As a prospective applicant, you might be wondering about the work-social life balance in graduate school.
When I was deciding which MPA/MPP program to attend this past spring, I was concerned that everything in grad school would only revolve around academics for me and my classmates. However, I was proven wrong when I found out just how outgoing and social my cohort of future policymakers and public servants could be. Even in the midst of final exams, many students in our cohort found time to attend our Ugly Sweater holiday party at World Lounge this past Friday evening.
Some of the sweaters included an ugly reindeer, an ugly walrus, and a Hanukah menorah. Some were even homemade, such as a “Blue Christmas”-themed sweater with three cutouts of Elvis’ face. Some people even went as twins! (Kurt Fire and I inadvertently purchased the same orange Syracuse sweater from the university bookstore and wore it to the event.)
The holiday festivities included a Secret Elf gift exchange, where we shared individualized holiday gifts among our classmates. I was assigned to get a gift for Melissa Horste (MPA & MAIR dual student) who is an avid cat and knitting enthusiast. I decided to get her a photo frame with a picture of, you guess it, a cat knitting a sweater! Melissa joked that her cat Pebbles would get jealous when he sees the framed orange tabby.
Some of the other gifts included a New York Giants cap signed by Maxwell Professor Bob Bifulco and holiday candles. My Secret Elf, Charlene Cordero (MPA & MAIR dual student) knows of my love for Insomnia Cookies so she got me a Cookie Monster puppet.
Overall, I’m glad that in our program, Maxwell students knows how to work hard and also find time to socialize. From potluck dinners to intramural soccer to our spring formal, our Mafia cohort community makes an effort to be together.
From our Maxwell Mafia family to yours, happy holidays!