Want to get the inside scoop on what it's like to BE at Maxwell??? Here are some insider tips from our current students!
Don't worry too much if you didn't initially get funds from Maxwell. You still can apply for Graduate Assistantships and other positions at Maxwell and other schools early in the year (you can teach a language, or be a career adviser, etc.). I suggest that you look thoroughly across the university because positions will not always come to you! Be realistic and don't waste any opportunities: apply to all positions to which you think you have a chance of being selected... if you don't do it, you may later regret not having applied to positions you could have been selected if you were not lucky enough to get your "dream GA". (MPA 05-06)
If you don't like something and you're not alone, don't hesitate to get together with other students and make petitions as a way to influence the department. Like some sort of lobbyism... (MPA 05-06)
Three ladies in the MPA office make are your best friends – they cheer you up when you are down, help you out no matter what the question, and overall make life at Maxwell a happy place. I highly recommend visiting the MPA office for a boost of ups when you are feeling down! (MPA 05-06)
Syracuse is not close to NYC! It takes four hours to get there, and the easiest way to get there is by the Amtrak train (www.amtrak.com) (MPA 05-06)
If you plan to get a job in the US, try not to overload yourself with courses in the Spring. Leave some spare time for job seeking. Unfortunately, that's when most of the elective courses are available. (MPA 05-06)
During the summer semester a lot of changes and new things happens unexpectedly and fast. Be ready to be immersed into a challenging and demanding program, but also keep in mind that very soon you will get used to the pace and requirements of it! Enjoy the program and try to take the best out of it, because it is truly a unique experience both for international and U.S students. (MPA 05-06)
Also, upon your arrival it is better to rent an apartment only for the first month or two during which you can get to know people in your program. Afterwards, it will be easier to choose roommates and rent with them an apartment for the rest of the year. (MPA 05-06)
I wish I had known in advance that I will meet more than 100 classmates in the first week during the PA Colloquium. As an international student from a country where we don't have so many chances to practice English in daily life, I was really shocked by meeting so many people, always introducing myself, and having conversation with them since I just got the States. If I had known this, I wouldn't be so frustrated and get prepared (mentally) for that crazy week; I would not feel so sad that I hardly understood what the speakers in the Colloquium were talking about, because when we got into the real classes, when there was only one speaker, we could get used to the tone and the style more easily. So don't give yourself too much pressure that you want to understand everything all of a sudden. It took me about two months to understand 80% of the whole class. (MPA 05-06)