‘Community’ Articles at Heller Admissions Blog

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Event recap: Waffles and Wellness

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

Why did Waldo go to therapy? To find himself. HA! Just trying something different to start today’s blog…did you laugh? No? Well, that’s fine. But that joke does lead us into what we are talking about today!

Last month, Brandeis Counseling Center and the office of Equity Inclusion and Diversity teamed up to put on a Self-Care series. The series hosted Waffles and Wellness on Thursdays and Mindful Mondays. Being that it was midterm month, I had no intention of stopping in at any of these events. I needed every minute of my day for tests and papers! But one fateful Thursday, the smell of waffles drifted into my classroom and all at once, my classmates began to look around wondering where that beautiful smell was coming from (that’s how they lure you in, free food). I had coffee and breakfast already that morning, so I wasn’t too hungry, but after class, I chose to follow my friends to a nearby study room where Waffles and Wellness was just getting started and sat down waiting for my friends to finish eating. I wasn’t looking to talk about wellness or really to talk at all. I was just patiently waiting.

Now let me pause here and say I LOVE therapy. I am a big advocate for everyone to do at least a few sessions every couple of years just to check in and make sure they are in a good place mentally. I did therapy during my undergrad years, and it was truly lifesaving. So, by no means am I opposed to the practice of therapy, but on this particular day, mental wellness was not at the top of my to do list. Now let’s get back to the story.

As I sat waiting patiently, watching waffles, both gluten-free and gluten-filled, being made fresh and passed out, Heller’s community therapist, Roxann, began going around the room presenting a deck of note cards for students to pick from. Each card had a definition for mental wellness. For example, the first card read “Mental wellness is taking a break”. Again, this was smack dab in the middle of midterm season, so I wasn’t the only one to chuckle after this card was read aloud. Roxann sensing the overwhelming rejection of this definition began asking those who were present questions and explained how essential stepping away from work was to overall productivity and success of any assignment. After this, another student picked from the deck and read aloud “Mental wellness is going to therapy”. Again, I chuckled, but this time, I was the only one… And if you didn’t know, laughing at going to therapy in front of a therapist is the fastest way to find yourself as a new client of that therapist, willing or unwilling (I’m kidding, sort of). Recognizing that I was the only one that laughed, I immediately looked up to lock eyes with Roxann, knowing that I wasn’t going to get away without sharing the reason behind my reaction.

Again, I want to pause. Please don’t think I was pressured to share or even be in the space. I was very much a willing participant. But there is something about being in an open space, with open people that compels you to be open too. And that was the point of the series, creating an environment for people to come together, share, learn how to care for each other and ourselves better, and get the necessary tools to practice every day. But once more, back to the story.

I won’t divulge everything that was discussed after that moment, but I will tell you that before I left that room, I sent Roxann an email requesting to start sessions with her the next week. Just like that, following people who were following the smell of waffles landed me back in therapy. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

That’s my story of Waffles and Wellness. As I tend to leave tidbits of advice in my blogs, I will leave you with this. Stay away from waffles. Kidding! You are never too busy to take care of you. Never.

Heller Hacks: Pro Tips from the Inside (BCC Community Therapy)

March 28, 2023 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Two weeks ago, I started this series, Heller Hacks: Pro-Tips from the Inside” with a post about Heller Enrichment Funds. This series is deigned to give both prospective and admitted students the inside scoop about programs at Heller that they may not otherwise be aware of, things that I’ve noticed many of our most successful students take advantage of during their time at Heller. Today’s post is, I think, especially important for students to know about, as I really believe support in this area can be a make-or-break factor in your success at graduate school: BCC’s Community Therapy program.

Let’s face it, graduate school can be tough. One thing I’ve learned from my time in higher education is that any problem a person can have, a student in graduate school can also have. That includes, but is not limited to health problems, job loss, break-ups, new relationships, starting a family, losing a friend or family member… the list goes on. But when you’re in graduate school, you could potentially be dealing with any of these problems on top of managing to study, take tests, write papers, and attend classes, which is already hard enough! That’s why, in addition to the access that all students have to Brandeis’ Counseling Center, Heller also has an in-house community therapist.

Driven by the counseling center’s mission and inspired by Brandeis’ value of community transformation, BCC Community Therapists provide free, confidential mental health services. Community Therapists can offer strategies to strengthen life and coping skills, insight and support, as well as information and connection to additional resources. Whether it’s stress, worry, sadness, relationship or family dilemmas, or academic performance, sharing concerns with another person can make an impactful difference. No topic is off-limits! Community Therapists can also help determine whether formal counseling would be useful and, if appropriate, assist in getting connected to appropriate services.

All Brandeis students can receive a total of three community therapy sessions. And at Heller, we are lucky to have Roxann Mascoll, LCSW, as our staff therapist. A little about Roxann: “Roxann identifies as a Black Nuyorican. Her professional interests include relational therapy, trauma-focused family dynamics, and she is an empathic clinician. Roxann’s interests are counting how many times someone sings the “Roxann” song (The Police/UTFO). She loves working to improve her health and mental wellness. She is an avid Caribbean cruiser.”

At Heller, we believe that mental health is a crucial component of success in both academics and life. That’s why we are committed to providing access to mental health resources for our students, including the services of our talented staff therapist, Roxann Mascoll. As a student, don’t hesitate to reach out and take advantage of this valuable resource!

Brief Reflections on my First Semester at Heller

December 20, 2022 / cmcquarters / 0 Comments

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

This past Wednesday I submitted my last paper to complete my first semester of graduate school around 11:30 pm (yes, I procrastinated). After pressing “submit”, an overwhelming feeling of nausea came over me. Partially because I was second guessing if I listed all of my sources in the bibliography, but partially because while I had been clawing my way to the finish line of the semester since Thanksgiving, I didn’t expect it to come so soon. I hear more and more these days how it feels like time is always flying. Hours are turning into minutes and minutes to seconds. As I sit 4 months removed from when I first arrived in Waltham, I can certainly say it feels like I just got here yesterday. But now that readings and assignments are on pause until the new year, I want to take time to reflect on my learning experience during my first semester at Heller.

When I first began thinking about going to school for an MBA, my excitement was matched by my fear. Not having come from a business background, I didn’t know if I had the expertise needed to know the material I was going to school to study for. Turns out, I was right. Of course I didn’t! In my first class of the semester, Financial Reporting and Analysis, I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor, understanding 99% of what she was explaining. I left feeling on top of the world, ready to breeze through my time at Heller. Fast forward to my second class, Economic Analysis for Managers, I repeated the same process. I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor. Except this time, I promise she was speaking an entirely different language. By no fault of her own, no matter how many times she explained the material, the neuro pathways in my brain refused to allow the new information in front of me to sink in. I left that class, called my mother, and said plainly, “I think I’m dumb”, laughing but really wanting to cry. Over the next hour, my mother and I broke down that statement and I came to the realization that I in fact wasn’t dumb, I just didn’t know this new thing I never studied before. Now, you might be reading this thinking, “duh Calah! Of course you’re not going to know what you’ve never learned before”. But honestly, somewhere in the time between being accepted into graduate school and actually starting graduate school, I created this unrealistic expectation of knowing all I needed to know before I learned it. This semester reminded me that it is okay not to know everything (it’s actually unrealistic). Instead of obsessing over what I didn’t know in the beginning, I chose to be intentional and diligent about learning over time so I could be a little wiser in the end. I read, studied, worked with classmates, and talked to professors to ensure I was gaining all I could. It’s funny to remember that call, especially now that I understand the time value of money (look at me using econ terms 😉 ). But I am grateful for the patience and grace I offered myself then and in many more moments along this semester. To anyone thinking about applying to something you’ve never done or learned before, do it! The process may be scary and there will likely be moments you feel a little dumb, but what you learn and gain in the end is always so worth it! It has been for me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a couple of lines to acknowledge a source of so much laughter and happiness during my first semester: my cohort. I am grateful for the experiences shared, heartfelt moments had, friendships formed, and events planned (shoutout to the Boston Commons crew) thus far. And I am so excited to continue to grow together and make more memories over the next year.

One semester down, three more to go.

Holidays at Heller

December 15, 2022 / amendez / 0 Comments

Andy Mendez, MBA/SID’23

Holidays in graduate school are a bittersweet time. On the one hand, it’s a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the schoolwork grind and a chance to reconnect with loved ones back home. On the other hand, for many international and out-of-state students, going home for the holidays is not always feasible financially or due to the distance. Personally, my hometown is a 16 hour drive from the university or a $400+ roundtrip airplane ticket so, both this year and last year, I have had to choose between going home for the November break or going home for New Year’s instead.

With this in mind, the Heller Student Association started a Friendsgiving tradition to bring students together for a time of community, gratitude, and fun. The Heller Student Association is a student working group dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices of the student body and meaningfully contributing to decisions that affect students’ time at the Heller School.

This year, about 30 students gathered on the afternoon of Friday, November 25th in the Zinner Forum for our 2022 Friendsgiving Celebration. We spent the first half hour of the event playing board games, teaching each other new card games, filling out coloring sheets, and writing positive messages on a big poster board to the tune of a Charlie Brown holiday playlist on Spotify. Connect4 and Exploding Kittens stood out as the crowd favorites. At 12:30pm sharp, we gathered around three long tables for a feast from Boston Market resplendent with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, rotisserie chicken, cornbread, and apple pie. Before digging in, we went around the table sharing things that we were grateful for. Unsurprisingly, student after student cited the friendships they’d made at Heller and the welcoming campus community as top of their gratitude list. Since the event was open to students from all of Heller’s programs, many new friendships were formed as people from different programs interacted for the first or maybe second time.

After lunch, we had a very spontaneous and impromptu karaoke session, which was dominated by 90s boy band singles, Taylor Swift classics, and a few Latin tunes. Students were able to take home tons of food to feed themselves and their roommates over the holiday weekend. While the organizers were perfectly happy to handle the take-down and clean-up process themselves, every single attendee pitched in to fold tables, remove chairs, and take out trash. It was such a perfect picture of the spirit that is so indicative of the Heller community. I left the event feeling refreshed and grateful for all the people who contribute to making the Heller School the place that it is.

Meet My Cohort: Hannah Wilcove

October 6, 2022 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

Who’s ready for the next blog in my “Meet My Cohort” mini blog series? I am, so I hope you all are too. Last week we kicked off the series with Katherine Gagen, our future philanthropist in policy, and this week I am introducing you all to Hannah Wilcove! Hannah is 25 years old from Rockville, Maryland, and she graduated from University of Maryland- Baltimore County, where she majored in Women’s and Gender studies with a minor in Sociology. She is currently a 2nd year MPP student concentrating in Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

What did you do before coming to Heller?

I graduated from undergrad in 2019, and later that year, I joined a state senate race in Virginia because their state senate races are always in the off year. I then stayed on political campaigns throughout the 2020 election cycle.

Hannah Wilcove, MPP’23

Why did you choose Heller?

To speak about grad school more broadly, I realized that working on political campaigns and getting people elected was great and all, but I really wanted to focus more on what candidates did after we elected them. Once candidates get into office, what legislation and policies do they pass? I began looking at programs in public affairs and public administration and I quickly realized that the MPP had what I really wanted to focus in on was that aspect of public policy. Even though there are a lot of great public policy schools in the D.C. area, I chose Heller because first, I wanted to get out of the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, since I have spent my entire life there. Second, which is the bigger reason, is that I was very picky in the schools I was applying for, and I wanted schools that really focused on the human aspect and I loved Heller’s commitment to advancing social justice. I did not want to go to a school where all I did was learn economics and statistics and still teach a philosophy of policy that is still pretty white-male dominated, led, and influenced. I wanted a place where I be able to talk about gender, race, sexuality and talk about all kinds of different people that policy affects.

What is your favorite class at Heller?

Anyone who has spent more then two seconds with me knows the answer to this. My favorite class here at Heller is Policy Approaches to Gender Based Violence, taught by Kaitie Chakoian. She is able to create an environment where people feel safe and comfortable to discuss these extremely difficult topics. She is just incredible at moderating a classroom and facilitating a learning environment, which sounds like a bunch of buzzwords and academic jargon, but it really does matter when you are talking about difficult, personal, and traumatic topics like gender based violence. Having someone who knows how to teach and lead with empathy is really important.

What is your most challenging class at Heller?

I think for this, I want to say it was Policy Analysis, taught by Michael Doonan, because, one, the field of policy analysis is so broad that there were a lot of different elements to cover. In addition to that, this class had the biggest variety of assignments.

What are your plans after Heller?

I am still figuring this out! I am really open to a lot of different options. I know I want to go back into the work force and that I do not want to pursue a PhD because I really want to be out in the field. Something I been looking into is more lobbying and advocacy work, because that is an avenue that will allow me to lean into the areas I am incredible passionate about and voice my support for specific policies without having to tone it down, which you might have to in other roles or organizations. That is not to say I am not willing to do government work, but I think that being an advocate is something that really plays to my strengths and being able to do that professionally with the knowledge that I gained from this program would be a good fit for me.

Any advice you would like to give to prospective students?

I will say this to any graduate student, yes, classes are important, but also remember that you are still human. It is not healthy to just focus on the schoolwork side of things, you also need to and deserve to live, make new friends and spend time with them, making sure that you are eating and sleeping, and really prioritizing your mental health. You are going to hear a lot of people paying lip service to that, but figuring out what actions you can take to really preserve your mental health and find joy while navigating graduate school is going to make the process a lot better. Another thing I would like to mention is something that is great about Heller: this is not the kind of competitive environment that you might find in other schools or programs. I know when my sister was going through her law school process, she was warned how competitive it was but that is not the case here at Heller. It’s not that we don’t encourage each other to do our best and to be our best, but the people you meet here are incredibly supportive and are your collaborators, not your competitors.

Can we get a little commotion for the last quote: “It’s not that we don’t encourage each other to do our best and to be our best, but the people you meet here are incredibly supportive and are your collaborators, not your competitors”? What a strong way to close out a student interview! Thank you so much Hannah for stepping into the admissions blog room! Stay tuned for the next student feature in “Meet My Cohort” .

Reflecting on my Letter to my Future Self: Hannah Lougheed

April 26, 2022 / hannahlougheed / 0 Comments

Hannah Lougheed, MA SID/MS-GHPM’22

Wowwowwow. Can you believe it – I am done. After two years full of classes, papers, exams, internships, blog posts, laughter, and tears, I have reached the finish line. As I look forward to my next steps career wise, I wanted to first look back and reflect on my “Letter to your Future Self” and see if I have made myself proud. Here is what I wrote a little over a year ago:

Okay, now that we are here at graduation, here are some things I hope I can say as I finish this two year journey:

I made it through while making the best of my situation (Covid really changed everyone’s plans, but I hope I didn’t just “get through it” but that I made the most of it). I think I can say I accomplished this one. I will be honest, there were times where I felt as though I could not write another assignment, or read another article, but I never wished I was not at Heller nor did I feel that I needed to put my head down and just push through. I thoroughly enjoyed each class and tried to be as present in the moment as possible during this entire season.
I created some long-lasting relationships with those at Heller who I can always lean on in the future, and who can lean on me. I genuinely love being with people while building friendships and connections. I feel that I have made some great friends and colleagues who I will stay in contact with for many years to come! This includes classmates, workmates, professors, staff, and roommates – lots of incredible people to add to my people collection!
I took advantage of opportunities for various forms of growth while at Heller. Those who walked beside me throughout this Graduate School process can attest to the fact that I am always very involved. From taking on a leadership role as the Co-Chair within the Heller Student Association, to gaining invaluable connections as a Graduate Assistant with Admissions, and everything in between, I took advantage of a number of experiences during my time here which has added richly to my time and Heller, and has shaped me into the person I am today.
I applied myself and did the best work I possibly could throughout my courses. This one is a mostly yes. I will amend it to say, “I did the best work I possibly could with the time and energy available“. In order to have done my absolute best work, I think I would have needed to be juggling fewer classes and activities. However, in juggling those various activities I increased my time management and prioritization skills. It became of matter of cost/benefit analysis for what I needed to gain from this experience. So I can still check this off the box, just with a bit of an amendment.
I left an impact on Heller, and it left an impact on me. Heller has certainly left an impact on me, and I hope I have left one on Heller – but I cannot speak to that! Heller will forever hold a piece of my heart, as these two years have been incredibly formative in the creation of who I have become.
This investment was totally worth it, and I would not have changed a thing… okay maybe the whole global pandemic thing! But besides that, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The investment was totally worth it, and for the most part, I would not have changed a thing. Hindsight is always 20/20, so maybe there were some classes I would swap out, events I would have attended, and overall ‘life things’ I would have altered. Of course I did not prefer to be online the entire first year, but that was out of the control of anyone as Covid prevented all universities from functioning as normal. So overall, this one was fulfilled as well.

So, all-in-all I would say I made myself proud! These two years have been incredible in many ways. Now, I can reflect and be proud of myself for making it through while balancing so much! Time for a much deserved nap.

It has been wonderful contributing to this blog, and for anyone who is reading this, or has read my posts in the past – thank you! It means a lot that others care about my thoughts, and this has been a great outlet to process my time in graduate school. If anyone ever cares to reach out, please email me at hannahlougheed@gmail.com – I am always happy to chat about my time at Heller.

Daniella’s Top Ten Reasons to Choose Heller

April 19, 2022 / daniellalevine / 0 Comments

Daniella Levine, MPP ’21

It was just announced that the Heller School for Social Policy and Management has once again been ranked as one The US and News Report’s Top Ten Social Policy Programs in the country. As such, it only seems fitting that I do my own calculations. Here are my top ten rankings and how they play out in my day-to-day schedule as a graduate student at Heller (numbers in no hierarchical order)

The Research Institutes: Heller has ten research institutes on campus that are each at the forefront of their fields. Many of the researchers teach at Heller, and many more present their work frequently on campus and in classes. I feel embedded in social change.
The Professors: The staff and faculty are some of the most caring, intellectual, and encouraging educators I have ever had the pleasure to work alongside. They are so well-versed in their academic fields and promote open debate, dialogue, and discussion in every class. Going to school in the midst of a global pandemic and publicized racial reckoning can be daunting, and not one class went by where a professor didn’t check in on our wellbeing, providing space for us to process collectively, as one community.
The Courses: The wide array of course subjects allows each student to find classes in their interest area. Every course investigates each topic through an intersectional lens, employing a holistic educational system. Each student sets their research topics for each class, which allows students to study their concentration in every class and through an intersectional approach.
The Atmosphere and Commitment to Social Justice: Heller’s commitment to social justice manifests in the students who attend. Staff and students alike constantly push for the university to improve and meet its mission.
The Friends: I would be nowhere without my cohort– check out my earlier blog about my peers and the make up of people who attend Heller.
The Only MPP Program That Requires a DEI Course: That title says it all. Based on student feedback, Heller decided to integrate a DEI course into the core curriculum for the MPP program. And starting in Fall 2022, every students enrolled at Heller will be required to take a DEI course. I am proud of the students before me for advocating for this class and impressed with the administration for listening – but that’s on brand, have you read points #3-#5?!
The Concentrations: Heller offers students many concentration to help inform and structure their academic journey. There is also the opportunity to create your own concentration if not one encompasses a student’s needs. Most of the concentrations are linked to a research institute, solidifying their institutional reach.
The Leadership: The shared field experience of Dean Weil, our newly appointed interim dean, Dr. Maria Madison, and many of our distinguished lecturers enhances the caliber of our curriculum.
The Aid: Heller’s commitment to support every student’s education can be felt in all of the numbers above. However, this is reinforced in its generous aid packages to students. Education needs to be more accessible and Heller is working towards making higher education a reality for everyone.
The Alumni Network: Being associated with Heller is like wearing a badge of honor. People are proud to be a member of the Heller network; alumni hire alumni, staff help current students, Heller advocates for justice. Being a Heller graduate student is one of the highest accomplishments of my life and I look forward to being an ambassador for Heller as I enter the professional world.

Take a Break!

April 14, 2022 / hannahlougheed / 0 Comments

Hannah Lougheed, MA SID/MS-GHPM’22

It has come to that point in the semester when assignment levels increase simultaneously to energy levels decreasing. It can feel like a true sprint to the finish line (as my last blog post highlights). We are, however, at the precipice of a break in the form of a full week off of classes! So, how do Heller Graduate students spend their breaks?

I find that I recharge best when home (in Pennsylvania) with family. There is nothing I love more than walking into my parents’ house and smelling that familiar yet indescribable smell, being in a well-known space, spending time with my dogs, and loving on my nieces and nephews – not to mention the home-cooked meals. I also find such joy in revisiting my favorite hiking spots and local restaurants. That is where I will be spending my week off, and I have been working hard the past few weekends to get ahead on assignments so I can be very present while home and truly take a break from school.

But enough about me, here are some of the fun things my classmates are planning to get into:

Beatriz Pleites: “I am going back to El Salvador [my home]. The plan is to hang out with my friends and go the beach!”

Ryan Lansing: “I am working over break so that I can be free to surprise my mom with a visit for her birthday/mother’s day in early May – I am the gift!”

Others have mentioned travelling to Quebec, New York, Cancun, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. Waltham is situated in a location that allows for fun 2-3 day trips accessible by car, bus, train or quick plane trip. Some of my classmates have decided to use the break as an opportunity to get ahead on assignments. Others hope to explore more of their own backyard, enjoying hikes and all of the fun activities Boston offers. Yet others told me they do not know what their break will look like, but they look forward to some unstructured time.

How do you prefer to spend breaks? Regardless of if you recharge through adventure and exploration. family time and familiarity, or quiet rest and relaxation, I wish you the best on your next break. Here is to hoping that this break reinvigorates us graduate students to put our best foot forward for our final push to the finish line!

Heller Town Halls

April 7, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

One of the things that I, as a staff member, really appreciate about Heller is the Town Halls that we hold each semester. It’s actually something I hadn’t experienced before in my own graduate program or in other schools that I’ve worked at, so I’ve come to see it as a hallmark of Heller that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of what we’re trying to do here. In short, Heller Town Halls are opportunities for the leadership at Heller to update students on the work or projects that are being done, and to give students the opportunity to comment or ask questions– and even to make demands– of the school’s leadership. Since we had a Town Hall earlier this week, I thought I’d report back on this semester’s town Hall.

The event kicked off, as it usually does, with a welcome from the office of the Dean, which includes representatives from career development; admissions; equity, inclusion, and diversity; academic and student services; communications; alumni relations; research; and many more. After each of the representatives from these offices had a chance to introduce themselves and provide updates on what their offices have been doing, the meeting was turned over to Maria Madison, who leads our Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Office.

Dr. Madison shared the results of the most recent climate survey, which typically happen every year but have been delayed due to COVID. Climate surveys are really important at Heller, since they’re one of the ways that we measure Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity progress, through looking at demographic, vulnerabilities (like health, safety, wellness, employment, housing, food security), belonging and inclusion (including perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with Heller and willingness to recommend to others. These four measures let the staff and faculty know whether we have been making progress in our commitment to social justice. Since Dr. Madison let us know that the numbers were preliminary, I don’t want to go into too much detail, it looks like in spite of the pandemic, overall, student satisfaction and willingness to recommend to others has improved. Dr. Madison also talked about important next steps for contextualizing and embedding anti-racism, anti-bullying and anti-discrimination into pedagogy, research, and policy work across Heller.

After some quick updates from Ravi Lakshmikanthan, Assistant Dean, Academic, and Student Services and Ron Etlinger, our Chief Administrative Officer, our current Heller Student Association chairs, Zari Havercome and Hannah Lougheed (who of course is also one of our talented GAs who writes for this blog!) shared the results of the elections for the new chairs of HSA and gave some end-of-the-year updates.

With all of that out of the way, the floor was open for questions from students, faculty, and staff and cupcakes were brought out to celebrate Heller being ranked in the top ten for social policy once again!

What Advice Would You Give To Your First Semester Self?

March 3, 2022 / daniellalevine / 0 Comments

Daniella Levine, MPP ’21

As my time at Heller is slowly drawing to a close, I have been reflecting a lot on what I’ve learned over the last year and half. At some moments, it’s hard to conceptualize who I was before this program. I was curious how my peers were processing as well, so I presented them with a simple question, what advice do you want to give your first semester self? Here is what some of them had to say:

“When it comes to exploring new policy areas, follow the fun! I know that a lot of us come in with an idea of what we’re going to do, but try to embrace the new and potentially unfamiliar places that your research and curiosity take you!” Adam Jones, MPP ’22

“I would urge first semester me to look outside of the program-specific classes to find other options that may be intriguing! Talk to second years to find out classes they really enjoyed and do not be afraid to look outside of MPP/Heller classes.” Hannah Orbach-Mandel, MPP ’22

“Trust yourself and the process; you got in for a reason and deserve to be here.” Sierra Dana, MPP ’22

“I would say ‘get to know your classmates/cohort’ because I’ve learned as much from them as I have from my professors and they have been a great support system. ” Sasha Himeno-Price, MPP ’22

“This is pretty generic, but I wish I had stayed true to my interests and goals for the program, and committed to seeking out resources across Heller to explore those further. I found it easy to get sucked into weekly assignments and feel like I have not made the most of the larger landscape of people, research, sources, etc. that the school has to offer!” Lydia Slocum, MPP ’22

“I would tell myself that it is okay to not know your specific policy interest yet and that the program helps you figure all of that out – which you will.” Louisa Duggan, MPP ’22

“My advice to first semester self would be to prioritize rest, the work will always be there – Rose Farrell MPP, ’22

“Do not be afraid to ask questions and engage with your professors.” – Kerin Miller, MPP/MBA 22

Finally, I would like to add my own personal anecdote, some words I wish I followed as a first semester student: I came to Heller for gender policy, as you my have read in my previous posts, and when I first started, I was so intimidated by my peers who all had particular interests within their policy areas — and here I thought I was already ahead of the game because I wanted to study gender policy! Do not ever let imposter syndrome get the best of you and do not let yourself feel small alongside your peers. The impact you will each make is tremendous.

Heller Admissions Blog

Tag: Community (page 1 of 4)

Event recap: Waffles and Wellness

Heller Hacks: Pro Tips from the Inside (BCC Community Therapy)

Meet My Cohort: Hannah Wilcove

Reflecting on my Letter to my Future Self: Hannah Lougheed

Daniella’s Top Ten Reasons to Choose Heller

Take a Break!

Heller Town Halls

What Advice Would You Give To Your First Semester Self?

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