 |
Megan McConnell
Academic Counselor-Lead
|
In looking back to my own college experience, there were lots of things I did right but many things I wish I'd done differently. I graduated Ellensburg High School as valedictorian and went on to devote myself whole-heartedly to my education at Washington State University. I did the Honors Program, spent hours and hours studying, and earned great grades. I was lucky enough to have a professor who suggested I study abroad, because it never would have crossed my mind that I could do that-neither of my parents went to college, heck, neither even traveled in an airplane until they were in their 40's and their kids were nearly raised. I spent a fabulous year in Scotland and came back a different person.
I didn't regularly meet with an academic adviser, nor did I ever meet with a career counselor, so imagine my surprise when employers didn't come knocking down my door when I graduated as colleges had done when I finished high school! I had little work experience (save serving pancakes in a pancake house), no volunteer work or community service, and hadn't even made any friends in college that continue to be part of my life today. I did have my summa cum laude, but what would it get me?
It got me into graduate school (political science), but I hadn't really thought enough about whether a Ph.D. was right for me. Luckily, in the context of doing my graduate work here at the University of Washington, I fell into academic advising and found a field I feel passionately about. I love higher ed, I love learning for its own sake, and I love helping students get the most out of their experience here. I quit the Ph.D. program and have worked in advising for the past decade.
My hobbies include reading novels, dog agility, gardening, cooking, and playing crazy 8's with my kids. I have a strong interest in feminist thought, the gendered world we live in, and how to help women at all stages of their lives.
