On April 9 from 4-6:30 p.m. a graduate school alumni panel will convene in the Campus center room 2550B. The event is sponsored by the Political Science department and moderated and hosted by Political Science Associate Professor, Elizabeth Bussiere. At the panel, students will be able to come and listen to a group of UMass Boston Alumni discuss their experiences in and after law school or graduate school as well as offer advice on some other concerns about grad school; such as whether or not taking on more debt is a good idea and some of the challenges in balancing competing academic, financial, and family obligations. 
According to Professor Bussiere, “For those students who don’t know or who may not even be sure about law school or grad school, I think it’s still useful to attend because there will be at least three members of the panel who decided to go directly into the job market and then grad school. And they feel that having done so has been beneficial in clarifying their career interests as well as advancing them.”
Bussiere also mentioned, “The individuals who will be on the panel also have something important to say about the role that internships helped them [in landing] jobs. Students should come in with any questions — I want to keep the questions broad and as interactive as possible. There will be a lot of representation of different paths from the speakers and many questions should have some form of answer!”
Professor Bussiere additionally stated, “I’ve hosted this panel for a few years now and students have gained some great insights on questions such as “Is it worth spending money on an LSAT or a GRE prep course? How do you go about writing an effective personal statement? Whom do you ask about writing your letters of recommendation?” I just have noticed that there has been a lot of practical advice from these panels and students walk away with knowledge that they can actually use!”
The panel’s discussion will be a lengthy one in regards to time, and students are encouraged to come and stay as long as they can and have as many questions answered as possible. Light refreshments will be served.