One UD Degree Wasn't Enough For Me

“I initially enrolled at the University of Delaware because it was perfect for me with a large enough campus – but small enough student body – far enough away from home so that I would be on my own, excellent classes and opportunities in my intended major, and at a price point that my parents and I could afford.

Following the completion of my bachelor’s degrees, I left UD to pursue a master’s at another university. After three semesters, it was clear that it was not a good fit for me, and UD was my home. I was excited to return to UD, where I knew I would be supported by the faculty and have access to unique opportunities.

The Summer Scholars and Semester-in-Residence programs in Lewes were the most beneficial, rewarding and fun experiences I had as an undergraduate. I'm happy to return to Lewes as a graduate student in the Hale Laboratory. My work focuses on tracking American shad, a diadromous fish, in the upper Delaware Bay using acoustic telemetry. I’ll also be using stable isotope analysis to investigate resource use and diet in the Delaware Bay. After I graduate and defend my thesis, I hope to do similar applied conservation research or work in fisheries management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

College is what you make of it, but graduate school is more about faculty-student relations. UD has fantastic faculty who are extremely supportive and clearly communicate with students. The College of Earth, Ocean and Environment faculty members make UD feel like a warm community.”

“Although I was drawn to biology and very interested in undertaking multiple research projects, I also had an interest in business. Thanks to a dual degree program offered by the University of Delaware, I was able to pursue and earn an MBA and a Ph.D. in biological sciences at the same time. While conducting biomedical research that I hope will have a great impact, I was taking business classes that showed me how to apply theoretical knowledge to practical applications in the real world.

As a graduate student, I had the opportunity to participate in many extracurricular activities, which enabled me to develop strong leadership and problem-solving skills. I mentored undergraduate students, served as a graduate student representative for the Teaching and Technology Committee and as a career panelist at UD events, promoted STEM education to elementary and high school students, judged student poster competitions, and reviewed high school and undergraduate student grant applications. In my role of BioGSA officer, I helped graduate students network with the world inside and outside of academia.

I am currently an American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS] Science and Technology Policy Fellowship [STPF] fellow in the executive branch of the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Secretary of Defense - Science and Technology Foundations Office. Though I get to work on the STEM education portfolio, defense labs portfolio and many other subject areas I dreamed of working on, I miss going to the UDairy Creamery with my friends for the great ice cream, especially the mango basil and Delaware River mud pie.”

“I came to the University of Delaware as an undergraduate because it was close to home and I was impressed by my tour when I first visited. After four years of making great connections with professors whom I wanted to continue working with, I was able to still stay near my family and continue to receive a great education by earning a master’s degree in data science. 

My successful experience in the data science graduate program, which was aided by the support of many outstanding professors, helped solidify my decision to enroll in the Ph.D. program in mathematics and pursue my third UD degree. I have a desire to keep learning about complex topics in my field and am very interested in continuing the research I have been doing in the data science program.

UD is preparing me for my future by allowing me to teach courses, engage in research and take classes suited to my career interests. I enjoy teaching and intend to keep doing so following my time as a student. I plan on keeping close ties to my colleagues in academia and continuing to do academic research after I graduate. Overall, I feel very prepared to land a great job in industry as a research scientist when I complete my education. The Ph.D. in mathematics allows me to continue building my research skills and knowledge about complex topics that I will need to produce useful results as a researcher.

My most memorable UD experience to date has been finding solutions to challenging computer science and mathematics problems in my data science research that I had been working on for over a year. I began this project after taking a mathematics course during my first year in graduate school. The professor of the course took interest in what I was doing and has become a great mentor to me who has very energetically supervised this research. The University of Delaware has amazing professors and students who strive for academic excellence and make up a wonderful community of people who will challenge you throughout your academic experience here.”

“I completed my undergraduate degree shortly after the COVID shutdown and was unsure about readjusting to a new school for my master’s. By staying at the University of Delaware, I have benefited from more consistency in my life and having less change to deal with.

As part of my master’s program in public administration, I am serving as a judicial fellow with the Administrative Office of the Courts, which is run by UD’s Institute for Public Administration. My work is policy-based in nature; I help the AOC in a variety of ways, which often include looking at administrative rules and procedures and finding methods to make them better understood by employees and the general public. I also get to jump in on additional projects, such as managing the digital platform and communications for a court-run conference with almost 500 attendees.

My goal is to work in management or management analysis, helping organizations find ways to increase efficiency, improve operations and better serve the public. I love how much impact I am able to have at the state and local government levels.

I was drawn to the University of Delaware by its offerings of extracurricular activities, especially the club sports. My most memorable experience at UD has been competing at the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating National Intercollegiate Final, where our team finished second. I also represented the UD Figure Skating Club at the 2022 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships, hosted by the University of Delaware, by finishing first in the gold solo free dance event.”

“Ever since I was a young girl growing up in nearby Wilmington, the University of Delaware had been on my radar. My parents are alumni, and they always talked highly of their UD experiences. When it came time to tour colleges, I fell in love with the beautiful campus and The Green.

While I have always been impressed by the quality and value of the classes, the biggest factor that influenced me to stay at UD to pursue a graduate degree was the outstanding faculty. Over the course of my undergraduate career, I had many excellent professors who mentored and advised me. I am so lucky to get to continue to work with two huge influences on my undergraduate education, Sheng Lu and Katya Roelse, as a graduate student in fashion and apparel studies.

UD is helping me gain an in-depth understanding of my industry and how I can make a difference. It is providing me with valuable learning experiences outside the classroom and enabling me to network and make connections with others in my industry. I have been thrilled to find out that UD alumni are always willing to help out a fellow Blue Hen!

UD is a great place to become the person you want to be. It has countless opportunities to engage in educational experiences and drive your future career. As I am making many more lifelong friendships with other students, especially through my graduate program, I am continuing to fall in love with the University of Delaware, which is now my home.”

“Having finally found a graduate program that truly appealed to my interests and career path, I began the University of Delaware’s strategic communication program in the fall 2019 semester. Nearly two decades after having last been in school, the thought of applying for and — gulp — beginning the program was daunting. But I had been wanting to get my master’s degree for several years, and I began to get the nerdy itch to write papers; so, even with the challenge, I was also pretty pumped.

I was looking to move into a more dedicated communications role where both my skills and the lessons from the master’s program would be utilized to better the group with which I was working. I wanted to back my passion and self-taught talents with formal education to make myself doubly marketable for those kinds of career options. My master’s has been a direct contributor to my taking on a position at UD that is aligned with both my career goals and the curriculum of the program. I regularly utilize what I learned about reaching an audience and building effective campaigns when I write content, develop webpages and message strategy plans to other team members.

UD is a great school with many accomplished program offerings that feels pretty homey. It doesn’t take long for your blood to run blue and gold. As a graduate in the first class of the new millennium, and an employee, I could only imagine working toward a graduate degree at UD. I don’t know how I’d reconcile having to split my fealty between two schools if I had pursued my master’s at a different institution.”

"As one of the few national institutions with land, sea and space grants, the University of Delaware exposed me to research that drives real change even as an undergraduate. While I wanted the broad and well-rounded undergraduate education large universities offer, I also wanted to engage with an active research community and to gain some practical research experience.

UD gives me all the benefits of a big research university and the close-knit academic community that you would expect to find in a much smaller school.  From the start, I was able to form connections with UD faculty members who made me feel welcome and supported in terms of my personal and professional development.

I received some exciting job offers after completing two bachelor’s degrees, but I felt that prioritizing a master’s degree in agriculture and resource economics to further pursue my interest in research would better support my long-term career goals. Knowing my department and that the faculty’s research interests aligned with my own solidified my decision. I am currently working on a Delaware Sea Grant-funded project to make buyouts in vulnerable coastal areas more effective, to reduce risk for homeowners and to restore wetlands to help combat climate change.

My thesis work will support real-world policy making and prepare me for a variety of post-graduate options, whether in academia, the public sector, or a company. I am excited that I had the opportunity to pursue my personal and professional goals by continuing my education at the University of Delaware."

“As an undergraduate, I came to the University of Delaware to prepare for veterinary school. I knew the pre-vet program at UD had great faculty and a high veterinary school acceptance rate.

When I started, I didn’t intend to get a Ph.D. at UD — my dad got his Ph.D. in chemistry here and my brother got his Ph.D. in computer engineering here as well, so I wanted to be different. But the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources drew me into its research community with multiple opportunities to work in research projects across the college. In this work, I gained versatile research skills, and I made friendships that continue today.

My undergraduate research advisor, Dr. Tanya Gressley, was one of the main factors in my staying at UD to pursue a Ph.D. in animal and food sciences. I really enjoyed working in her laboratory, and her teaching style was both inviting and supportive. 

As a graduate student, I’ve also benefited from the opportunity to work in Worrilow Hall where collaborative research across disciplines is actively encouraged through state-of-the-art facilities, and Dr. Gressley has been a phenomenal advisor in my work on ruminant hindgut acidosis. Getting a Ph.D. is all about proving you can apply your mind to a problem and solve it, and my research at UD has developed that mindset for me.”

“I returned to UD for my second bachelor’s degree after a restart in the direction of my life. With encouragement from family, friends and co-workers, I wanted to move toward a career that was more aligned with my skills.

I ultimately came back to UD for my master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering because of the quality of the courses and the staff. I feel very comfortable at UD and also feel loyal to the University. That helped bring me back. I am looking forward to potential opportunities to work with the University in the future with the benefits of my graduate degree at my side. I already mentor various undergraduate students working through their programs and would love to do more.

UD helped me focus on the skills needed for my current job. I gained so much by working with electrical and computer engineering professor Andrew Novocin in the applied cryptography course for my master’s degree. There is a level of familiarity and working style that Dr. Novocin engages in with his students that is among the best I have had in my entire scholastic career. He challenged us all yet worked directly with us to push us and help us learn at the same time.

I definitely recommend UD for graduate studies. Almost everyone at the University is open and willing to help even if they don’t know the answers themselves. The environment is open and welcoming, and while it may be difficult at times, that is also what helps us to learn and grow.”

“I fell in love with the UD campus as soon as I visited in my senior year of high school. After the visit, I realized that UD was the place for me. Going to UD meant I could be close to the equestrian community in southeastern Chester County, Pennsylvania.

I returned to UD after five years out teaching full time in nearby Cecil County, Maryland. I selected the master of education in teacher leadership program because it fit my needs and was 100% online with an accelerated schedule. I could work full time teaching high school and complete the master’s program in two years without overloading myself.

Then, while completing the master's, I met the professor who would become my Ph.D. advisor. When it was time to start my Ph.D. studies, UD was the only school I applied to, because of that professor.

The network for researching and improving pedagogy at UD is amazing. The faculty in the School of Education are supportive and caring. The connections you make while at UD — both professional and personal — will last well beyond your years there. It has been incredibly fulfilling to achieve academic goals and also advance my career in meaningful ways.

My undergrad education prepared me exceptionally well for my first years of teaching. Then, my first round of graduate work transformed how I was teaching while still in the classroom full time. My Ph.D. advisor is still influencing my work as a mathematics chair and teacher leader. My second round of graduate work prepared me for professional academic work like grant writing, presenting, writing articles and coalition-building. My UD degrees and the connections I made with faculty have helped me find a very fulfilling career path, from classroom teacher to teacher leader to education researcher, to, now, a wonderful mix of all three.”