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Eggheads as HeroesBy Kay Feathers QuailBellMagazine.com Whether you studied international affairs at Georgetown, illustration at MICA, or nursing at UVA, chances are that if you went to college in DMV, you got a rocking education. Many, if not most, universities in the area—from Goucher to Mary Washington to VT—lay claim to at least one or two nationally ranked programs. And if you picked a college for a top program as a starry-eyed high school senior, you likely studied with professors who were not just respected regionally but nationally. Whether you studied international affairs at Georgetown, illustration at MICA, or nursing at UVA, chances are that if you went to college in DMV, you got a rocking education. Many, if not most, universities in the area—from Goucher to Mary Washington to VT—lay claim to at least one or two nationally ranked programs. And if you picked a college for a top program as a starry-eyed high school senior, you likely studied with professors who were not just respected regionally but nationally. As May approaches, all you ambitious seniors might be wondering how the hell you'll ever become the next Susann Cokal, the VCU Creative Writing professor whose YA novel, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, sold out on Amazon and has been positively reviewed by The New York Times and Publisher's Weekly. Or the GMU Public Policy professors, like Dr. Posner, Dr. Conlan, ad Dr. Dueck, who regularly contribute to foreign affairs publications read across the nation. How will you ever become like the UMD Classic professors who just won a $500,000 grant from the National Italian American Foundation to study the Roman impact on American identity? With so many of your friends who graduated a year or two before you still flipping burgers, how will you ever become an expert in your field? How will you ever achieve the likes of what your professors have achieved? End the panic attack now. You're what—21? 22? 23? Maybe you tacked on a Master's right after undergrad and are 24 or 25. Young yet. You not only have two or three solid months left of school to go, you hopefully have a long life ahead of you, too. Keep applying to those jobs and internships and fellowships and grad programs. But also take some time to actually focus on your studies. Read that novel with more than a superficial understanding of it. Paint that painting with attention to detail. Actually reflect upon your lab report before typing it up. You should aim to do better than simply pass your classes. Someone has paid thousands upon thousands of dollars for you to grow your mind. Maybe interviews and acceptance letters will come. There is also a chance that they won't. If you find yourself experiencing rejection, you should be able to say you have a damn good consolation prize: The ability to think more critically and compassionately than you did in high school. Your professors may have grown up during a more stable U.S. economy. That does not mean, however, that they did not face their own set of personal struggles. They've accomplished what they have due to time, effort, and, yes, maybe an ounce of luck. To survive the rest of this semester, though, focus on your professors' perspiration. Because you'll have to perspire to get where they did—and sweat not only stings. It stinks. Get a whiff of it and work hard. This is the home stretch, fledglings. Stop worshipping the eggheads and realize that they, like you, are mere mortals. #College #Graduation #Jobs #Economy #Fear
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