Grad students give advice

In a seminar to help University undergraduates plan for graduate study, Biomedical and Veterinary graduate student Ellen Wiedner spoke yesterday about the "stuff they don't put in the glossy brochures." In the first of a three-part panel series, Wiedner and three other speakers met in Houston Hall yesterday afternoon to discuss their personal experiences with graduate study and to offer advice to undergraduates unsure about their future. More than 30 students turned out for the discussion, including College junior Chantal Dunn, who noted that the panel discussion was very helpful. Offering first-hand knowledge from a wide range of academic backgrounds, graduate students Jennifer Gunn, Bruce Lenthall and Wiedner stressed the importance of taking time off before graduate school and self-motivation in pursuing advanced degrees. "You have to believe you want to do it for yourself," Lenthall emphasized. "You have to be committed." Gunn, a History and Sociology of Science graduate student, advocated taking time off before continuing education, adding that after doing so she was "more sure [she] wanted to be there." Pointing to the importance of taking advice from fellow graduates, Gunn said the University has a "real community of graduate students." While admitting that students right out of college do possess the advantage of having a "fresher body of knowledge," Gunn said she believes in the value of exploring other options after graduation. After telling their individual stories, the panelists also gave advice on how to choose a graduate program and gave information on obtaining grants and funding. Wiedner described the need to be "Machiavellian" about obtaining funding, stressing the necessity to get the financial specifics "etched in stone" before accepting admission to a graduate program. Recommending that undergraduates take advantage of the knowledge that teaching assistants and professors have about various graduate schools, Lenthall also urged students to ask about graduate departments' advising systems. Wiedner stressed that students should "aim as high as [they] can go," candidly explaining that graduating from top schools like Penn opens doors to future employment. While Lenthall pointed to the fact that it is "easy to feel overwhelmed," he suggested approaching graduate school "like a job." The fourth member of the panel, Mary Heiberger, associate director of Career Planning and Placement Services and co-author of The Graduate School Funding Handbook, added her expertise to the discussion and reinforced the other panelists' advice. Heiberger emphasized the value of looking critically at the reputations of faculty that students will be working with, in addition to the graduate department's amount of grants relative to the field of study. Following the discussion, Dunn noted that the speakers provided "well-hidden" information about graduate study. "It's difficult to find information on graduate school," Dunn said. The second panel discussion, on February 5, will feature information on fellowships for graduate study. And on February 13, several faculty members and University administrators will discuss the value of getting a Ph.D. The 90-minute sessions will be held at 4 p.m. in Houston Hall's Ben Franklin room.

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