GSA

Ever wonder what life is like after college? For some, what follows is a career into the field in which they studied. For others, they couch surf at their parents’ home until something better comes along. Some waste opportunities, flailing through adulthood. And still others choose to further their education, obtaining a higher degree to better their opportunities for employment.

These people are the ones who become graduate students and go for a Master’s or PhD that allows them to grow their careers and aptitude for learning. Andrews University is home to a thriving graduate program, filled with students that are local and from all around the world. As a means to involve our graduate students into daily social life activities and events, Andrews has promoted a Graduate Student Association, an opportunity for students to meet other like-minded individuals in a fun and involved manner.

The president of the Graduate Student Association, Kenneth Choi (graduate, mDiv), says, “AUGSA stands for Andrews University Graduate Student Association. Our association exists to connect and serve the graduate students that attend Andrews University from the six different graduate schools that we have on our campus: College of Arts and Science, School of Business Administration, School of Education, School of Health Professions, School of Architecture, and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. We have several events that we do on a yearly basis: Fall Brunch, the Superbowl Party, AUGSA Gala, and Family Fun Day! Additionally, we have a weekly worship service called KINET IC that takes place every Thursday evening at 8

p.m. at University Towers. We also have events that take place once a semester and events in which we collaborate with other groups, including AUSA and Student Life.” GSA not only works to provide students on campus with social events, but also opportunities for enduring connections and networking. While there are many graduate programs on campus, they are all brought together through this social outlet.

Kenneth Choi also said, “My role as president of GSA involves working alongside each of the officers and facilitating conversations with groups outside of GSA. We communicate to our student body through emails and social media and are working on creating more opportunities for graduates to communicate with one another. We strive to be a group that facilitates connection between students from diverse programs. Even though we are a graduate student association, we are also looking for ways to connect with the undergraduate student body here through collaborating in different events throughout the year as well! We look forward to getting to know you and hear ing your story. Let’s connect!”

Clearly, Andrews University has a strong Graduate Student Association, as well as a great graduate program. Some of the graduate programs that Andrews offers are: Physical Therapy, Business Administration, Architecture, Nursing, SpeechPath, Education, Religion, MLS, Counseling Psychology, Music, English, Biology, Communication, and so much more!

I interviewed Monica Zengotita, who is pursuing a Masters in School Counseling and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology, to get a sense of what life is like as a graduate student:

What’s it like being a grad student?

“Being a grad student feels like an honor and an achievement to me just because it did take a lot of hard work in undergrad to get to where I am now. Being a graduate student can be stressful at times because it does require a lot of responsibility and time management skills to get all your work and projects done. But, you get out what you put into it.”

How has this changed from undergrad?

“There are less tests and more projects, which I prefer. Most classes are small, and there is less lecturing, and more discussion.”

Is there anything you miss from undergrad?

“Having more flexibility to create my school schedule as well as having more time to spend outside of school.”

How do you balance work, classes and friend/ family time?

“By keeping a planner and dedicating the weekdays to getting all my studying and assignments done, as well as work ing on the days I don’t have class. I dedicate my weekends to relaxing and spending time with friends or catching up on sleep.”

Feel free to contact Kenneth Choi with any questions about GSA, or your department heads and advisors to get further information on what would be required to help you obtain your masters degree while attending Andrews.