Just this past week we welcomed over 300 new graduate students to campus during our 2017 Fall Orientation.
Since a majority of incoming graduate students are new to K-State, the Graduate School provides an orientation to help transition these new graduate students into their new roles through our Welcome and Orientation Activities. The Orientation activities are designed to provide students with the tools to succeed during their time at Kansas State University.
Some of the activities during the 2017 Orientation week include:
Walking tours of campus provided by current graduate students
New graduate students walked through campus, went inside buildings, and asked questions about life as a graduate student. These campus tours, provided by Graduate Student Ambassadors, helped familiarize the new graduate students with the Manhattan campus.
Welcome and Orientation for All New Graduate Students
The Graduate School administrative team, a panel of graduate students and the Graduate Student Council (GSC) leaders provided advice on how to successfully transition to their new role and to balance their multiple roles and responsibilities as students and graduate assistants (teaching, research, and administrative/student services). This session presented information unique to graduate study.
Graduate Student Services and Resources Fair
During the Graduate Student Services and Resource Fair, the new students were introduced to Call Hall ice cream and many campus services available to facilitate their success including: the Career Center, Powercat Financial, Science Communication Initiative, the Writing Center and many more. Representatives from businesses in the Manhattan community such as Arrow Coffee Co., Sunset Zoo and Manhattan Public Library interacted with the new students. Willie the Wildcat took pictures with the new graduate students.
What’s happening this fall for graduate students?
The Graduate School, Graduate Student Council, and many university partners will offer a comprehensive series of lectures and workshops for professional development, research skills development, work-life balance information and coping with stress or other mental health and wellness sessions.
Some of the programming, events, and activities planned for the fall semester include:
- McCain Open House and McCain Grad Mixer– Todd Holmberg, director of McCain Auditorium, will highlight the 2017-18 McCain performances at the McCain Open House on August 23. The graduates will be given the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets for selected performances. Following the B-52’s event on September 29, Friends of McCain will host a social for the graduate students attending the performance. This mixer will provide graduate students with an opportunity to network with other graduate students.
- Grad Dash- the inaugural 5k run will take place at the end of October. Graduate students, faculty and staff are invited to walk or run campus. Proceeds from the run will support graduate students who plan to travel to present their graduate research or scholarly work at conferences.
- Professional Development Workshops– The GSC strives to provide seminars and workshops that enhance the professional development of graduate students. Some of the workshops planned for the fall semester include: Building Your Professional Network on September 5, CV Building Workshop on September 13, Dining Etiquette on September 21 and Communicating Science and Scholarship to Policy Makers on October 17.
- Research Forums– On November 9, all graduate students from K-State will have the opportunity to present a poster illustrating their graduate research or scholarly work at the 2017 Research and the State Research Forum. Students at the Forum present their posters and discuss specifically how their graduate work influences the issues in the state of Kansas. The top 10 presenters will be selected by K-State faculty and post-doc judges to participate in the Capitol Graduate Research Summit that will be held in Topeka on February 20, 2018.
Testimonials from incoming fall 2017 graduate students
Caitlin Broderick, pursuing a Ph.D. in Biology. “I am most excited to experience the whole process of scientific inquiry: to understand and appreciate what we already know, to notice patterns that are not effectively explained by current knowledge, and to devise and carry out plans to investigate these knowledge gaps. It’s a daunting task but one I think K-State will prepare me well for.”
Amanda Clymer, pursuing a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics. “Having an advanced degree provides greater opportunities for leadership in my focus of agriculture finance and even opens the door to extension. I have considered myself a life-long learner and diving further into my field excites me as I know the increased knowledge and understanding will change how I look at agriculture and life.”
Afsana Noor, pursuing a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. “Kansas State University is a land grand research university, and definitely a best choice for agricultural study since my major is Plant Pathology. The department of Plant Pathology at K-State is a well ranked department and they have advanced level of research Programs and facilities.”
Zachary Young, pursuing a master’s degree in College Student Development “I chose to pursue graduate school here at K-State because of the programs reputation around the country as a leading program that prepares its graduates for successful careers in higher education. I am most looking forward to taking in this experience here at K-State and becoming a part of the Wildcat family while here for my studies.”
Calvin Horne, pursuing a master’s degree in Communication Studies. “Beyond satisfying my own intellectual curiosity, I hope graduate school will better equip me to solve relevant problems. Breakdowns in communication are evident in politics, government, activism, religion, business, and even our personal lives. The solutions to those problems require the skills I hope a graduate program will help me to hone — creative thinking, interpersonal and professional communication, and in-depth analysis.”
To learn more about how the Graduate School helps transition graduate students to graduate school, visit the Fall 2017 Orientation page here.