The 3 Most Important Things I Learned While A Master’s Student at Harvard
You might be surprised to know that they had almost nothing to do with the top in class professors or degree work itself
Graduation day at Harvard, 2019
Cross-posted on Medium, available here.
I was so shocked when I got accepted to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for a master's in Education Policy and Management that it took me over a week to be able to tell any of my friends that I got in. My application essay discussed how my personal and professional narrative to that point had been all about understanding and breaking cycles in access to education and other experiences, and as a first-generation college student, this was certainly a huge step for both myself and my family.
In the name of expanding access to information, after several years of reflection, I want to share the most important lessons I learned during my year as a master's student at Harvard, especially since they are ones that you don't need to make it through the Ivy gates to learn and practice (the fabled gates themselves don't really exist, at least for the graduate school campuses, I would find out). These lessons had almost nothing to do with the coursework or degree itself, which surprised me and might surprise you, too.
Study something that you could read and talk about forever
This is always my advice to mentees when asked for college major or career advice. If there's something that you always find yourself clicking on articles, following blogs, or doing independent research on, that topic could be an amazing fit for your academic or professional career. +1 if you gush about it regularly to friends and family. This is basically what advanced degrees are - lots and lots of reading and research on a limited topic of your choice. Did I mention there was lots of reading?
Ask for help - seriously
It's taken me years to face it, but I showed up to Harvard fresh out of an undergraduate experience that I left with a shiny degree but also a boatload of trauma and physical chronic pain that I was ignoring. I was a bit over a year past my mother's passing, and by the end of my senior year of college I had been diagnosed with a silent chronic sports injury in both of my legs. While I arrived at Harvard optimistic at the start of fall, when walking to the bus stop became too painful I had to face the reality of deciding whether to pay for Ubers to and from class or risk another parking ticket during my 3 hour seminars if I was even able to nag a spot (honestly my top tip is to never "park your car in Harvard yard").
Stubbornly, I didn't tell a single professor or classmate about what I was facing, and instead silently got surgery on each leg during school breaks, literally re-learning how to walk each time. At one point, I was attending physical therapy 3x a week while attempting to balance a full course load. While I somehow dragged myself through my degree this way, I do not recommend this for anyone else. In reflection, there were so many resources I wish I had accessed, and all I needed to do was ask.
F*ck imposter syndrome
There’s always a reason your brain can come up with to make you feel like you don’t belong in the room. I was the youngest person in my program - and I never let myself forget it. Many of my classmates were in the middle of their careers with at least a few years of real-world experience under their belts. I assumed I had nothing to add to the conversation - but I was wrong! Due to my proximity to my K-12 experience, I became a reference point in a lot of conversations for what was happening in schools more recently. It took me a while to realize my worth in my unique perspective, but it helped a bit with my crushing imposter syndrome.
In case it helps your own anxieties: since graduating, I don't think I've ever had a single person ask me what my GPA was at Harvard, or for any of my degrees. Keep being you and going after whatever lights you up!
