Welcome to Marshall B Ketchum University, Class of 2029! I am super excited to welcome you all into the fold here at MBKU. To get into the programs here at Marshall B. Ketchum, I know that every one of you is a strong student who can make waves in whatever you set your mind to. One thing that I would like to do is offer advice based on my own experiences within my first year here at MBKU. When I first came to this campus, I was a student who was coming out of an undergraduate program at a local CSU with a one-track mind for taking up any opportunity I could that was offered at my school, whether it was performing research, serving as hired help within my department, or performing volunteer work with professors. However, since coming here to MBKU, I have had to take certain steps to adapt to the new school life along with being away from home. With this post, I wanted to present ideas that I thought are most important to adapting to life here in graduate school from undergraduate programs.
1. Finding a Study Group
During my time here at MBKU, I have found that having a study group has helped me the most with how I perform academically. Compared to my experience in undergraduate where I would study for exams on my own, usually just the night before exams and get no feedback with my own work. Having your fellow students there keeps you going as you all study together, while also acting as a sound board for one another can allow everyone to hear the material from different perspectives and allow you to build familiarity with it as you teach it back to one another.
2. Finding a Work-life Balance
I know that I just talked about a topic for academics, but it is important for everyone to be able to find their own balance between school, work, and living one’s life. During my undergraduate studies, I would devote most of my time to school and work to the point where I would get sick every semester and I was burnt out by the time I graduated. My advice for you is to devote time to relaxing with the members of your study group, even for just 20-30 minutes every few hours while studying. It makes a difference in the level of burnout you will feel. Not only that but celebrating the small wins whenever you can find the time is something that can serve as a brief reprieve from the coursework.
3. Being Brave when it Comes to Talking to People
The last topic I wanted to bring up is your ability to talk to those around you. This applies to your own classmates, members of the other schools, faculty, and even those already in the field of your studies. Being comfortable when talking to others has been something that has not only helped me get along with fellow students, but it also serves to enhance your learning experiences in being comfortable to ask your professors questions. Not only that but being able to talk to those around you can provide opportunities to get your name out there to those already within the field. I know that it can seem very daunting at times to be the first or only voice to be heard, but I promise that this: most people, if not everyone, are also afraid to speak. Even as someone whom my classmates would describe as a “yapper” I feel afraid to speak sometimes, but I know that what I gleam from my time here learning from the wonderful faculty at MBKU is more important than some temporary nerves that I feel about public speaking and that I am going to need to be able to talk to people once I have reached the field of pharmacy. So why not take the first step here and now when surrounded by friends and amazing faculty?
Once again, congratulations on making it in and I will see you all in the Fall!
Matthew Ghilarducci, COP Class of 2028