Feedback November 2002 (Vol 43 No 4)

track closely with, and build upon his area of expertise. There are a few reasons why Ithink this is the case.First, the transition from the workplace to the classroom is easier if the student isable to draw analogies between her professional experience and the material beingpresented in the classroom. Second, it is more likely that the instructors in appliedprograms will have had some professional experience in the media than their colleaguesin theory-based programs. Third, because instructors in applied programs are morelikely to have had some professional experience in the media, they are more likely to beopen to feedback from older students than their counterparts in theory-basedprograms. Finally, instructors in applied programs, particularly if the instructor hashad some media experience, might be better able to identify, and perhaps empathizewith the older student. This type of instructor is also likely to have a continuing interestand involvement in the profession from which she came.For the older student, finding a good fit between her experience, her reasons forpursuing an advanced degree, and a graduate program is key and will make returningto school less traumatic than it might be if the fit isn’t a good one. This is especiallytrue for those students who have been managers. To succeed in graduate school, onemust not only adapt to a new culture and learn new ways of doing things, but mustalso cede control and decision making authority to others and simultaneously satisfymultiple parties with often competing interests.I found that both my masters’ and Ph.D. programs were good fits for me for tworeasons. First, I was able to work with outstanding professors who mentored me, andsecond I was able to choose an area of study that enabled me to use and build uponsome of the knowledge and skills that I had developed working in television. For thosemid-career professionals who are contemplating a return to school, use some of theskills that you honed working in the industry. Do your research. Find a school andprogram that is a good fit, one that will enable you to study what you’re interested in,and one where there is at least one professor with whom you can work, a professor whowill serve as a mentor to you and who will guide you through the intricacies ofacademic life. Once you find the program and the mentor, dive in. It’s challenging,frustrating, exhausting, rewarding and exhilarating.BEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 47