April 13

Why I Chose Stan State

Everyone’s undergrad experience is different. Sometimes the most difficult thing to discover is your major, interests, and ambitions. For many first-gen students, not giving in to imposter syndrome is not just an on-going matter, it can be a routine hindrance. It can tedious enough to find out what we (actually) find interests in and committing to it. On top of that, undergrad can go by so quickly and deciding where to go and what to do can be extremely cloudy and stressful. The hardest thing for me to answer throughout my undergrad career has been the big question: “Once you graduate, what’s next?”

It is now April 2020. In two months it’ll be my full-year college graduation anniversary! I am so excited to celebrate turning one. Somehow through all the essays, projects, homework assignments, and endless sea of classes and major requirements, I managed to answer that once daunting question and am now a full-time student in the social work masters program at Stan State! *pats myself on the back** 

Getting here was not easy, though. I had so much to decide on. I was torn between accepting my offer of admission into some very big and extremely known schools or accepting my offer from a school that’s a part of the largest four-year public university system in the United States. After weighing all the pros and cons, I knew I had to choose the school that fit my interests best. I was looking at things like:

· Class sizes

· Graduation and retention rates

· Financial aid offers

· Professors backgrounds

· Student Demographics

· City and University Culture 

In the end, I chose the MSW program that offered the small class sizes, high graduation rates, supportive financial aid offer, made up of diverse professors, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and located in a city I can easily navigate. Surprisingly, I also chose a school that has shifted my entire professional and academic objectives.

Prior to enrolling in the MSW program, I was determined on completing the masters and taking a very large break (time-wise) from the academic setting. I told myself I would only ever re-enter the university for another master or to polish up on field practice and theory. I never, not once, thought I would enter this MSW program and consider pursuing a Ph.D. 

Throughout undergrad, at a very large research institution, I never cared for research. Who knows how, but very, very quickly Stan State instilled within me the excitement to pursue research as not only a career but also as an interest. 

While I say I chose Stan State, I also like to think that Stan State chose me. Had I gone elsewhere, I don’t know if I would contemplate pursuing a Ph.D. so soon. I am grateful this university has already helped me determine the next chapters of my life even while I work to experience fully this current one. 


Posted April 13, 2020 by mannyscsustan in category Uncategorized

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