Why You Should Go to Library School (or more specifically, SLIS West)
Posted March 23, 2017 by Megan Ondricek
A post from our new student blogger, Megan Ondricek.
Since you are here, reader, I can probably safely assume that you are already in grad school or seriously considering it. Maybe you don’t need convincing. But if you’re like me when I was researching my options, you might be having some questions like, “Is library school/SLIS West for me?” “Will it further my dreams and ambitions?” “Am I going to like it?” Here are some of the happy discoveries I’ve made so far that have confirmed that coming to SLIS West was the right thing for me to do:
- SLIS West is small! The program generally enrolls around 80 students. Your classes will be small, your discussions will be intimate, and you will get to know most of your classmates and make friends quickly.
- The setting is quaint and beautiful. Don’t get me started on how much I love the Mount Holyoke campus and surrounding environs. This really needs its own blog post.
- Students here come from all ages and stages of life, and bring diverse experiences to the classroom. It’s wonderful to interact with your classmates and learn about their past and current lives and come to the realization that any path can lead to grad school, with the right motivation and determination.
- Homework could be more properly referred to as “professional development.” The assignments are interesting, relevant to your field, and lead to practical knowledge that you will most likely use on the job!
- Group work turns out to be something you enjoy! What was once an onerous chore in undergrad has transformed into a real-world practice of professional collaboration. In my limited experience, teamwork has only ever improved my grade on an assignment.
In short, I am loving my grad school experience so far. If someone had explained all these things to me when I was making my decision, I might have wasted less time feeling fearful and uncertain. Best of luck to you all!