As BYU-Hawaii seniors prepare to graduate and alumni end their internships this Springtime, those accepted to graduate programs prepare for the masters and PhDs. These future graduate students can be seen posting screenshots and photos of their acceptance letters on social media, with 100s of reactions from friends and family.
Wai Yan Ng, a senior from Hong Kong majoring in psychology, said he is currently applying and preparing for his master’s degree. He shared four steps on how he personally prepared for graduate school: “Maintaining a high GPA, preparing for the GRE exam, obtaining valuable research experiences, and making a resume that is appealing to the admission committees of the graduate schools.”
Marco Hadisurya, a BYUH alumni from Indonesia, said, “Don’t be afraid to continue your education to a higher level. During graduate school study, they don’t care about your grades anymore. What matters is your research. If you love doing it, it is going to be fun.”
According to Hadisurya, having a long-term goal and planning accordingly creates a smooth transition from college to graduate school. “My long-term goal is to work at a private research company, and I want to use my knowledge and skills to build a better world for future generations,” he said.
“As a biochemist, it is hard for me to find a job with only a bachelor’s degree. Companies out there will always look for biochemists with a master’s degree or even a PhD.”
Hadisurya felt inspired when his professors told him he can jump straight from his bachelor’s degree to his PhD. “Because of that, I decided to do an internship at BYU-Provo, where I worked side-by-side with one of the PhD candidates and we did research together. That experience had helped me make the decision of going to graduate school.”
“Financial needs have always been my concern,” said Ng, “and graduate schools can be pricey. Also, the workload is definitely more intense than undergraduate schools.”
His professors’ guidance and advice helped him find what best fit his interest. “The professors here at BYU-Hawaii have generously let me participate in co-authoring academic journals. We publish journals and present them at professional conferences.”
The job Ng has right now has prepared him to enter the crisis management industry and learn problem solving skills as well as counseling techniques.
Anthea Kwan, a BYU-Hawaii alumna from Washington, was accepted to BYU at Provo’s master’s program in marriage and family therapy. She said she always wanted her master’s degree but never knew what exactly to study. “I found the program at BYU-Provo, and they were recruiting at that time. The MFT program comes every year to BYUH to recruit, and the recruiters really like BYUH students.
“They came, I talked to the director, listened to the program, and I fell in love with it. I love the structure. I love the closeness with the professors, and it is a very accredited program. That made me feel that this is what I want to do.”
Kwan advised those who are preparing for graduate school to “start thinking now. Find something that you really enjoy learning about, and make a commitment. If you really understand what you want and what God wants you to do, you can make it happen.”
Writer: Vic Zhong Mongan