Support Is Key

I think the myth that graduate students are adults and do not need support is a lie. Graduate students are students first and foremost regardless of their age. I know for me, support, or to be specific, emotional support is so crucial to the journey. I do not think I fully understood or appreciated it as an undergraduate but as a grad student, you feel the difference immediately. My experience at Newhouse taught me that. It seemed the more rigorous the program the more I wanted to call on anyone; first a parent and then anyone else that could make the pressure go away faster. I just wanted it gone, it felt like so much at times.

Support is so crucial at this time because the responsibilities that you take on can sometimes mess with your mind and spirit if you are not careful and you need people. You need your fellow students and you need your friends, family and anyone that has ever cared about you as you do this to remind you who you are.

If I had to give an incoming student or prospective student any advice this would be a major key point to make. YOU NEED SUPPORT. Let someone be your supportive/cheerleading squad when you are unable to do it for yourself. It is okay to want or need support. Before you are a graduate student you are a person, you are a human being so never be ashamed for feeling vulnerable. Whatever program you tap into while at Newhouse will at some point cause you to feel that, vulnerable. The work can get to you at times, which is just part of the experience and if it does not get to you, you must be made of steel. However, if you are like me and you are an emotional person just know or find your people where you and all your feelings are welcomed. And if you do not feel like you can find your people all you have to do is look and listen. More than likely some of your best people will be found among your classmates, the same people who you will see EVERY SINGLE DAY in one if not all your classes. So, get friendly because just like the coronavirus, you are all in it together.

In fact, the real reason to seek support among your cohort is because these may very well be some of the same people whom you come across in life after school. You will want to have a friend or close associate that you can reach out to as you navigate the working world. The support can be the difference between you giving up and you deciding to keep going or to help you while you decide something important.

At times, this experience of being a Newhouse student felt extremely intense to me and I often felt bad for being such a sensitive person. But I now understand that being a sensitive person is not the issue, not having support is. However, for me I am grateful, I had my fellow classmates to turn to and they helped me get through the tough times. I only hope that I have been able to do the same for them.

So, find your support, you will be glad you did.