandeis University Africa Forum, Disability Working Group, Gender Working Group, Graduate Student Association, Heller Myanmar/Burma Advocacy Group, Heller Startup Challenge, Heller Student Association, Impact Investing and ESG Working Group, Net Impact (Heller Chapter), Open Air Journal and the Racial Equity Working Group.
What kinds of access will I have to professors and other outside resources? This question is going to be different for every person. Some students do best in close-knit environments where they get a lot of individualized attention, while others are happy to keep their head down and never go to office hours. Personally, I think that Heller’s faculty to student ratio provides for a really close community and there are a lot of benefits to that (the faculty and research staff to student ratio is roughly 1:6!), but some students might be happier in larger programs where the faculty/student ratio is higher.

These may not be important factors for you. You may care more about working with a specific professor, with not having to write a thesis at the end of your program, living in a certain area or in a big city, taking classes online, a great campus gym… the list goes on and on. But whatever your priorities are, make sure that you’re not only focusing on what schools might let you in: think carefully about what you want the next years to look like.

What is the Quantitative and Analytical Statement?

September 8, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

First of all, let me start by saying that if you’re a master’s program applicant reading this post and panicking, thinking, “What the heck is a Quantitative and Analytical Statement?”, worry not. This post is just for the PhD applicants out there.

If you’ve applied to the the PhD program before and are reapplying again this year, you might have noticed that there’s a new portion to our application, the Quantitative and Analytical Statement. Today, I’m going to walk you through why we’ve added this component, what information you should include, and how you can use the statement to your advantage on our application.

Why did we add this component? If you applied for the Fall 2021 or Fall 2022 entry term, it’s likely that you noticed that we’ve made the GRE optional for the last two years due to COVID-19. Students had the choice to submit GRE scores if they had already taken them, but if you weren’t able to sit for the test, you weren’t required to report them. For some students, not being able to take the GRE greatly helped their application, but for others, not taking it had a disadvantage: students who had been out of school for years and not working in an academic or research setting had no way to demonstrate that they had the requisite quantitative skills to make them successful in a research based program. Similarly, faculty members reviewing the application were left in the dark as to some students’ current quantitative ability: for example, would it be better to take an applicant who had great grades in their quantitative classes more than fifteen years ago, or an applicant with average grades three years ago? Who would be better equipped to take our required quantitative courses? And thus… the Quantitative and Analytical Statement was born.

What information should I include? Although many of our students and faculty do perform a great deal of qualitative research, many of our courses teach students the skills to conduct quantitative and mixed methods research. In your first semester, for example, you’ll take Introduction to Stata Programming and Data Management (which covers creating simple datasets and accessing existing ones, modifying and managing data, and performing simple statistical analysis), Research Methods (which is designed to prepare students in the Heller PhD program to be able to understand and interpret empirical research and to design their own studies), and Applied Regression Analysis (which teaches students about assumptions underlying the regression model, how to test for violations, and corrections that can be made when violations are found). So in your Quantitative and Analytical Statement, you have the chance to demonstrate that you have the background to succeed in those classes. How do you do this? I’d like to think our website lays it out pretty succinctly, so I’ll quote here: “In the Quantitative and Analytical Statement, applicants should detail why they believe they would be successful in a research-based program; i.e., quantitative classes you have taken, research experience you hold, peer-reviewed research papers you have authored or collaborated on, statistical software you are familiar with and the projects you have utilized statistical software for, etc. Experience with qualitative data analysis and software may be noted but should not be the focus of the statement.” In short, in the absence of your GRE scores, your Quantitative and Analytical statement is an opportunity to demonstrate that you have the ability to succeed in our program that might not otherwise be demonstrated or highlighted in your application.

How can I use this to my advantage? Glad you asked. First, it works to your advantage because now you have a choice. If you have the ability to sit for GREs, you can now choose whether you want to submit them after you see your scores. If you have high GRE scores, particularly in the Quantitative section, I would really encourage you to submit your GRE scores. If, however, for whatever reason (you’re not able to take the test, you’re not a good test taker), you don’t get the scores you had hoped for in the Quantitative section, this QAS gives you the opportunity to highlight the parts of your application that would make you a good candidate. We already review your application holistically, but the QAS lets you lay out the case for your success. Let’s talk about an example: if you know that you don’t have strong GRE scores but still believe that you could succeed in the program, your QAS could talk about the high grades in the quantitative classes like statistics or economics you took in your master’s program. You could talk about your five years of work experience in a research lab, and the research projects using and analyzing national data sets that you’ve worked on while at that position. You could talk about how you used Stata in your previous position, or your experience interning for a politician that required you to summarize the methodology of findings from previous studies and synthesizing and communicating the results of data analysis . And just like that, your application would demonstrate that you are perfectly capable of succeeding in a quantitative research program.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions about this requirement, and we look forward to reviewing your application.!

The Fall 2023 Application is Open!

September 6, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

We’re excited to announce that the Heller application for Fall 2023 entry is now open! Today, I’ve compiled some frequently asked questions from students and included a list of resources

FAQS

What is required for the application?

The application is designed to be accessible and is comprised of the following elements:

The Heller online application, including biographic information, education history, and work history
Statement of purpose
Resume or CV
Three Letters of Recommendation (two for Social Impact MBA applicants)
PhD and SID/WGS joint program only: Writing Sample
International students only: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test results, unless you qualify for an English Proficiency Waiver
The MPP, MBA, and PhD programs have extended their test-optional policy through the Fall 2023 admission cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PhD applicants who do not submit GRE scores must submit a quantitative statement. You can find more information on the quantitative statement on the PhD Application Requirements web page under “Standardized Test Scores”.

You can view a full list of requirements for each program on our “How to Apply” page.

What are the deadlines for the application?

You can find deadlines for each program on our “Application Deadlines” page.

How can I start an application?

I would recommend starting by reviewing the “How to Apply” page for your program of interest before beginning an application.

What are you looking for in an application?

The best way to find out what each program is looking for is by connecting with one of our admissions representatives, but you can also read our blog series, “Which Program is Right for Me?”

Resource List

Love is Blind: Admissions

March 10, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Like many others across the nation (and even the world: there’s now both a Japanese and Brazilian version), I spent a good portion of last month binge-watching season two of Netflix’s hit show Love is Blind, and tuned in this past week for the reunion episode. For those of you unfamiliar with the premise of the show, it goes a little something like this: over less than two weeks, potential couples participate in a version of speed dating where they can hear, but not see each other. By the end of the pod dates, some couples choose to get engaged, if accepted, the two will meet face to face for the first time. The show then follows them out of the pods to their honeymoon, and then back to real life where they meet each other’s friends and families. At the end of three weeks, they then decide if they want to get married or not.

Okay, Amanda, what’s your point? I’m getting there! The show has been very much on my mind, and we happen to be at the point of the admissions cycle where we’re both still admitting students and trying to yield the students we’ve already admitted this cycle… and when I sat down to write this blog post, I realized that in admissions, we often use words like “perfect match”, a “good fit”, or “knowing in your gut”, the same things people often talk about when they’re dating. It got me wondering if Love is Blind just may have some important lessons for students in the process of applying to grad school. Here are some of my takeaways:

Love, whether it’s for a graduate school or a romantic partner, can (and maybe should!) be blind. In the pods, contestants are challenged to fall in love without knowing what the other person looks like. When exploring schools, or choosing the right school for you, I implore you to try to do the same. Strip away the prestigious name or the high ranking, look past how other people might judge you for your choice and ask yourself, how do I feel here? Does the environment feel right to me? Do this school’s values mesh with mine? Could I see myself fitting into this community? Those questions, more than a flashy name, will help you choose which school is the best fit for you.

These things take time. Couples that seem like the strongest in the pods often fall apart after a week in the outside world. All the bonding that they do through the walls amounts to very little when they’re confronted with each other’s families, friends, apartments, conflict styles, love languages, etc. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to love, and I suspect there may not be a shortcut to finding the right graduate school. It takes careful research, meeting with people in the community, a visit to campus (if possible!) to figure out if the school might be the right one for you. Don’t try to rush into things!

There’s no such thing as “The One”. Something I was struck by in Love is Blind is how frequently contestants will say something like, “I never connect with people outside… but in here, I have three guys that I could see as my future husband!” I think that goes to show that the myth of one soulmate or one perfect school may just be that… a myth! There are probably a few dozen schools that you could be happy at, so don’t take rejection too hard. Even if you don’t get into what you think is your dream school, it may just be that there’s another school out there that you would ultimately be more suited for.

While I don’t think Love is Blind is necessarily the best way to find a romantic partner, I think there are some takeaways that are actually better applied to graduate admissions. But worry not– you don’t have to enter into a pod to see if Heller is right for you.

You Ask, I Answer: What’s the Minimum GPA?

January 20, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

I’m continuing the “You Ask, I Answer” series where I respond to the most common questions I get from prospective or admitted students (you can find a previous You Ask, I Answer: When Should I Start Graduate School? here and You Ask, I Answer: How to Email the Admissions Office here). If you have a question you’d like me to answer in the next post, be sure to comment below!

This is definitely one of the top two questions that I and my other colleagues in Heller Admissions get (the other one would be “What’s the minimum GRE or GMAT score?”). As I explained in an earlier post, What Does “Holistic Review Process” Mean, Anyway?, this is a hold-out from a mostly-bygone time, when colleges would use “cut scores” (in which colleges wouldn’t consider applications from students with lower than a certain SAT score or GPA) to make the first “cuts” during application reading season. This practice is certainly less widespread now, but still the question persists; I think because students want some sense of certainty about whether or not they have a chance of getting in.

Unfortunately… it really does depend.

But, in the interest of transparency, I’m here today to share with you a little about what we look at when we’re looking at your transcripts, because contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about your GPA.

Challenging yourself. Let’s say two students apply with the exact same cumulative GPA from the exact same college, and majored in the exact same thing. If we were only looking at GPAs, we would hold these students in equal regard, but that’s not always the case. We also look at the courses the students took to determine how we should consider those grades. If Student A was using their electives to take classes like Astronomy, the Global History of Capitalism, and Supply Chain Analytics, and Student B was using their electives to take Tree Climbing, South Park and Contemporary Social Issues, and The Art of Walking (all real classes offered at schools across the US, by the way!), well, we’re probably going to give Student A an edge. That’s not to say that you can’t take a course that’s a little off-beat or pursue a niche subject that you’re genuinely interested in, but we want to see that, for the most part, you used your time in college (or your first graduate school degree, if that’s the case) to challenge and better yourself.

Relevancy of coursework. Don’t get me wrong, students at Heller come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some of the most common include public health, sociology, education, international relations, history, law, economics, social work, anthropology and psychology, but we have students that majored in English, biology, art history, journalism, chemistry, studio arts… the list goes on and on. But with that being said, we want to make sure students are set up to succeed in our programs. For example, if a student were applying to our PhD program, we’d want to see high grades in courses like economics, statistics, research methods, or some other class along those lines; if they received an A in all their other classes, but low scores in those, it might be a cause for concern. Especially in our more quantitative programs, we’ll want to make sure that students have the relevant backgrounds that they need to succeed at Heller, although that can come in many different forms, of which coursework is just one.

Trends or growth. You probably heard this when you were applying to college, but application readers do look at trends in your grades. A difficult first semester in college isn’t likely to tank your chances of getting into graduate school, nor is a tough semester with extenuating circumstances explained in your statement of purpose. What may be more concerning, however, is a student that starts off strong whose grades gradually go down, which might suggest that they struggled with more advanced course material.

If, after reading this, you take a look at your transcript, and you find that there are some yellow flags in your transcript, all is not lost! As I explained in my earlier blog post about holistic admissions, there are opportunities to course correct. It’s probably too late to get a new job to put on your resume, but you can decide who your recommenders are going to be, what to highlight on your resume, and what to write in your statement of purpose. Addressing these issues in your statement of purpose, or demonstrating that you have those skills in other ways, are easy ways to provide context to those grades.

New Years Resolutions and Your Statement of Purpose

January 13, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

It’s almost that time again: that time of year when, against all evidence to the contrary, we promise ourselves that this time it’ll be different. That this year will be the year we a) start working out more, b) give up a bad habit, c) keep our kitchen cabinets organized, d) stop buying stuff we don’t need or e) all of the above. If you’re anything like me, you spend all of December making promises to yourself, all of January being good, and then all of February wondering how it all went wrong.

You’re probably wondering what all this has to do with your statement of purpose, so here it is: as someone who would really like to be better at New Year’s resolutions, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about goals, and how to set a good goal, and a lot of what makes a good goal also makes a good statement of purpose. You’ve probably heard that you should be setting S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, relevant, and time-bound), but have you ever thought about writing a S.M.A.R.T. Statement of Purpose? For example, instead of writing, “Gaining a master’s degree from Heller will help me to achieve my goals” why not get more specific by telling us how it will help you, or what those goals are? Or, instead of saying, “Ever since I was young, I have wanted to help people” why don’t you make that more measurable by saying how you want to help people, or which people/populations?

When you look through your statement of purpose, I encourage you to circle the places when you lean into generalities and apply a “S.M.A.R.T. check”; ask yourself in these places, can I be more specific? Can I make this more measurable? Can I show why I believe this is attainable or relevant? Can I allude to the time frame of this (i.e., when do you hope to achieve a certain milestone)? By asking yourself those questions, you transform your statement of purpose from a wishy-washy statement of your hopes and dreams, to an action plan that your reader can get behind. We know that you want to change the world– that’s why you’re applying to Heller! Your job for your Statement of Purpose is to tell us how… remember, be S.M.A.R.T. about it!

Pushing through Writer’s Block on your Statement of Purpose

December 16, 2021 / daniellalevine / 0 Comments

Daniella Levine, MPP ’21

When I wrote my statement of purpose for my Heller application, I was at first ambivalent and nervous. In general, I procrastinate – and to be fair, I usually use the time productively, to clean my room, or work on another assignment/project. But when I check my list and notice the only thing left is the one thing I have been avoiding, I know it’s time to hunker down and get to business. So when the time came to write my statement of purpose, the kitchen was already sparkling and my holiday gift shopping complete. When I sat down and started to write, I realized that while the grammar and structure would need work, the passion and drive were easy to document. The words began to flow because they reflected exactly why I was applying to graduate school. I had spent years in the field honing in on a particular interest area and when given the chance to verbalize why I wanted to obtain a public policy degree, the words were already there.

We are drawn to this work for a reason and we choose to take time out of the workforce to better equip ourselves to make a difference. Do not discredit your rationale, your drive, and your commitment to social justice – that is what has brought you to this page and can carry you through the application process.

Here are some tips and tricks if you’re feeling stuck:

It’s okay to take breaks while writing. Walk around, get a snack, close the computer and come back to it the next day. Go at a pace that works for you and do not let frustration or pressure limit you.
Have someone read over your application and personal statement. Regardless of your writing comprehension, a second pair of eyes always helps. Additionally, push your reader for constructive criticism – no piece is perfect and there must be at least one thing that could use revision.
Do not try to write towards an assumed perspective – this is your chance to express yourself and your unique view … that’s exactly what we want to see!
You are allowed to recycle your statement of purpose. While we hope you choose to apply to Heller, we know that we may not be the only school on your list. Do not hesitate to use portions of other statements while constructing your essay. But make sure to include why Heller is the right fit for you. Your reasons for applying to schools may be similar – but why us specifically? Show you’ve done your homework and share what makes Heller stand out for you.

Applying to Graduate School as a First Generation Graduate Student

November 30, 2021 / ronuniqueclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

Applying to graduate school as a first generation graduate student is not always as easy as it may seem. When I started my senior year at Boston University, I was on the pathway to become a law student. I spent all summer and most of fall prepping for the LSAT, deciding what schools I wanted to apply to, endless amount of GroupMe messages… it was all super draining. Yet when it came time to write my personal statement I could not find the words to say why I wanted to be an attorney. Was it because I wanted to help my community? Was it because I will be financially stable? What was it? I spent the last two years prepping for my journey into law school and now I can’t even say why I want to be there. I think I was turned off by the law school process. I did not understand the purpose of the LSAT when all the 1L and 2L says the LSAT has barely anything to do with your classes. I did not understand why I would choose to sit in a class discussing outdated laws. I did not understand the process for the bar exam. It all just seemed like a rigged system to me and I no longer wanted any part.

Once I officially decided that law school was not for me, I was right back to the drawing board. Well, what am I supposed to do now? I was set to graduate from BU in less than 5 months and I just shut the door on what I thought was my dream career. I remember speaking with a old supervisor of mine about my concerns: I told her I knew I wanted to help people but I wanted to make a everlasting impact, I wanted to be within the community making the changes they want to see, and that I was thinking of applying for a MPP or MPA degree. She told me it sounded like a great idea and if she could had gotten her MPP or MPA instead of law school she would have 1000% done it. She said to me, “I did not want to study law I wanted to learn the legal and government system to make it better.” From that statement alone I began thinking some more about my personal goals and the field I saw myself in. Once that became clear, I began my search for masters programs. I had few goals for this new journey: find a master’s program that did not require the GRE (hey, what can I say I was burnt out from standardized testing), only apply for 5 schools, and secure a scholarship offer.

One thing I forgot about once I narrowed down my choices and began my application process was that in undergrad I had way more assistance. I had more time to polish my personal statement, I had more time to search for schools, I had more time to submit scholarship applications, and on top of that, I was chosen as a Posse Scholar, and they pretty much do all the work for you– all I did was show up to an interview and a few meetings. I was on a time crunch submitting grad school apps, finding recommenders, and submitting scholarship essays. Not only did I have to deal with being on a time crunch, I had to deal with the most hated question of college students, “What are you doing after you graduate?” I would answer, “Grad school” only to receive responses such as, “Why would you want to go to grad school right after undergrad?”, “What do you plan to do with a second degree?”, questions I honestly did not have the answer to and probably still don’t have the answer to. However, my mentor, my posse, my friends, and my family where all very supportive of my decision to get my masters. They always wanted me to do what made me happy and I can not thank them enough for the support. Friends offered to read my statement of purposes, people always asked for updates and when acceptances letters came in I was showered with words of wisdom and encouragement. Most of my family never went to college and sometimes its hard for them to understand the challenges I have to face, but they never doubted my ability to finish strong. One piece of advice I want to give a first generation graduate student is that breaking generational curses starts with you and even when the road looks foggy, trust the light is always at the end.

Heller Admissions Blog