INSIDE HIGHER ED -- The transition from the working world to grad school was much smoother than the transition from high school to my freshman year of college. Obviously, maturity played a huge role, but graduate school was still somewhat unknown terrain for me. I had done some part-time course work in the master’s program at San Francisco State University, but that was more like a continuation of my undergrad studies. From the beginning, my Ph.D. courses at UCLA were very challenging, but — at least during my first year — I felt I had the bandwidth to handle the work required. A major difference from undergrad was financial security and the fact that I didn’t need to work so many hours outside my classes to keep my head above water financially.
Terri E. Givens is provost and dean of the arts and sciences at Menlo College.