Graduate Degree and Field: M.S. Animal Science; Ph.D. Education

Previous academic institutions: B.S. Delaware Valley College (now University); M.S. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Ph.D. Purdue University

Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: Go to office hours. It’s a great way for your professors to get to know you. And you don’t have to be taking their class to set an appointment and talk to someone about research or your grad school experience in general. I had a professor tell me once, "I wish more students came and asked questions like you do." Also, it’s okay to be confused. That means you are being intellectually stretched! But seek out people, articles, and other resources that can help you get un-confused.

What I love about GradTrack: Opportunity! I went to a very small school for my undergrad and had never met a graduate student until I became one. I had no clue what I was doing (hence I went to a lot of office hours, see above!) The ability to connect with graduate students, administrators, and faculty through GradTrack to learn what graduate school is really like, how to prepare, and how to apply is huge. This is the start of a network that could last a lifetime.