I was halfway out the front door to go to work when I got the email from Brandeis letting me know there was an update to my application. I held my breath and opened up the application status page. When I saw that I had been accepted to the Heller School, my top choice school, I let out a happy scream so loud it woke up my dog. I was thrilled and immediately called my parents to share the good news. I spent the rest of the morning joyfully texting friends and struggling to contain my excitement while at work.
The next day, I officially accepted my offer to study at the Heller School. I felt proud, anxious, thrilled, and excited all at the same time. For the past year, I had been envisioning this moment, and it was certainly worth the wait. I felt completely ready in that moment to begin my degree in Conflict Resolution & Coexistence (COEX).
My journey to Heller had begun almost three years earlier when I first started researching graduate programs and came in contact with Sandy Jones. Sandy is COEX’s Deputy Director, and she was happy to guide me every step of the way for months until I finally submitted my application. I credit Sandy greatly with my decision to study at the Heller School; interacting with her was my first glimpse into how individualized my time at Heller would be. It was clear Sandy cared about me, my interests, and my goals. I felt encouraged knowing Heller could provide this type of graduate school experience.
Ultimately, I also chose to study at Heller because COEX seemed to be a truly unique program perfectly tailored to what I hoped to focus on in my career, and I knew I wouldn’t find the same degree anywhere else. Having built trust with Sandy Jones and other attentive staff members at Heller, I felt very comfortable in my decision to accept Brandeis’ offer of admission. I could tell I would be joining a true community, not just a degree program.
I was right – the community at the Heller School serves as friends, colleagues, and mentors to each other. From the start of our orientation, I immediately felt motivated by my classmates and knew I was listened to with genuine interest. We are a kind, caring, funny, and hard-working community at Heller. This was clear to me from the very start, based upon my many, many emails and Skype appointments with Sandy.
I remember the day I was accepted to the Heller School so vividly, and I still experience that same excitement and joy when I think of my school, my classmates, and my professors now. It was clear to me from the start of my application process that Heller is a place where everyone is welcomed, cared about, and listened to and the Heller School has repeatedly proven itself to be exactly that place.