I have officially completed my first semester of graduate school and I am one night away from starting my second….time certainly does fly! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in Fundamentals Week, doing ice breakers and anticipating the work load that was to come! I must say, now that I have settled into the program I truly couldn’t be happier and I feel 100% certain that I am in the right place. From my very first day at MSPP I was taken aback by the warm, supportive community from both the faculty and students and I remember leaving orientation thinking to myself how nice it was to be surrounded by such a caring group of people. For the first time in my life I found myself surrounded with people who held the same interests and values towards genuinely wanting to help others, and my newfound inclusion in this community put to rest every question I had about where I was meant to be (I’m a bit of an existentialist!).
I truly can’t say enough about my fellow classmates as they have contributed to making my experience so positive at MSPP thus far. As the same twenty-something of us had four out of five classes together, with the exception of seminar where we were broken up into smaller groups, I have gotten to know this group of exceptional individuals quite well. The respect and support we all have for one another, both inside and outside of the classroom, is unlike anything I have ever experienced in an academic setting. Never have I felt so comfortable sharing my thoughts and opinions in an environment where I know I am truly being heard. Being at a school that places so much emphasis on diversity, it has been fascinating to learn about the unique backgrounds of my classmates and I have enjoyed the ways in which our discussions have been influenced by each of our individual experiences. While I’m sad that my schedule is slightly different this coming semester and I will not share all of my classes with this group, I am looking forward to maintaining these relationships and forming new ones!
In addition to being pleasantly surprised with my classmates, I was also pleasantly surprised with my classes. Last semester I took Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Lifespan Development, Diversity and Differences, Ethics, and my seminar. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed aspects of all of my classes, and it was a nice change from undergrad to be studying exclusively in the subject I am interested in. While all of my classes were great, it was definitely a lot of work and overwhelming at times! I think its safe to say that our winter break was much needed and after some R&R I feel ready to start the spring semester!
So in a nutshell that has been my experience so far and I am definitely looking forward to this coming semester!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I welcome you on my personal journey through grad school!
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