Ready, Set, GSE!

When I tell people that I am going to graduate school to pursue my master’s in education, their response is often something along the lines of, “So what do you want to teach?” When I explain that, actually, I am pursuing a master’s in higher education with the goal of eventually serving as a college administrator (such as a dean), they may say something like, “Oh, so you’re not one of the Teach for America types?”

While I was looking at the other blogs on the GSE Admissions site, I found Alex’s most recent post resonating with me. I often joke that saying I’m going back to school “for higher education” also sounds misleading—isn’t anyone getting their master’s degree pursuing a higher education? So yes, I can see why people are a little confused!

Add this to the fact that most people my age—or in general—probably don’t envision themselves becoming a college dean one day. In college, the deans were disciplinary, authority figures who most of us only got to know during times of crisis (or if we were in trouble). However, right now at least, this is the profession I am interested in pursuing at some point down the road after GSE.

I was lucky to get an insight into the world of a college dean while serving on my campus newspaper. While meeting with one of my school's deans each week to discuss potential story ideas and major issues on campus, I became interested in the profession. I want to work in a student-facing role, but I am also interested in issues such as access, retention, and campus climate. Deans often serve as first responders in terms of engaging with the campus community following a major event, development, or policy change at a college.

Of course, it took me about a year after graduation to decide that I did indeed want to go to graduate school to pursue higher education as a career. However, I believe my path goes to show that not everyone in the higher education field comes from your typical resident assistant/student programming/admissions background. After college, I spent time working in journalism--first at a magazine dedicated to popular culture and then at a publication dedicated to parenting--and I also spent time exploring the public relations and private college counseling fields.

One great aspect of GSE is that it is truly accessible to many types of students. In my program and particularly in my summer class, there are individuals of all age groups and backgrounds. Whether a student is coming right out of college or graduated decades ago, he or she will find a place in the classroom here. 

I’ll be posting about my own experience throughout the summer and am happy to answer any questions you may have as a prospective student. While I’m only a couple of weeks into my summer class, I am already so happy that I chose Penn and can’t wait to see what’s to come!