No Turning Back…

What could you do during the 4th year?

Since Grace College offers a 3-year accelerated degree option, students at Grace will be able to complete college one year earlier than other students and will have an entire year where they would otherwise be at school to do a variety of different things. So what can you do in the fourth year?!

1. Get a real job, make money, & start gaining experience in your field! (average Grace graduate makes $33,815 a year right after college)  

2. Get your master’s degree from Grace College

3. Join the Peace Corp

4. Walk across America

5. Go on the World Race Missions Trip

6. Volunteer at an orphanage overseas

7. Travel to every continent in the world

8. Start your own small business

9. Try inventing something or do something that has never been done before

10. Hike the Appalachian Trails   

11. Read every book on the College Bound Reader’s List (101 books)

12. Read the book The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs or The Year of Living Like Jesus by Ed Dobson and then devote a year trying to live as Jesus did

13. Travel to the moon

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be doing any of these things on the list rather than being in school for an extra year! So come to Grace, graduate in 3 years, and you can spend your fourth year doing something you love and that you would never have another chance to do!

Is an MBA really worth it?

An awesome part about the Reimagining of Grace is the option to get a Bachelor’s AND a Master’s degree in just four years.  Accelerated Master’s degrees are available in the areas of business, interpersonal communication, and ministry studies.  This provides a great opportunity to take your education to the next level.  There are a couple things that make the 3+1 system very convenient and affordable.  Students who opt for this program retain their full-time student status during the fourth year.  This has a couple of awesome benefits.  Firstly, there is no jump in price to get your master’s degree.  At most public universities tuition spikes dramatically for those pursuing graduate studies.  Secondly, any scholarships or financial aid awarded to students will still apply to the fourth year.  Thirdly, athletes will retain athletic eligibility during their fourth year of studies.

Those facts are good and fine, but is it really worth the time and effort to get a Master’s degree?  Isn’t any college degree enough to set someone apart in the job market?  While certainly an undergraduate degree does have benefits in the job market, an ever increasing percent of people are going to college and graduating.  In additions to an ever increasing applicants pool of people who hold a Bachelor’s degree, the state of our economy also plays into hiring decision.  Firms are currently not hiring near as aggressively as they used to, and it appears that the market will remain this way for several years to come.

As of the 2000 census about 15% of the population aged 25 and older had a Bachelor’s degree as the highest level of attained education.  Right about 6% of that demographic group had a Master’s degree.  Basically getting a Master’s degree puts a person in a very select group of people who have a huge edge in the job market.  Also, as of 2007 the average age for graduate students was 32.4 years old.  So having a Master’s at the age of 22 or 23 gives you a huge advantage.

There are also huge financial benefits with taking education to higher levels.  The chart below shows how a person’s degree of education affected average income in 2004. Getting your Master’s degree is a solid investment your future.  Until a few years ago I never considered a Master’s degree a viable option, but after doing some research I am completely convinced of the benefits they offer.  I’m really excited to pursue graduate studies!

Internship Q & A : Christian Sheckler

Who (what company) did you have an internship with? When was it? How long was it? How did you get it? What did you do for your internship?

I interned for the Indiana State Senate during the 2010 legislative session, from January through March. I heard about the internship from Dr. Paulette Sauders. I’m a politics junkie, so I applied right away and interviewed a couple weeks later. I worked as a communications intern writing news releases, building e-newsletters, streaming committee hearings, recording and editing audio clips.

What was the most valuable thing you learned (got out of) the internship?

Through this internship, I learned much more about my interests and passions, and about how to utilize those within a career. Although I had already been interested in politics, I always figured I’d become a news reporter. I still want to go into reporting, but I also have become more open to other related fields, such as public policy.

How has the internship benefited you personally/relationally, academically?

I made some great friends and contacts during my time in Indianapolis. I believe building a career starts with building good relationships with people who can help you get to where you want to go. No one can do it alone! I’ve already benefited from the friendships I made during my Senate internship, and I’m sure they will continue to pay dividends.

Did your internship help you land a job?

Toward the conclusion of the legislative session, I had lunch with a friend who works for The Indiana Republican Party. Since I had gotten some political experience at the Senate, he offered me a chance to intern through the remainder of the spring semester. Although it was only for a month and a half, I got some more valuable experience and a paycheck. So I guess you could say my Senate internship helped me land a job!

How did your internship prepare you for your career?

The Senate internship program demands total professionalism at all times. It helped me improve myself in many ways — it taught me to be punctual, to treat others with respect, to meet deadlines, to maintain a professional appearance, etc. I believe the internship helped me begin the transition from college to career and to develop into the person I want to be.

How did this experience affect your education?

Thanks to my professors at Grace, I was able to spend an entire semester getting real experience without getting behind on coursework. Before I began the internship I sat down with my advisers and we figured out what I could do to stay on track to graduate next spring. They were flexible with the situation, and I think that shows how dedicated they are to providing valuable experiences for their students.

How did your education equip you for the internship?

I’m a journalism and communications major, and I think Grace has done a good job of teaching the fundamentals, from news writing style, to research skills, to good old-fashioned critical thinking.

Grace College-making a Christian education affordable!

Competitive Financial Analysis Chart

This chart shows the financial advantage of being part of Grace’s 3-year accelerated program. Not only do students receive strong Christian values, community, and challenging coursework at Grace, but they also save a substantial amount of money in comparison with other private and Christian colleges regionally and nationally. As you can tell by the graph, Grace’s 3-year degree saves you money, but what the graph doesn’t show you is what you’re gaining at Grace, which is an extra year of earning potential! In the fourth year when you would normally still be in college you are out in the workplace earning money which leads to even more savings. With all these savings and opportunities, why wouldn’t you want to come to Grace?

Does a 3-year Accelerated Degree Leave Room for Studying Abroad?

Absolutely it does!

Not only is it possible to to study abroad and graduate in three years, it is highly encouraged at Grace College.  That begs another question: does studying abroad really help prepare you for the real world or is it just an extended vacation? Truth be told studying abroad can be a great way to enhance your college experience. It gives you a chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone, learn in a new environment, and learn about a different culture.  Elizabeth Heuss, a senior at Grace, recently returned from studying abroad and I had a chance to catch up with her and ask her about her experiences. Here is what she had to say.

What country did you study abroad in? When did you go? How long were you there? What did you do while there?

I studied abroad in Argentina for six months in the spring and summer of 2010. I went there for my Spanish Education major and Grace helped organize everything from housing to classes to transferring scholarships. While I was there, I took two intensive Spanish courses, a full semester of courses in Spanish (Literature, Economics, Tango, etc.), lived with a host family, traveled some, and got involved in an amazing Argentine church.

What was the most valuable thing you learned through the experience?

Honestly, the most valuable thing I learned is that God is faithful and sovereign no matter where I am or what situation I am in. By taking me completely out of my comfort zone, God showed me that I have to rely totally and completely on Him and that He is the only thing that will never change no matter what I face.

How has the time abroad benefited you personally/relationally, academically?

Personally and relationally, I learned from the Argentine culture to value people and relationships more than my own to-do list or time schedule and to be open to the things God can teach me in spontaneous and unplanned moments. Academically the experience was irreplaceable as my Spanish skills improved tremendously and I learned about the history and culture in Argentina. In my opinion, studying abroad is the only way to really learn a language.

How did this experience affect your education?

This experience was an incredible part of my education as it opened my eyes to another part of the world, another way of life, another group of people and gave me experiences and knowledge I never could have attained in the U.S.

How did your education equip you for life in another culture?

My classes at Grace before I studied abroad prepared me to be flexible to the cultural differences and to not assume that the way I do things is correct simply because it is what I have always known. After living in Argentina, I have a healthier perspective on my own cultural upbringing and a greater appreciation for the different traditions and customs of people groups throughout the world.

How did studying abroad prepare you for a career in your major field?

Studying abroad immersed me in speaking Spanish so that I am now confident that I will be able to teach that language to high-schoolers in the future. Also, the knowledge I now have about the Argentine culture will be great to use in a Spanish classroom.

What did your experience teach you about yourself; about what you want to do after college?

This experienced reminded me of and renewed my passion for the Spanish language and that I want to share that passion with my future students.

Reasons Why the Number 3 is a Magic Number

Getting an accelerated Bachelor’s degree at Grace only takes 3 years! Here are some other awesome things that revolve around the number three:

-A degree at Oxford or Cambridge typically takes 3 years to complete. Yeah, I mean the real Oxford or Cambridge not some knock-off school in the middle of the desert somewhere.

-The 47 billion dollar man, Warren Buffet, graduated from college in 3 years before becoming a self-made billionaire.

-It took 3 years to build the Sears Tower.  That is from breaking ground to the Sears Tower employees moving in.

-Newton originally proposed 3 laws of motion.

-The world record for the longest sea voyage is 3 years.

-The earth is the 3rd planet from the sun. It’s a pretty nice place to be after all. Try living on the 4^th planet.

-There were 3 stooges, not 4.

-Our founding fathers liked the number 3 so much that they created 3 branches to our government.

-This one could almost go without saying, and is undeniably incredible: The Holy Trinity

The point of this is to show that three basically has magical powers.  Well maybe not magical powers, but it can be the magic number for a bachelor’s degree.