Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Dana Harrington - Second-year Master Student Q&A


 - How would you describe your undergrad program (where did you go and what was your experience there like)?

My undergraduate program was similar to the program here. I went to a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, another big state school with some really stellar faculty. The majority of my intro classes were taught by TAs but this actually ended up being great because they gave me really useful advice about applying to grad school and what grad school was actually like. I was really glad that I reached out to some of my senior faculty as well. It is really cool being in graduate school and hearing people reference your undergraduate professors.

What made you decide to apply to grad school?

I was pretty sure at the beginning of my senior year that I wanted to work and go out into the “real world” after I finished undergrad. Then I went to a career fair and was completely underwhelmed. All of the jobs that I wanted, even at the entry level, seemed to require years of experience or were focused on selling things. Around the same time I was doing an independent study as research assistant on a dissertation. The research was so cool and interesting, but I really wasn’t sure if I could imagine doing more school. The grad student I was working with told me that things worked very differently in grad school and told me I’d love it. Classes are smaller, there’s less busy work and you get to pursue areas that particularly interest you. Not to mention, a lot of programs in Communication will fund you so you get paid to teach and go to school.

Do you have any advice on the application process?

Give a lot of thought to the faculty you want to work with and where you want to live. It’s important to try to clarify what areas you might be interested in. Finding a program with the right fit is really important. How big of a program do you want to be in? Do you want to be with only Masters students or a mix between Masters and PhDs? Email professors you are interested in working with. Get in touch with grad students at programs you are interested in. The most helpful thing for me was going to the National Communication Association Conference as I was applying. I could shop a bunch of different schools at the same time. Schools have receptions so you can chat up professors at different programs (and often get free drinks and food). Plus, when I went it was in New Orleans so that was a good time anyway. NCA also gives you a good look at the kind of research that graduate students do and what areas of interest you might have.

Now that you’ve been in grad school for a year and a half, is there anything specific from undergrad that you feel prepared you well?

Learning how to read properly. I know this sounds weird, but being able to efficiently pick apart an article is a real lifesaver in grad school. You just don’t have time to read everything word-for-word so getting good at skimming and speed-reading is huge. Having my professors assign me academic/foundational stuff really helped me going into grad school because I was already familiar with these kinds of arguments.

Can you tell us something brief about what you’re studying here?

I’m studying the communicative constitution of compliance in the Organizational Communication area of the department. This pretty much means that I am studying how people communicate and how that communication creates organizational compliance (or making people follow the rules). Even though on the surface it can sound kind of dull, but the theory behind it is pretty interesting. At the root of it, I’m studying issues of control, power and authority, which I think is pretty cool. I was drawn to Org Comm because organizations are things we deal with everyday and, when you start thinking about it, it is really cool what organizations do. It doesn’t hurt that it also lends itself well to some good jobs outside of academia.

Do you have any advice for how to get the most out of your undergraduate experience?

Balance things. You are here for school but you should definitely take the opportunity to get to know the people around you. College campuses bring together a bunch of cool people and offer a lot of opportunities to try new things and get out of your comfort zone. Also, take the time to talk with your professors and TAs, especially if you are interested in what they do and might want to get into that area. I know I got a lot more out of my classes from talking with my professors. Finally, study something that interests you. There are always going to be assignments that are huge pains, but if you study something you enjoy, fewer of them will suck and things will stay with you longer.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

2013-2014 Exec Board

Congratulations to our 2013-2014 Executive Board! 

Samuel Ashmore, President
Colin Wichman, Social Media & Website Coordinator
Haley Buchner, Social & Events Coordinator
Rebecca Garner, Outreach & Community Service Coordinator


Best of luck next year and we hope that you learn as much from Eta Phi and the values they foster as we all did! 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Spring Teaching Awards

Teachers, they inspire, support and encourage us to become better students and better people. Take some time to honor your favorites in the 2013 Spring Teaching Awards! 

Eta Phi is calling for letters nominating your most beloved instructors (Master and Graduate Students). We want to know what makes this instructor great and how they impacted you as a student. 

Eta Phi will select one Master's Student, one Graduate Student and one Overall Instructor from the nominations that they will be recognized at the Communication Department Awards Ceremony. You must submit your letter to the Communication Department Office or to etaphihonors@colorado.edu by 5pm Monday April 15th! It's all up to you!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Graduate School

Considering grad school? The following tips and resources along with an interview with Jen Malkowski (PhD candidate) will help with your decision making! 

Why should you go to graduate school?
1. Contribute to the public good
2. Ensure quality of life
3. Its where the jobs are
4. Higher degrees net higher salaries
5. Engage in research
6. Personal satisfaction

Info on CU's graduate programs
Program Application Guidelines
Ranking and Stats about CU
Questions about Funding

Start preparing for the GRE now and have Kaplan send you GRE question of the day! 


An Interview with Jen Malkowski:

Why would you recommend grad school to undergraduate communication students?
Graduate school presents a great opportunity to meet other smart, driven people with similar interests. It wasn’t until grad school that I could honestly look around myself and say “these are my people!” In graduate school I was encouraged to embrace my inner-nerd and I would recommend the experience to anyone that considers themselves curious, hardworking, and a fan of some issue or topic that they’d like to really dive into and learn more about. 


What do you wish you knew about grad school before applying?
I learned quickly that graduate school demanded a lot from you: time, energy, and deep, critical thinking which, quite honestly, sucked at first. I wasn’t prepared for trying really hard and still coming up short, or I guess more realistically, trying really hard and coming up average. The thing is, grad school is full of smart, talented people and I guess I wasn’t used to the rhythm and rigor of being surrounded by other driven, smart people who pushed me harder than I had been pushed in my previous academic experience.

How many graduate schools did you apply to?
For my master’s I applied to four schools, for my PhD I applied to ten, which is crazy! Time-wise and money-wise applying for school is consuming


What is one piece of advice you would give someone applying or in grad school?
Learn how to be your biggest fan and your own coach. There’s a lot of solo time in grad school which means you have to learn how to keep yourself motivated independent of constant affirmation. On that note, grad school is a lot of hard work followed by submitting work that, for the effort involved, feels like deserves fireworks, or at least a pat on the back. Unfortunately, although other people are happy and proud for/of you everyone in grad school is busy, busy and so you’ll need to figure out your own measures of success and your own modes of celebration when you meet your goals.


How did you choose which graduate school program best fit your interests and desired career path?
Honestly, I spoke with people I admired, asked for their opinion, and then did a lot of snooping online. And, let’s be honest, I went to San Diego for my BA and MA and landed in Boulder for my PhD - location matters to me and really helped me narrow things down. There are smart people everywhere; be honest with yourself in terms of what type of surrounding you need to thrive personally and professionally. I think there is room to be super selfish in how you go about selecting potential programs so talk with people that can help you identify what matters to you most and then aim big, but be strategic. I got rejected from a program I thought was “OMG! Totally my dream place to land!” – tragic? No. Honestly, I can’t even picture myself anywhere else and I guess that’s kind of how life goes. You make decisions and then you work, daily, to make whatever decision you made your “best decision.” Truth is, I would have been a good fit a lot of different places so be open during the process of program selection and application (and rejection!).



Monday, March 4, 2013

Executive Board Applications

Attention Leaders:

Interested in serving on our 2013-2014 executive board? This is a great way to be a more active member of the CU and Boulder community while utilizing the many skills you have learned as a Communication Major! Submit your resume and Statement of Purpose to etaphihonors@colorado.edu by April 4th, 2013 to be considered!

Executive Board Responsibilities: 
a) Board members shall occupy their position for one year, unless elected and appointed to the position for an additional term 
b) Board members shall operate as a cohesive body, adopting and performing an attitude of care and collaboration for one another and for LPE as a whole 
c) Board members shall perform the duties pertaining to their specified positions, in addition to maintaining the academic membership requirements that are applied to all LPE members 
d) Board members shall attend and provide insight on LPE events/activities, Society meetings, and Board meetings. Including contribution to Eta Phi Advice Forum 

Eligibility: All Executive Board candidates must meet standards for and be accepted into Lambda Pi Eta membership. 

Application Process: Prospective candidates must create an application file consisting of a Resume and a Statement of Purpose document stating the following: 
(a) The officer position of interest 
(b) The reasoning why this particular position is being sought for 
(c) The qualifications that would fulfill the role of the position 
(d) A second-preference position if not accepted for the first position ofinterest