Semester Wrap Up

It is hard to believe the semester is over. It feels like a week ago I was just arriving for orientation and now I’m on a flight back home to California for the holidays. This blog wraps up my first semester in the Jenkins MAC and provides some reasons why you should apply to be a part of the Class of 2021!

I’m not going to lie, grad school is as hard as people say it is, it takes up a lot of your time and energy. I knew that headed into the fall semester and I think that helped. I went into the semester with eyes wide open. Some weeks are more manageable than others. Next semester I plan on taking advantage of those weeks to get ahead for the crazier weeks. What really helped me through it all was making time for myself, to relax or go to the gym, and to hang out with friends.

The people at Poole College are amazing and I could not be more thankful to have landed at NC State. Our group of MAC students are so nice and welcoming, everyone helps each other out. I can go to anyone in the program and they are willing to lend a hand whether it’s answering questions or taking a brain break to go get a snack. The people here genuinely care. It truly makes the tough semester so much more enjoyable.

The professors here are rock stars! Their doors are always open and I don’t think I have ever been in office hours more than I was this semester. The professors are kind and never make you feel uncomfortable for not understanding the material, instead they just help you through it. The MAC staff are also great resources when you have questions about jobs, classes or just need to vent a little, they are there.

If you’re curious about some of the classes you have to look forward to, we take a variety. The first semester we all take tax, research, financial management, IT controls and an elective. It was nice to have everyone in the same classes at the same time because you had so many resources and study buddies. We had a group project in almost every class which was a good way to get to know people and to learn how to work with different types of personalities. A group of us got together before the second round of exams to talk through concepts we didn’t understand and it really helped!

I highly recommend forming study groups early in the semester. If you’re confident in a subject then volunteer to lead the study session and hopefully others will step up in other subjects you might not be so confident in. Our friend Nathan helped us out with applied financial management and literally saved my life! I recommend working as a team because some of these students might be your future coworkers. We are all classmates and want everyone to be at their best.

This semester wasn’t strictly school, school, school, we had some fun along the way too. I went to almost every home football game and we always had a MAC tailgate which was so fun! I haven’t made it to a basketball game yet but I still have time. We threw a few game nights on the weekends when we didn’t want to go downtown. We also had some fun times at Drive Shack, a new golf place (even though I miss the ball 90% of the time). We had a MAC Thanksgiving potluck which was so yummy and my friends had a holiday party to celebrate everyone surviving the semester.

So if you are trying to decide if you should apply to the Jenkins MAC I hope this blog helps. The professors here genuinely care and are so excited in the classroom it makes the time more enjoyable. They put a great group of students together which is important because you’re going to spend a lot of time together. Everyone here wants you to get the most out of your one year so I feel like I’m going to walk away with a valuable education. Choosing NC State is not something you will regret, I promise you that.

Happy Holidays!

Jess