Starting Grad School Again, With the Benefit of Hindsight

As I enter my final semester of the MPA program at Columbia, I am reflecting on the resources I found to be the most beneficial to my overall growth both personally and professionally. Starting a graduate program in a new city can certainly be overwhelming, especially when the opportunities feel unlimited. Here are a few of the most useful insights I would offer to any incoming student, or someone who is on the fence about going back to graduate school: 

Leverage Office Hours as Career Infrastructure

The faculty at SIPA do not just host office hours to help you with your coursework. They are an invaluable resource for supporting your career in the long term, with developed networks, new opportunities, and life advice. You do not need to be an expert in the field to connect with faculty. Your questions are not stupid. You can ask the faculty why they made the career choices they did and how they ended up in the same room as you today. Building long-term professional  relationships with professors will only serve you positively as you reenter the workforce  - for research collaborations, for letters of recommendation, for industry insights, and for career guidance. 

Key Insight: Show up without a perfect question

The Power of Saying Yes

Before I started at SIPA, I never would have imagined having an interest in cybersecurity. Had I not said yes to enrolling in my first cybersecurity course at SIPA having no technical background, I would have never met the incredible Professor Jason Healey, who teaches the subject in a way that professionals entering the policy space can take with them. Beyond the classroom, SIPA offers a variety of events, panels, student organizations, and networking events with professionals across a variety of industries that offer students low-stakes exposure to compounding opportunities. Showing up to learn about something you had never considered exploring is where the true growth happens. If I had another full year at SIPA, I would say yes to more of these opportunities on a weekly basis to learn new skills. 

Key Insight: Presence matters more than perfection 

Your Peers are the Hidden Curriculum 

Much of the learning at SIPA happens informally in the form of relationship building with your peers. As a student who was born and raised in the United States, what I appreciate so much about SIPA are the unique perspectives that students from all over the world bring to the classroom. Study groups, hallway conversations, Whatsapp groups - this is where all the hidden gems reside. The students at SIPA come from diverse backgrounds personally and professionally, and I have found enormous value in learning about how people from different walks of life all ended up in the same city, taking the same classes together. This brings new life to the coursework, dimension to the classroom, and fosters enrichment through connection. I am so grateful for my incredible cohort, and my only regret is not attending more opportunities to connect with my peers. 

Key Insight: Global perspective means learning from your cohort 

If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t have the opportunity 

There is no such thing as being “ready” for your next step. I have learned that the greatest opportunities for growth at SIPA have been the ones that forced me out of my comfort zone. The first time I learned this lesson was when I was accepted to SIPA. I was terrified that acceptance into my dream school would mean leaving my job, moving to a new city, and becoming a student again, but if I wasn’t ready to take those next steps, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. I learned this same lesson over and over again at SIPA. From taking on leadership roles in the classroom to applying for summer internships that felt out of reach, taking chances on opportunities that made me come face to face with discomfort molded me into a stronger person, a more qualified professional, and a more well-rounded student. If I could go back to day 1 at SIPA, I would take advantage of every opportunity for discomfort that crossed my path. 

TLRD: Growth happens through discomfort