A Story
College was an exciting time of my life. No, I did not go to a lot of parties or do many of the things others expect you to do in these liberating years. College was a unique experience for me in many ways. For starters, I went to a women's college, which was not something I had planned on (ignorant me, I did not even know they existed until end of junior year!). I met by fiancé during my first semester and had to learn ways to juggle rigorous academics and a personal life, both of which I took very seriously. My average class size was around twenty students (we were spoiled!) and I had professors who prioritized teaching, rather than research (again, we were spoiled!). During my junior year, I studied abroad in German-speaking Vienna, Austria (not Australia, thank you very much). As a senior in college, having been on the pre-med track since forever, I made the conscious decision not to apply for medical school---to the initial disappointment of parents, many professors, and friends. That was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make, but I knew I could not live with being forever disappointed in myself for not following my heart. In my heart was the burning desire to teach, as a profession. So during my senior year, I took my first formal education course and loved it. I ended up staying a fifth year to complete more course work (prior to this, I had loaded up on all things biology, chemistry, and art history), and to serve as a student teacher in a public high school. At the same time, I was holding a full-time job as a post-baccalaureate research fellow, lab manager, and teaching assistant to a biochemistry course for majors. Looking back, I can only say I was insane for doing it all, but somehow I managed.
This part of my website is devoted to telling you my story of college---my version of college life—and my experiences as a post-college doctoral student in education. My life may look very different from yours, or you may find yourself following a similar path. In any case, I believe there is something to be gained walking in the shoes of another. At the minimum, you might gain a new perspective.
And for the record, women's colleges are awesome. Don't always believe what others tell you; experience it for yourself and tell your own story.
This post was inspired by a fairly recent interview experience I had for an educational consulting job. It was one of the most intense interviews I had. I articulate a ‘street smarts’ approach to interviewing that is drawn from a ‘coaching session’ with my husband. And this is where the tennis metaphor comes in. I extend insights to help navigate other stressful life situations.