Grad school, much like undergrad, is a time for students to find balance between the different challenges life presents. Since returning to school, I have found that the responsibilities that I gained after college have compounded my new responsibilities in graduate school, forcing me and my peers to prioritize and organize ourselves to find our way through. So this, dear perspective students, peers, friends, and alumni, is my brief post on how I maintain order in the chaos that is graduate study.

One of the best things that Maxwell has done to help students of all ages adjust to new challenges of graduate study is beginning the MPA curriculum with Colloquium and Public Budgeting. Colloquium is a comprehensive week-long introduction to all that is Maxwell, SU, and Syracuse. Many of us settle into the Maxwell PA community during the first few weeks of the program. Colloquium not only introduces us to the campus, but it helps to spark friendships and relationships that will support and enhance your graduate educational experience.

I really believe that were it not for the friendships that students develop in this program, balance would be unattainable. It is no secret that 40 credits in 12 months is a challenge, but Maxwell fosters a community that is not found in many other graduate programs. During my academic intercession between undergrad and Maxwell, I heard the stories of other schools, other programs from my friends who went straight through, and I was terrified of going to schools where competition divides student communities making every student into an island, forced to face the challenges of graduate school by themselves. Maxwell has fostered a community where professors go above and beyond to ensure student success and classmates stay long to make sure that their friends are supported in their work.

Maxwell has created an academic atmosphere that cultivates relationships that make this program the success that it is. Students that come here are academically driven and brilliant, but it is the Maxwell community that generates success. From the moment we arrive, emphasis has been places on group work, pulling on friends and peers to aid in the learning process. Long after we leave the classroom, friends are surrounding you doing the work with you, there to answer any questions you might have. Maxwell supports us while we are here, and it will support us long after we leave. This community will stay with us all for our entire academic and professional careers, and the skills we gain in qualitative and quantitative analysis are only enhanced by the compassion and empathy of the Maxwell Family.

I find balance in knowing that every stressful day, every heavy course-load, is there to make me a better professional. I take comfort in knowing that while this program is incredibly challenging, it’s not impossible. Every challenge is there to push me to learn and be better, and that reassurance propels me forward to keep reading, keep writing, keep working, while savoring the time that I have left with this faculty and my friends.