{"668089":{"#nid":"668089","#data":{"type":"news","title":"SERIES: Transition to Grad School Like a Pro","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJeffrey Edwards graduated from the M.S. in Building Construction and Facility Management in Fall 2022. He now works as a project manager. For Edwards, the graduate program provided him with an in-depth analysis of construction and finance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWe followed up with Edwards to get his insight and advice for new Georgia Tech graduate students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELean on your support network.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u201cI had a really good support system,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cThat included my advisor who would always encourage me when I felt overwhelmed, a few students who I shared classes with who I could bounce questions off of, and wonderful professors who would offer awesome career and classroom curriculum guidance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFind the right balance between school, work, and family.\u003C\/strong\u003E For Edwards, his wife was ultimately the \u201cquarterback\u201d of their household, which allowed Edwards to focus on school and career.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have four kids (ages, 3, 6, 9, and 15),\u201d he said. \u201cOur household always has something going on, whether it\u2019s soccer, band, dance, etc. Looking back on the journey there were times where things felt overwhelming, but the way we would balance things is by having family time for a few minutes in the morning before school or work and weekend drives together when we can fit them in.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFor those who have been out of school for a while, expect more technology in the classroom. \u003C\/strong\u003EBefore coming to graduate school, Edwards spent time working in the industry. When he returned back to school, Edwards felt unprepared for how technology dominated everything.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFrom how we access our classes in Canvas to navigating through the [virtual meeting] platform during the pandemic, it took a couple of weeks to get adjusted to navigating through the different platforms,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cOnce I connected with some other students, I was able to get some recommendations to where I can go to get help.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConnect with other students and peers. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to think back when I first started. I kept telling myself \u2018Why are you here?\u2019 and \u2018You don\u2019t belong,\u2019\u201d said Edwards. \u201cIn the beginning, I had so much self-doubt, but once I connected with other students who shared a similar journey, it made me feel like I wasn\u2019t alone, and I began to feel like I did belong.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUtilize your advisor. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cIt was so important to me that I had a great relationship with my advisor who helped me navigate through the first couple of semesters, helping me establish goals and picking classes that were suited for my development as a student,\u201d said Edwards.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBelieve in yourself. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cBe patient and believe in yourself,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cYou belong here and have fun. Whatever your goals are, you are in the right place to achieve them.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn this series, we uncover the secrets of successful grad school students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In this series, we uncover the secrets of successful grad school students. "}],"uid":"36249","created_gmt":"2023-06-13 13:30:49","changed_gmt":"2023-06-13 18:44:05","author":"Sara Franc","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-06-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-06-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670975":{"id":"670975","type":"image","title":"Jeffrey Edwards","body":null,"created":"1686664730","gmt_created":"2023-06-13 13:58:50","changed":"1686664901","gmt_changed":"2023-06-13 14:01:41","alt":"M.S. Graduate Jeffrey Edwards","file":{"fid":"253951","name":"Series_JeffreyEdwards_467x467_2023.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/13\/Series_JeffreyEdwards_467x467_2023.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/13\/Series_JeffreyEdwards_467x467_2023.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":231272,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/06\/13\/Series_JeffreyEdwards_467x467_2023.jpg?itok=xIdR0ixK"}}},"media_ids":["670975"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/news\/series-transition-grad-school-pro-0","title":"Transition to Grad School Like a Pro with Ph.D. student in biology Melody Modarressi"},{"url":"https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/news\/series-transition-grad-school-pro","title":"SERIES: Transition to Grad School Like a Pro with Ph.D. Student in building construction Candace Washington"}],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sara.franc@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESara Franc\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGraduate and Postdoctoral Education\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}