Looking to go to graduate school or know someone who is?

GradSchool Fest at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is the place to be on Nov. 13. GradSchool Fest is an open house filled with faculty and staff from the graduate programs at UW Oshkosh who can answer questions on programs, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and any other graduate school-related questions.

The event will take place in Reeve Memorial Union, Room 202 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

This year, the event took the planning of the Graduate Studies staff along with a significant amount of help from the Student Titan Employmet Program (STEP) intern Mandi Dornfeld, who is a graduate student herself studying educational leadership with one and a half years left.

All of the planning was demanding for Dornfeld, as she also had to balance classes for graduate school, working at Family Services, raising her two children and taking care of her family. Even with a very busy schedule and many committments, she said working within the Graduate Studies office  is a perfect fit for her.

“I wish to go into higher education and through this I have learned the student services and what they have in each department. I have learned a lot about the campus that I didn’t know before like how many support services and different graduate degrees that are available,” Dornfeld said.

The planning of GradSchool Fest, for Dornfeld, included on- and off-campus marketing and much coordination with each of the 15 UW Oshkosh master’s programs. Dornfeld also organized the assembly of the give-away bags that consist of pencils, brochures from clubs and other miscellaneous graduate school information.

“The whole office worked on this program. It was a joint effort and everyone did a fabulous job. In order to make sure this event goes smoothly, we did a lot of double-checking that all the details were accurate. This project required excellent and on-going communication,” Dornfeld said.

Besides just learning a more in-depth understanding of what is available for clubs and organizations, Dornfeld said she had a positive experience that she plans on taking with her to other areas of her life.

“This has been beneficial for me and has been positive for my career because I have been able to meet new people, provide great customer service and planning is something that I like to do,”Dornfeld said.

 GradSchool Fest gives a glimpse of available opportunities

Not only has the planning and coordination of GradSchool Fest benefited Dornfeld, but it also has the potential to help students figure out if graduate school is right for them. With 30 graduate master’s degrees, doctoral, certificate and achievement programs at UW Oshkosh, which all fall under the Graduate Studies programming umbrella, there is likely a program to interest any student seeking graduate-level instruction.

“We have Gradschool Fest two times a year, one in the spring and the other in the fall. It is an opportunity for the community and potential graduate students to come explore our graduate programs,” said Susan Cramer, Dean of Graduate Studies at UWO.

Cramer believes hosting GradSchool Fest each semester has helped encourage more people to choose UW Oshkosh, rather than looking other places for graduate schools.

“It raises people’s awareness of the graduate programs that we offer and because they are meeting with faculty and students face to face instead of a website or email there is a real human face to interact with,” Cramer said.

Another reason the graduate program is beneficial is the addition of newer programs over the years. The newest master’s degree program is the transnational human services leadership, which recently began accepting applications and will start in fall 2014. Other recently added programs include the executive path MBA and the sustainability management program.

“We are always looking at new opportunities to meet the needs of the people in North East Wisconsin and beyond. That is why our transnational human services leadership and sustainability management program are both 100 percent online,” Cramer said.

Cramer said it is beneficial for potential master’s students to be in the same room at the same time with faculty and current graduate students, so community and potential graduate students can have all of their questions answered.

“This is a one stop shop to look at the graduate studies options that are available. If you’re wondering what it is, come on over and talk to us at GradSchool Fest,” Cramer said.

Learn more:

• Graduate Studies at UW Oshkosh 
• Hear from graduate student Iqbal Mian 
• Hear from UW Oshkosh master’s alumna Jen Kaiser