Above: Twenty-five ACM students took part in the fall gathering of GRADx, held at Indiana University. Photo by Indiana University
Indiana University played host to the first of two gatherings for the 2024-2025 academic year for the Graduate School Exploration (GRADx) Program. A partnership led by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) and Big Ten Academic Alliance, the innovative offering empowers a diverse group of undergraduate students considering graduate education in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences. Twenty-five students representing ten ACM colleges traveled from their respective campuses to Bloomington, Indiana for three days of tours, panel discussions, meet-and-greets, and other programming designed to demystify the graduate school experience.
“I had never really been to a bigger university such as this,” said participant Alexa Custer, a senior at Knox College studying psychology and philosophy. “I’ve always been used to my very small, community-based college. It was really interesting to see the difference in comparison to what I was used to.”
GRADx gives undergrads from historically underrepresented groups, such as BIPOC students and first-generation college students, firsthand insights into whether graduate school is right for them. They also receive advice on applying to graduate school and information on the wide-ranging careers they could pursue after earning an advanced degree.
The September 12-14 program featured multiple opportunities for ACM undergrads to meet with Indiana University graduate students, faculty members, deans, and leaders of university centers that work to build community for students of color and LGBTQ+ students.
Allen Linton II, ACM’s senior director of equity, diversity and inclusion, manages GRADx. He said many of the ACM students who visited Indiana reported taking away valuable new understanding about the lives of graduate students.
“Whether students go straight into grad school, take a gap year, or pursue something else, they should make that decision with as much information as possible,” Linton said. “There is no better way to learn if graduate school is right for them than walking around a major research institution, talking honestly and at length with professors and graduate students, and building a network of peers to help inform the next steps of their career pathways.”
Custer found that those meetings and networking sessions filled certain knowledge gaps about the realities of graduate school as she continues to weigh her options for continuing her education.
“I had some idea about what grad school might look like for me, but I have been very unsure,” Custer said. “Now, I just feel like I have a little bit more information. I feel like I’m on more stable ground—I have more of a good footing. And I feel like I am a little bit more confident in going into the process and being able to do it in a way that makes me feel like I can be more successful.”
A generous grant from the Mellon Foundation funds GRADx and ensures participation is free for ACM students who apply to join each year’s cohort. Mellon supports initiatives to boost education in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences. Its work in this area comes as research has shown the number of students pursuing degrees in disciplines such as philosophy, English, literature, and foreign languages has been declining.
Ashley Rose Briceno, a St. Olaf College senior studying psychology and Spanish, said GRADx provided her with new perspectives on pathways to graduate school. She found the tours and conversations in Bloomington left her excited to continue researching universities where she can study sports performance psychology.
“I’ve only heard of pursuing PhDs if you’re quote-unquote ‘lucky,’” Briceno noted, adding how she enjoyed hearing from Indiana University graduate students about how and why they decided to continue their educations beyond their bachelor’s degrees. “GRADx—what everyone is doing to help us students out who, honestly, really needed the information—it was very, very useful.”
ACM President Lisa Jasinski attended the GRADx gathering and delivered closing remarks. She traced for the participants her own journey from being the first in her family to attend college, where she studied art history, to later earning a master’s degree in communication arts and a PhD in educational leadership and policy.
“Trust that your life experiences, intellect, perspectives, and curiosity are exactly what graduate schools value,” Jasinski told the GRADx cohort. “You belong in these spaces as much as anyone else.”
After the conclusion of the fall GRADx gathering, Jasinski extended her deep gratitude to Indiana University, especially David Daleke, Dean of the Indiana University Bloomington Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Health Sciences, for hosting the event and to the Mellon Foundation for its financial support. She also expressed optimism that the forum contributed in meaningful ways to ongoing efforts around the country to reverse declines in arts and humanities education.
“Graduate school can lead to many fascinating career paths, whether in higher education, the non-profit sector, the arts, or many other areas,” Jasinski said. “We are confident GRADx plays an important role in raising undergrads’ awareness that an advanced degree can be both attainable and rewarding for them.”
The 2024-2025 GRADx cohort of ACM students will convene again in the spring of 2025 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. That gathering will continue to support students’ learning by focusing on practical considerations, such as how to pay for a graduate degree.
