While my family and friends have known where I'll be going for graduate school for almost two months now, I thought it was about time I told everyone else.
My decision to attend graduate school at the University of Connecticut was a difficult decision. It involved many tears and long discussions with family and my significant other. Initially, there was a lot of doubt and indecisiveness. However, after several weeks of contemplation, I decided to accept an offer to attend graduate school at UCONN in the Physiology and Neurobiology Department. And let me explain why.
Here is a picture of me and my friends from my REU at UCONN.
If you read my post about my graduate school interview at UCONN, you may have been able to tell that it went very well. It was unexpected for me as I really didn't think I would want to return to UCONN for graduate school.
Going into the interview I had an idea of what it might take for me to decide to go to UCONN.
1. The professors would need to be as awesome as they were when I was there for the summer (that wasn't a hard one).
2. The Graduate Students had to be exceptional and really sell the atmosphere to me.
3. The single professor I wanted to work with had to also want to work with me (I thought this was a long shot).
4. And finally, the research had to be freaking cool (I was almost certain this would happen).
Needless to say, my list of requirements was kind of restricting and I thought UCONN had an uphill battle to convince me they were the right fit. I found out very quickly that UCONN was much more than I had experienced this past summer.
When I arrived, the students made me feel comfortable. They were friendly, laid back, and all-around good people. They even found me a pair of comfortable shoes when I decided to wear uncomfortable heels to interviews and then went on an unexpected walk around campus. The atmosphere reminded me so much of Minnesota, I could feel the "Minnesota Nice" radiating off these people.
So the students did an awesome job selling the school. And I think it was because they were genuinely happy.
Then came the interviews. I was skeptical if the professors would remember me but they most certainly did. Considering I didn't have the best experience during my REU, I bet they were surprised that I applied to their graduate school. Honestly, I almost didn't. My professor (Dr. T who is and will always be my female scientist role model) encouraged me to because at the very least it would be a good backup. Suprise, Suprise, my back up ended up being my first choice.
The professors all had really amazing research happening and they also seemed to be just really good people. The crucial part for me though, was that I immediately knew I could walk into any of the professor's offices and they would welcome me. It reminded me of Scholastica where I can pop into any professors' office for a quick chat or even a random biochemistry question (thanks Zach for all your patience with my questions).
So the professors were awesome. Check.
Now, this part is where I didn't think UCONN would make the cut. Coming into the interview, I had basically one professor that I wanted to work with. I had met him during the summer and immediately knew his lab would be a great atmosphere for me to work in and he would be a great mentor. But I didn't have high hopes that he would want to work with me as well. To my delight, he told me he thought I was a perfect fit for his lab and he would be very excited to work with me.
So the professor I was interested in working with, also wanted to work with me. Coolio.
Finally, the research. Let me tell you, it's freaking cool.
And not just in the lab I'm interested in working in, but all of the labs. They all have freaking cool research. In particular, there was one lab working to create a new type of non-hormonal birth control using drug screening. Super cool. And the lab I want to join, they're going to be working with axolotls. You know, the partially developed salamandar which can regrow its arms, legs, and even head?
Yeah, the research was freaking cool.
Now here's were something unexpected influenced by decision. You may or may not know that I had my heart set on attending the Mayo Clinic Biomedical Graduate School. I've wanted to attend the Mayo for a long time because "mayo is goals". But between my interview at UCONN and the Mayo, something interesting popped into my head.
The Mayo acted like it would be a privilege for me to go there. While UCONN acted like it would be a privilege for them to have me as a student.
It was like the pieces fell into place and I cried because I didn't know if moving out to UCONN was what I wanted. But going to their school was definitely what I wanted.
So now I'm moving out to UCONN. I'm extremely nervous, but I had to go with my gut. UCONN checked all my boxes and more. So I'm very excited to tell you all that I'm going to UCONN for graduate school in August of 2020. I'll be there for approximately 4 to 5 years. Then I'll graduate with a P.h.D in Neurobiology and Physiology. Cool right?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you have any questions feel free to message me. I hope you've found this information insightful. Make sure to subscribe to Teach Me to Science on this website and Youtube as I'll be posting graduate school updates, life updates, and sciency things.
Saren
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