Where Did All The Time Go?

One of my favorite bands has a song that has pretty much summed up the past year of my life. The song is called “Where’d All the Time Go” by Dr. Dog. The opening lines go a little something like this:

“Where’d all the time go? It’s starting to fly.
See how the hands go; Waving goodbye.”

It is funny how much a few lines from a song can sum up just about a year of life. This is how I feel in regards to completing my first year of graduate school. Time has never moved so quickly, however, I look forward to each passing minute with an unbridled enthusiasm for what the next moment may hold. This brings me to an overall analysis of my first year of graduate school. While, I still have a few weeks before the end of the semester, I have no doubt that I will be a little pre-occupied with trying to finish my work and get my affairs in order before the end of the school year.

I began this year uncertain as to how I would fit in as a graduate student. Actually, to be quite honest, I had no idea what to expect from my graduate program, and I was terrified. How quickly things change! I quickly came to realize how different graduate classes were from my undergraduate classes. With an emphasis on reading and class discussion, I soon realized that the component of these classes suited my learning style very well. After a month or so of classes, I began to enjoy going to class. Not only was I learning new and exciting information about my content area, but I was creating relationships with those individuals around me.

I will be the first to say that I am beyond fortunate to have met everyone that I have in my first year in grad school. I have formed relationships with individuals from all different backgrounds, and for that I am thankful. To know that you have the unquestionable support of your peers is an unimaginably powerful tool in helping you accomplish all of your tasks as a graduate student. Aside from having support in attempting to accomplish your academic goals, these relationships offer a new outlet to try new things. I would have never thought that I would have tried swimming before this semester, but I took the plunge and actually enjoyed it! I have tried my best to stay in contact with my new found friends in an effort to foster our already blossoming relationships. Going to grab a bite to eat after class became more than just a casual experience, but a necessity to unwind from the fast paced life of a graduate student.

While enjoying the course work and forming relationships with your fellow students is a large part of adapting to graduate school, so is adjusting to the demands and styles of your professors. This is a difficult task for any individual. Luckily, the faculty members that I have had the privilege of working with so far have done everything in their power to help me succeed. Words cannot express how grateful I am towards them and all the hard work that they have done in training me to be the best possible counselor I can be. More importantly they have showed me how to become a better and more responsible human being. Having my professors and advisors take time out of their busy schedule to provide assistance to students,  has shown me what it means to be a true professional. It is easy to see how these interactions will be beneficial to me in the future. The faculty members in this program care not only for how you are doing as a student, but how you are doing as a person.

Throughout this academic year I have been trying to figure out what the most important thing I have learned from graduate school. Has it been the theory on the person-centered approach to counseling? Has it been the ethical standards of being a professional school counselor? Or, is it something else? While both of these questions have aided in my learning this year, I would say the most important thing that I have gained from this year is….perspective. The fact stands that when entering a graduate program you are entering a completely different world. In this world you will be greeted by new challenges, new friends, and new opportunities to prove to not only yourself but, those around you that you deserve to be in the position that you are in. You may hear from individuals the negative aspects of graduate school, however in my time I have gained nothing but positive experiences and helpful life lessons.

I will be the first person to say that I love it here at Kutztown. I love the sights and sounds of campus on a beautiful day. I love my program and knowing that I am receiving a top notch education from faculty members who care about the work they are doing and their students. I love the friends that I have made both in and out of the classroom environment, because they are the support that keeps me going through the thick and thin. Graduate school has given me the perspective that life is a long and hard road, but this road can be more enjoyable with some hard work and a little help from your friends. After all, wasn’t there a band that got by with a little help from their friends?

I love graduate school, I love my program, I love my friends, I love Kutztown, and I would love to talk to you about why you should love these things too. Please feel free to contact me at tklaw243@live.kutztown.edu at any time to discuss graduate school, programs, Kutztown, or to just talk. I would love to show you why my time here at Kutztown has meant so much to me. As always, I wish all of you the best of luck.

Tim

 

Keeping Your Head Above Water

Hello friends! Spring is quickly approaching and life is going swimmingly! This brings me to my topic for today’s blog post: Swimming. I have recently adopted swimming as a new part of my exercise routine. While at first I was hesitant in engaging in this activity, I soon realized the benefits that swimming has in my personal, mental and social health.

During my fall semester, I was approached by a classmate about going swimming during the campus’ open pool hours. I told my friend that I would think about it and see if I could make some time to attend the open swim times with her. Deep in my head, I was terrified of the idea! I have never been a good swimmer, and the idea of being in an environment with experienced swimmers made me even more hesitant about joining my friend. As the semester progressed, my friend kept telling me that swimming is an enjoyable experience. Despite the friendly coercion I made it to the end of the semester without even getting close to the pool.

Winter break came and passed, and the thought of swimming didn’t even cross my mind. Then I got back to school and spent an afternoon with my “swimming” friend. One evening after a day of studying and doing coursework, my friend popped the question, “Would you go swimming with me?” At this point, I could not think of any reason why I shouldn’t just take the plunge. I made the trek home and grabbed everything that I would need to hit the pool. When I got to Keystone Hall I felt extremely anxious, and thoughts began running through my head at millions of miles per hour. “What if I mess up? What if I am too slow? What if I DROWN?”  Ok, so maybe that was a little dramatic, but I would be lying if I said those thoughts hadn’t crossed my mind while walking out to the pool deck.

At that moment, I saw my friend crack a giant smile. Seeing her expression, I could not help but to smile myself. Making the decision to go swimming became a huge accomplishment for me! Working up the courage to do something that usually caused me so much anxiety made me feel tremendous. Jumping in and getting swimming shouldn’t be a problem at all, I told myself. Only I had forgotten the fact that I am still a terrible swimmer. Regardless of my swimming skills the feeling of being in a pool helped me to forget all the stress in my life. Instead of worrying about what paper I had to work on, or what book I needed to start reading, I was able to fully immerse myself in something new and worry about my personal well-being.

It is important to find activities that allow you to take a step back from the hectic world of graduate studies. I never would have thought that swimming would be one of those activities for me. I am glad to embrace this new activity and all the positive benefits it holds for me. While swimming is my example of a freeing activity, I urge you to go out and find your own activity that allows you to leave all your worries behind. I would like to thank my friend Rami, for being a wonderful friend and encouraging me to try something new and exciting. Because of her efforts I have found a new activity that provides stress relief and also is extremely enjoyable. Go out and be adventurous folks! And don’t forget to check www.kutztownmasters.com for upcoming graduate events and information on graduate studies at Kutztown University!

Cheers,

Tim

 

Get Involved!

What a whirlwind it has been! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Joe Hohman a graduate student in the Student Affairs Administration. I am currently in my last semester here at KU.  My journey at Kutztown started way back in 2005.  I went through the hoops and trials of being an undergraduate and eventually obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Speech Communication in 2009.  Kutztown paved the way for me to being a successful individual in the public relations field, however, interview after interview I was unsatisfied with the job descriptions, what my duties would be, and the companies I would eventually be working for.  After discussions with the Dean of Graduate Studies, the coordinator of the Student Affairs program and with students in the program I discovered that this major and eventually profession would be the perfect match for me.

I started in 2010, part-time, with two classes and obtain full-time status in the Fall of 2011.  With the start of the semester, I became a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Involvement with a particular concentration on Greek Life.  Through the academic year of 2011-2012 I grew within the profession through advisement, planning programs and learning the daily routines of student affairs field.  In the Spring of 2012, I was able to do practicum work at Cedar Crest College in Housing and Residential Life an area that I had some interest in.

In the summer of 2012 I was given the opportunity to grow upon my skills and was awarded the Graduate Assistant with the America Reads/America Counts program. In the fall I started my last year as well as my internship year.  I chose to do my internship year at Albright College in student activities for the fall and housing and residence life for this current semester.

With only about 80 days left at Kutztown, I am leaving with little regrets and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment.  Graduate school is hard work, there will be times when you have to sacrifice friends, family and your social life but that is life.  There will be interruptions, planned and unplanned, that will take place.  My accomplishments, experiences and mistakes have given me the wisdom to know which interruptions are to be tended to and which ones I should take with a grain of salt.

Enjoy Kutztown and all that it has to offer.  Get involved with activities, faculty, staff, discussions, and opportunities.  They are waiting for you.

Cheers!

A New Family

 

                Greetings everyone! I thought I would take this time to catch you up on the end of the fall semester and winter break. After completing my last final, I took a collective breath of relief. I had finished my first semester as a graduate student. In my mind, I considered this to be an incredible accomplishment. I realized that all of the hard work and stress from during the semester had finally paid off. The only thing that was left for me to do was to wait for my grades to be posted. In the meantime, I decided to go back home and work at my job at Wegman’s to earn some money before it was time to return to school.

                I hoped that my winter break would allow me to relax and collect myself before returning to school in mid-January. Boy, was I wrong. Working at a grocery store during the holiday season doesn’t quite allow for much relaxing. On the flipside, I was able to make a decent amount of money to help support me when returning to Kutztown. While I thought I would enjoy time away from graduate classes. I soon found myself missing the personal interactions. I would have never thought I would miss taking classes! Frequently in my undergraduate career, I missed the social interactions and social environment of being at school during winter and summer break. But, over break I actually missed the educational aspect of school.

                I truly yearned to be in an educational setting that I had grown to love. I missed the friends that I saw on a daily basis and intellectual conversations. I also missed my professors. I realized that as a graduate student, I am working to complete a program that I am passionate about. Being around both other students and professors who share that same passion is truly a wonderful thing. While having to read and complete work is stressful, I began to embrace it as a privileged learning experience. 

                Interacting with others in the classroom is not the only thing I missed about graduate school. I had begun to realize that being in graduate classes forced me to maintain a schedule. This schedule was not only useful in helping me complete my academic work, but actually helped to maintain my personal time as well. Over break, I found that I wasted a lot of the free time I had. I quickly began to despise the idea of not having a schedule to follow. At school, I set my schedule so that I was constantly on the move doing something and making the most of my time. My schedule helped me to balance going to work at my graduate assistant position, attending class, completing my work for classes, meeting up with friends, and having some personal time. Having this schedule helped me to maintain a healthy existence that allowed me to use my time effectively.

                While I made it sound as if I did not enjoy my time at home over winter break, that is not the case. I always enjoy spending time at home with my family, whom I unfortunately do not get to see as often as I would like. I enjoyed the free time I had to spend time cooking with my mom, hanging out with my sister, and finally watching the return of the Flyers with my dad. However, I am truly starting to become engaged in graduate school here at Kutztown and feel like I am creating a family away from home. I look forward to enhancing the relationships with my friends, classmates, and professors in the upcoming semester.

Sincerely,

Tim

The Benefits of Interaction

Hello All,

     I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and that you are getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. I wanted to write about the importance of getting to know the other graduate students in class. Historically, I have always tended to be a very introverted individual. For example, I am typically the person whom on the first day of class goes right to the back of the classroom, and looks for a nook on my own in which to set up shop for the rest of the semester. That being said, I planned on doing the same thing for my graduate classes; just get in, take notes and learn the material, then get out. While originally I did adopt this idea, I quickly found out that I do not enjoy this approach as much as I do interacting and forming relationships with those in my classes. What caused this drastic change in my academic lifestyle?

     As usual, I started off the beginning with the attempt to find a comfortable spot in which to pay attention and achieve learning while keeping to myself. However, in one of my classes we did an introductory exercise. Normally, I steer clear from these since they almost directly conflict with my introverted personality traits. For once I volunteered and offered the class a little information about myself. I was extremely relieved to have gotten a positive response from the class. I felt as if I did not need to worry about speaking up in class and interacting with others.

     Since that point early in the semester, I have been able to form some truly genuine relationships with others in that class. Originally, the idea of forming these relationships seemed totally alien to me. Before I knew it, I was able to laugh and enjoy the time I was spending in my class with these individuals. Now, not only do I have friends on whom I can call if I am having academic issues, but I also have been able to form a new group of friends in which I can relax with and blow off some steam after a long week. A small group from that class has decided to try and go out to the Tavern after class in an attempt to get to know each other better. If you have not taken part in this experience, it might be hard to imagine that going out after class for a bite to eat and a drink or two becomes something that you look forward to each week. I quickly realized that I was spending time with people who share the same interests as me, as well as some who don’t have anything in common with me. In either sense, I have been able to form relationships and learn about people whom I may not have made the effort to get to know had it not been for those early interactions.

     I urge you and beg you, make friends with those that are in your classes. For many of you, they will be the same people you will be spending the next couple years taking classes with. Besides, it always helps to have friends that you can rely on, as well as making new friends along your journey through graduate school. I have to be the first to thank those individuals I have been able to meet this semester, and cannot express how excited I am to get to know them better over the upcoming semesters and years I plan on spending in graduate school. Please feel free to contact me at tklaw243@live.kutztown.edu if you would like to chat. Also, please visit our website at www.kutztownmasters.com to learn more about the graduate programs offered at Kutztown University.

Cheers,

Tim

How I spent some of my Thanksgiving recess

The Window Cleaning Counselor

Hello Everyone,

When writing, I have mainly focused on how I have been doing in my classes and how I have been managing my stress from the classes. As a graduate student I believe these are very important things to talk about when you are discussing graduate school. However, it would be foolish to think that school is the only thing that most graduate students have to worry about. Many students have full time jobs, families, and other important commitments that they must maintain along with their school work. Today I would like to focus on the aspect of work or jobs while taking graduate courses. Some may not believe me when I say that as both a Graduate Assistant for the Office of Graduate Admissions as well as a window washer, I am able to use what I learn in my program each day I work.

We will start with the easier of the two to explain, which is my graduate assistant position in the Office of Graduate Admissions. I started my position as the graduate assistant over this past summer. I quickly learned that I had many tasks that I would be responsible for managing. Mostly, my tasks include contacting people who were interested or applying for a graduate program at Kutztown. By taking over some of these tasks, I was able to help prospective students through the application process. Through a simple email or phone call, I was able to meet people who had just gone through the same process as I had. Offering them assistance and helping them with their issues, or even just chatting with them about their expectations, allowed me to start forming valuable connections among the graduate student community.

Specifically in one of my counseling classes, I was speaking with a classmate who informed me that she had actually been in contact with me over the summer prior to starting her program. In a profession such as counseling, having people say they remembered talking to you and thanking you for your assistance is a great honor. Working with Office of Graduate Admissions has allowed me to meet many extremely friendly and passionate people, whom I might not have met if I was not the graduate assistant. Every day, I am able to use the counseling skills I am learning by speaking with and listening to prospects and applicants to our graduate programs. 

While my role in the Office of Graduate Admissions may clearly explain how I am able to use my counseling skills, my window cleaning job may be less obvious. When I am not fulfilling my graduate assistant hours, I moonlight as a window washer. Some of you may be asking, “How are window washing and counseling even remotely similar to each other?” My answer to you is that, they probably are not. However, it is in the environment of window washing in which I am able to learn about counseling. As a window washer you are constantly in the public eye. After all, I am washing the window to the outside world. It is kind of hard to stare past someone who is taking up your entire view to the outside world.

When washing windows, I am approached by people of all ages. I have heard hundreds of different stories from all of these people. It helped to make me realize that you are able to practice what you learn in any environment. While I may be busy and trying to finish my work, I always attempt to make an effort to listen if people are trying to talk to me. A few minutes of my time might lead to good conversation. Besides, I am pretty great at washing windows, because I can talk and clean at the same time. After the conversations, many times people thank me for stopping to talk. It never occurred to me prior to being in the counseling program; I may be the only person who might listen to that person that day. By working as a window cleaner I have been able to observe people of all different races, ethnicities, creeds, backgrounds, and ages. From interacting with a diverse population, I feel that I have been able to gain a better understanding of people and how they work, while at the same time maintaining some friendly conversation to pass the time.

I am truly lucky to say that I am able to further my counseling skills through my daily interactions. Whether it is contacting people through my graduate assistant position, or washing windows. I am lucky to say that I have jobs that allow me to further the skills that I am learning….and make some money too. I think the point is that many people do not realize that they can further their education by practicing what they are learning in their everyday environment. That being said, I urge you take a couple minutes out of your day and think if you can use what you are learning in your everyday life. If you would like to speak about graduate school or would just like to chat, please feel free to contact me at tklaw243@live.kutztown.edu, or visit www.kutztownmasters.com for more information about graduate studies at Kutztown University.

 

Until Next Time,

Tim

The Choosing Game

Hello Blog Readers,

                I hope that all of you were able to stay safe during this crazy weather we had over the past couple of days. I hope that anybody who may be living in the affected areas is safe and sound, and I hope for a speedy recovery for all those affected. My house only lost power for about 2 days, which is lucky considering some people are still without. While Kutztown University was shut down for the past couple days, I found that I was able to catch up on some of my reading and sleep to help balance the busy schedule that I have been leading over the past couple months. Since it is right around the middle of the semester, the time to pick classes for the upcoming semester is quickly coming upon us. I hope to be able to offer you a few tips on how to select classes that are right for you.

                One of the most important things to keep in mind when selecting classes is visualizing your upcoming schedule. As a graduate student in the M. Ed. School Counseling Program, I have the luxury and the option to take a few hybrid courses, which span 7 weeks instead of a full semester long 15 week course. While the shortened length means only having a class for half a semester, the class itself does require a greater amount of work both in class and online in those 7 weeks. But, looking ahead at your schedule, you may find that you can complete one of these hybrid classes in the beginning of the semester, and then start another for the second half of the semester. For others, taking a few full semester courses may better suit your schedule and ability to complete work. Overall, it is important to consider how you will be able to devote time to your classes when choosing them.

                Another important aspect of choosing classes, is communicating with your advisor. All graduate students are required to meet with their academic advisors prior to registering for classes.  While some may consider this a obstacle in preventing them from picking classes, I believe this is a wonderful opportunity to talk with a faculty member who will help keep your best interests in mind when selecting classes. By meeting with your advisor, you can figure out exactly which classes you need to take to help you progress through your program quickly and efficiently. This past week, I visited with my advisor and was able to figure out which classes I would need to take to keep on schedule with my program. Had I been picking classes myself, I would have had no idea what classes to select. Your academic advisor is a true expert and may be teaching some of the classes you take during the semester. I have found that it is very helpful to receive input from someone who is more knowledgeable about the program and the courses to help me select classes.

                The final aspect to remember when selecting classes is to take your stress level into consideration. When selecting classes it is easy to believe that you can do everything at once. I know because I held this thought going into my first semester. I believed that I could take all of my classes and maintain two jobs with no problem. I quickly found out that it was going to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I decided to alter my schedule set up a little bit for the upcoming semester to help anticipate some of the stress that accrues from class and work. While having an ideal schedule is always the desired outcome, sometimes that is just not possible. It is always a good idea to work with your advisor and professors so that you are able to minimize the amount of stress in your life, while still allowing you to efficiently complete your work both on time.

                I hope that some of the tips help you when it comes time for you to select your classes in the future. As always, stay well, and don’t forget to visit our website at www.kutztownmasters.com for exciting events, updates and deadlines. If you have any questions, comments, or would just like to chat please feel free to contact me at tklaw243@live.kutztown.edu, or call our office at 610-683-4190.

Until Next Time,

Tim