Now that we’re in the crunch-time part of the semester right before we’re swamped with finals, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I want to do after college (cue my future anxiety). 

As a senior, thinking about “what’s next” after Moravian can be terrifying, even when you know what you want to do. I know I want to go into digital/print media, and I know the steps I can take to get there, but I get swamped with where I should even start. It’s also not exactly a great time to be a humanities major in our current political climate …

That’s why I want to go to graduate school and get a master’s in English or professional writing. I want to obtain more specialized knowledge about the field I plan to go into. I think it’s the most logical next step for me to be the content writer/editor I dream of being. What I didn’t fully realize was how hard it would be to sit down and actually start the process. 

It turns out the stress of applying to graduate school can really get to you when you’re in a chaotic mix of writing articles, writing up an honors thesis, and trying not to spiral into insanity, who would’ve thought? It’s hard to find the time to gather your writing samples or remember to email professors for letters of recommendation when you have insurmountable tasks to complete daily, and everyone under the sun is emailing you. 

I know what needs to be done for my application, but finding time is where the real challenge lies. Don’t even get me started on writing my personal/legacy statement. That alone has been enough to send me into a writing-induced coma with how much I’ve written and rewritten my draft. The number of times I’ve had to refrain from talking about my entire life’s story to fit the word count is nothing short of embarrassing. 

I’ve also found it a challenge to talk to my friends about it because a vast majority of them, even those in English or history, aren’t even going to graduate school. Most of them are in education, so they can just go right into teaching; some of my friends are doing fellowships abroad, so they’re not thinking of getting their master’s or Ph.D.s anytime soon. 

I’ve felt isolated because it really feels like I’m in it alone. Going into my undergrad, I certainly felt that as a first-generation college student, so I can’t even imagine how it’ll be in an entirely new academic environment. 

I also had to work around unexpected circumstances. For instance, I had planned to apply to NYU’s American Journalism master’s program because I could easily see myself as a journalist, and NYU is one of the meccas of journalism. Imagine my face when I go to continue my application, only to be met with “The American Journalism Online Program is currently suspended. Please check back at a later date for updated admissions information.” Talk about unforeseen!

Even with all the uncertainty and setbacks, keeping my wits about me is what has kept me grounded. First of all, I happen to go to a great university with an even greater career center. Seriously, the staff at the Career Center, especially Kelly Gallagher, have been immensely helpful in walking me through the application process and directing me to important sessions and grad school workshops. 

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to take advantage of information sessions and grad fairs! Talk with graduate admissions counselors because they’ll have the information you need. I attended a virtual grad fair and was lucky enough to talk to counselors from two schools I want to apply to, Lehigh and Arcadia. Plus, attending these fairs can even get you an application fee waiver. 

Talk to your professors as well! This is so obvious to me now that I think about it, but when I first started applying, it never occurred to me to talk to my professors, who were once graduate students. They know the ins and outs of the graduate school experience. 

Finally, what I’ve found most helpful in keeping track of my application materials is having an application tracker spreadsheet. I have a specific template in Notion that not only helps you keep track of your application deadlines, but it also tracks financial aid deadlines. 

I want to say that if you’re someone who wants to go to grad school like me, you have lots of resources you can use and really amazing people on this campus to talk to. It’s a taxing process (and God knows it still stresses me out), but one that will be worth it in the long run.