Such a Senior

It’s been quite a while since I last posted on this blog! Sorry about that, senior year has been pretty busy. The second semester is now in full swing, and at the end of next week, I'll be heading home for Spring Break. How quickly this semester is going is a bit nauseating, to be honest.The last time I posted, I referenced that I hoped to be in graduate school next year. Things have changed a little since then. I decided that I wanted to take a step back and give graduate school more consideration before plunging right into it, especially because I wasn't sure if I wanted to get an M.A. in Religious Studies, a Master of Theological Studies, or a Master of Divinity degree. I had applied to some international graduate school opportunities, however, but I didn't end up receiving those fellowships.

Nevertheless, I’m still quite excited about what life after graduation has to bring! I will be serving in a program called the Episcopal Service Corps. The Episcopal Service Corps is a ten-month program, organized by the Episcopal Church, where volunteers are placed with internships in non-profit organizations and live together in intentional community. I will be in a program in Milwaukee called Creating for a Cause that brings together volunteers trained in writing, graphic design, photography, etc. to use their creative skills for worthwhile causes. That program will start in August and run until May, much like an academic year. I am very passionate about working with or for the church, and I am hoping the Episcopal Service Corps will help me discern how I want to be doing that in the future.

Besides figuring out some post-graduation plans, this semester has been filled with plenty of other activities that scream SENIOR! Just last week, I had my senior reading. All creative writing majors read about ten minutes of the work they've completed during their time at SU in a senior reading. These readings are spread across the whole year, with five to six majors reading at each event. I shared six poems. I was really satisfied with how the night went. It was especially fun that I was able to get some laughs from the crowd.

I’ve been up to some senior shenanigans for my other major as well. This semester, I am completing a 4-credit capstone project for my Religious Studies major. “Capstone” is what we call our final or culminating undergraduate projects in our fields. I’m endeavoring to write a 40-plus page paper that challenges some of the underlying notions about emotion in popular Christian advice books on dating and relationships. I love working on this project, even if the prospect of getting it all finished is overwhelming. The other day I was poring over feminist theology books in the library before meeting my friends for dinner. I was so passionate about what I was doing, I was practically bouncing in the cafeteria with capstone excitement.

Of course, there is much more to senior year than these academic components. As graduation draws nearer, I’m getting more sentimental about no longer being able to live with my great friends. A while ago, we had our Senior Convocation, which was a dinner event marking 100 days until graduation. That certainly made everything feel more real. Though I'm looking forward to meeting new people and diving into new opportunities, I'm also not at all ready for my Susquehanna experience to end.

Working Out That Whole Future Thing

This year has involved a lot of trying to figure out what my future might or should hold. This isn't a unique characteristic. Plenty of seniors are on the same boat as me. However, that doesn't make it any less stressful! 

I know I’m interested in continuing my study of religion and theology at the graduate level and would love, one day, to be a professor in that area. However, the job market for higher education isn’t great, so I’m trying to determine how I can follow my passion for theological and religious studies in a practical way that can lead to a career. 

Originally, I had been looking at Master of Arts programs in Religion and a Masters of Theological Studies program. These are primarily academic degrees that serve as preparation for a Ph.D. My plan was to pursue one of those degrees, if I was given funding, and discern from there whether or not I wanted to continue for my doctorate; if not, I wanted to use that academic background in a church or non-profit setting. When I went to my professors for guidance, however, they gave me more options to consider. Some encouraged me to look at Master of Divinity degrees from seminaries as well. These would still allow me to pursue a Ph.D., if I desire, but open the doors to more opportunities in the church, non-profits, etc. 

Now, as I look at my list of graduate schools I’m applying to in the U.S.,  it’s primarily seminaries! One of my professors even suggested I consider ordination as a possible option. I’m far from sold on that idea, though it’s scary to even have floating in the back of my mind. As someone who grew up in the Roman Catholic church, being a priest was never really a career option I could mull over in childhood. It is something available to me, however, if I join the Episcopal church, which feels increasingly likely.   

This semester so far has shown me that, even as a senior in college, I still have a lot to figure out in terms of vocation. I appreciate that I’ve been able to seek out my own pathway in community with others. This year I’ve gotten involved in our campus’s Pre-Ministry group, which meets biweekly to discuss topics like vocation, ministry, and serving God in our future careers. I’ve loved being able to have these discussions with fellow students and our interim chaplain.

At a meeting last Thursday, our interim chaplain shared with us the story of discovering his vocation. A group of us stayed afterwards for a chat about life, God, vocation, etc. I didn’t leave with a particularly clear idea of where I should go for the future—but I did leave feeling excited about God and the relationships I have on this campus. 

Overall, it’s amazing to think about how much my plans have changed (even if they aren’t definite) over the course of four years. As a freshman, I entered college with a set career path in mind. My main professional goal was to be a novelist who wrote young adult fiction. I assumed, to make a living, I would enter editing and publishing. Over my four years, I’ve realized that I don’t have a strong interest in being involved in the publishing business (besides one day being a published writer hopefully) and that there might be other career paths better suited for me. I spent some time considering being a librarian and an archivist before feeling, eventually, that both of those weren’t for me either. I found that I kept returning to the idea of graduate school for religion or theology in my head. I kept wanting to write this off as impractical, but the idea has pretty much grabbed hold of me. As you can tell from the rest of the post, I’ve decided that I need to at least give this idea a chance and see where it might lead.

Whether or not grad school will even be a financially feasible option, when acceptance and rejection time comes, remains to be seen. But I’m excited that I’m giving myself a chance to see.  

Senior Year!

Sorry for the silence! I’ve somehow managed to get to Week 5 of my senior year without updating this blog.

It’s been a busy few weeks since I’ve started back at school. I spent the summer in Selinsgrove, working full-time in the University Communications office and living in my on-campus townhouse with a friend also working over the summer. Summer in Selinsgrove is a much different animal than the school year. Though I worked forty hours a week, I had a lot of free time to spend on some not-so-productive activities, like watching the Pretty Little Liars series and wedding shows with my housemate. Campus was also much quieter and emptier. I found that pretty eerie the first few weeks, but I adjusted. Getting used to the bustle of campus again was actually pretty jarring after those summer months.

The harder adjustment, of course, was to the bustle of school year life!

As a senior, I’m trying to figure out post-graduate plans. That has been a priority since the school year has started. This summer I began working on applications for fellowships that would provide me with funds for graduate school internationally. Specifically, I am applying for a Rhodes scholarship, a Mitchell scholarship, and a Fulbright scholarship. These applications are due in October, and I will certainly be relieved once they are submitted—though the stress will continue if I am offered an interview for any of the scholarships. I’d be very grateful for that type of stress, however!

I am also hoping to apply to U.S. graduate school programs, though that’s been temporarily placed on the backburner as I scramble to complete fellowship applications. I know that I’m interested in studying theology or religion at the graduate level, but I am still struggling to determine what my exact plans are, particularly after earning a Master's degree. Some of my professors suggested I look at seminary programs, which offer a Master of Divinity degree. This type of degree might lead to more job opportunities than a Master of Arts in Religion or a Master's in Theological Studies. Throughout the semester and year, I think I will still be trying to figure out what the best pathway for me is.

I recently joined the Pre-Ministry club on campus which meets every two weeks to talk about issues like vocation and careers that involve our faith. I am hoping I will gain more clarity on the next steps I want to take through participation in the group. Our interim university chaplain (who is also one of the Religion department’s professors) is planning on being involved with the club. I am excited to gain some more insight from him on my plans this year.

Of course, I have also been juggling my classes as well. I am taking Intro to Judaism, a Religion course called Faiths and Values, Advanced Poetry, Intro to Statistics, and a senior creative writing capstone class. Intro to Judaism has probably been my most interesting class so far and I think, in the long-term, it will be very beneficial to me, especially since I have an interest in interfaith dialogue. I also love that it is being taught by our campus’s rabbi, Rabbi Palley.

In terms of social life, it’s been great to have friends back on campus that I missed all summer. Spending time with my friends has been a great calming factor in the midst of all the senior year chaos I’ve experienced so far. I’m excited for all the fun memories we’re going to accumulate together this year, and I’m not so thrilled when think about us leaving each other for whatever life has in store next.

Contemplating Calling

This weekend I attended a workshop called “Discovering Your Passions-Discerning Your Callings” that was co-sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office, Center for Career Services and the Counseling Center. It was designed for students who wanted to explore the concept of calling and what God might want them to do with their lives.  

The students attending represented many different majors and were in many different places when it came to consideration of careers. Some didn’t know much about what they wanted to do next or just had a few ideas, while others were trying to evaluate the more specific plans they had in mind or were reflecting on how God and the concept of vocation  fit into the jobs they already had lined up after graduation.

At the beginning of the workshop, we explored personality and how it relates to careers by examining Myers-Brigg personality types. Before the workshop, we had to go to the Center for Career Services to take the assessment. I had taken versions of the assessment online before and had always tested as an INFJ. I was surprised to find that I was classified as something else based on this test—an INFP.

“I” stands for Introversion. Introversion is not about how quiet or shy you are, as some people think, but rather about how you get energized. Introverts are stimulated by internal reflection and time alone. “N” means Intuition. Looking at things intuitively means tending to be more abstract and looking at the big picture rather than smaller details. “F” stands for feeling, which means being more likely to value personal considerations, emotions, and the subjective over logic and other objective criteria when making decisions. “P” is the letter that’s different than what I’d been classified as before. “P” stands for perceiving. The other option for this last letter is “J,” meaning judging. A person with a “P” personality is more flexible  than a J.

The speaker from the Center for Career Services emphasized many people have to learn, and can learn, to work in the opposite characteristics. For example, introverts can take on extroverted qualities in the workplace. However, the preferences that result from personality types are something to keep in mind when examining potential career paths.

During the workshop, we also did some exercises to help us better understand ourselves. For example, the leaders of our workshop had us write down answers to what seemed like very random, very open-ended questions. Once the questions were finished, we were encouraged to look through our answers to see any patterns about what we valued or what kept coming into our brains. I had quite a few answers about the study of religion, for instance.

Another exercise involved writing down some activities or accomplishments from our past that were particularly meaningful or exciting to us and then sharing those with other students. The other students in our groups then told us what skills they perceived in those stories. What I took from this activity was just how important creativity is to so many of my meaningful experiences.

Through this workshop, I think I have a few more ways to examine myself and different vocational options in terms of my priorities and what might suit me well. I also took away that concept that we should listen to what our lives are speaking to us about what we may be called to do and that the pathway to the fulfillment of (or finding of) our calling may be a lengthy one. Chaplain Radecke expressed that those steps along the way are not just treading water.

Something else I appreciated is that the workshop leaders said that they wanted to be available to us to talk through these issues. I look forward to taking advantage of that as I move forward in trying to figure out my direction for post-graduation.

A Broadened Path

Going into college, I was fairly confident about what I wanted to do with my life. I was going to go into publishing, preferably young adult or children’s publishing, be an editor, something like that. And I was also going to be a Young Adult novelist. Pretty simple.

But as freshman year proceeded, I felt myself opening up to different possibilities. The prospect of publishing became less attractive, and the idea of librarianship came into the picture. With that came ideas of different kinds of librarianship—university librarianship, rare books librarianship, even work in archives.

Now, this year, particularly this semester, I feel myself opening up to even more possibilities as I become engrossed in my second major. I feel like the academic study of religion potentially holds something important for my future. But I don’t know what. What could I do with a graduate degree in religion--become a professor? That idea is fairly intimidating. I never thought of myself as a teaching type of person. Still, I’m drawn to the idea of graduate school, research, academia, etc., albeit hesitantly. This hesitance is, of course, appropriate because most of these ideas are wispy, newly floating in my head; plus, grad school would only be an option if I was fully or nearly-fully funded. Still, I can’t help but feeling like there is something there—something in this Religion major that may translate into a direction for my career.

Perhaps religion and librarianship would somehow find a combination in theological librarianship or the archives of a religious denomination--though that's a slim, slim field.

There’s communications to consider as well. My scholarship at Susquehanna includes an Assistantship in Advancement Communications. When I graduate, I’ll have four years of internship experience that would give me an edge in obtaining an entry-level communications job. Do I want to be in communications? I’m not sure. It’s the most practical choice out of everything I’ve considered, and the idea of communications for a non-profit I care about has a certain level of appeal. Maybe I’d be able to combine Communications with religious studies and work for a non-profit that deals with something like ecumenicism, which promotes unity and understanding between Christian denominations.

Even writing possibilities have expanded. For my scholar’s house project, I originally planned on completing a full draft of a Christian Young Adult novel, but I have found myself hardly motivated, in terms of fiction. Instead I keep turning to poetry. I’ve even adjusted  my project so my end-product is not a novel draft but a collection of writings dealing with faith—including both a segment of a novel and poems.  

For a girl who’s always been fairly set on what she wanted to do—at least the be-a-writer part of the equation—it’s unsettling that college hasn’t narrowed down my path but broadened it.  I’ll admit, I hope this broadening will suddenly contract senior year—that I will be led, clearly, to a pathway that is both fulfilling and financially viable. In fact, I would like for that contraction to take place now. In the meantime, though, I’ll have to try to make the best of this broad path of possibility.  

Skipping to Summer: Thinking about Internships

Though it's midterm week of fall semester, my friends and I have already discussed plans for the summer. This past summer I worked at Salvation Army hanging up clothing. The  location was nearby, the hours were good, and the work was easy, so no major complaints there. I am even thinking that I'll be return to this position over winter break so I can make some money for study abroad next year. However, I am hoping to do something different next summer. I would really like an internship. Creative Writing majors, like most majors, don't all end up in the same field, and it's not always as obvious how to make this study into a career. I think it's especially important for me, then, to get experience in possible career paths. 

One advantage I have in the internship search is that I live near Harrisburg. Being by the capital gives me more opportunities than I might have elsewhere. Already I've found two really interesting internship opportunities.

One company is looking for a Communications Intern. The position would involve with marketing and media relations. Though I am not a Communications major, the writing skills I'm cultivating through my major can definitely be helpful in that field. I also work for Susquehanna's University Communications office, so I have some experience. Completing this internship may give me some more insight on whether or not I am interested in pursuing communications professionally.

The second internship I found was at an archive. Archival work and library science are fields that are often associated with each other. Because of my interest in librarianship, I have stumbled upon, and been intrigued by, information on archival careers. One job I find interesting is that of a digital archivist. The only way to know if I'd really like archival work, though, is to do it. This internship could provide a great opportunity to explore a career path that I might not get to really consider otherwise.

I'm only at the beginning of my search, though. I'm sure if I found these two great opportunities, I can find a lot more! Once I have my list, I'll begin working on resumes, cover letters, and applications. I think I will take advantage of the Center for Career Services before I send any materials to companies. I have yet to use this resource on campus, but this would be the perfect time; I want to give myself the best chance possible for success!

A Future Alumna

For my work in University Communications, I am writing an article on the 15th anniversary  of the Creative Writing major. A significant portion of the research for this article was looking at alumni and their successes in Creative Writing, as well as their uses of the study in unrelated fields. As a Creative Writing major, I can't stop myself from wondering where I might fall among Creative Writing graduates in the future. Of course, I hope I'd be one of those better-known alumni in the program who is getting published and being invited back to read, but even those alumni have other jobs--other significant portions of their lives. I have the feeling for that many Creative Writing major alumni, their paths aren't always the most planned out, but I'm thinking that's probably common among college graduates.

Perhaps, by the time I'm graduating, I'll want to pursue an M.F.A., though I don't find that thought appealing now.

I've talked about my interest in a library career here before, and that interest is still there, though I don't want to go straight into a graduate program for library science. Grad school is a big commitment, and don't even get me started on issues of affordability! Maybe after graduation I'll have a chance to work in libraries to see if that's really what I want to pursue. Right now I keep kicking around the idea of being an academic librarian and working in a university setting. Even within the "academic librarian" field, there are many routes to take.

Maybe I will work in a communications-oriented job after I graduate. Or maybe I'll be in something that would seem totally out-there and irrelevant now. The main thing, however, is that I want to be writing, no matter what my job title may be. I hope that a few years out from graduation I'm beginning to accomplish what I want as a writer--particularly, that I'm publishing a YA novel--but even if I haven't been met with quick success, I hope Megan the alumna is still working towards it. I believe she will be.