Natalie Thomas wasn’t sure what a master’s degree was until she got her bachelor’s but always knew she wanted one for as long as she could remember.  

Her future career path required her to get a master’s, and that solidified her stance, Thomas, a political science graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington said.

There has been a consistent rise in education level since the year 2000, the United States Census Bureau reported.

Thomas is a part of the 13.1 percent of adults in the U.S. with an advanced degree and one of many who got her master’s for the betterment of her career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median weekly earnings have been consistently higher for individuals with masters or professional degrees in comparison to those with a bachelor’s or a high school diploma.

“Don’t ever take a job for the money, that’s a recipe for disaster,” UTA Graduate Advisor Scott Hanson said.

Money shouldn’t be the only thing to be considered when looking into graduate school, he said.

Do it for the right reasons

Hanson said many continue their path to graduate school as a result of not finding a job. He tries to let students know that graduate school isn’t a place to hide from the real world.  

UTA Graduate Advisor Karolyn Fields said many wanting a bachelor’s degree already know what they want to do with it. Many are already in the workforce and realize they need a higher qualification for the next promotion or job they want, she said.

“I would tell anyone on the fence to look up job postings for their ideal position and see the requirements and pay to figure out what will be expected of them,” Thomas said.

Hanson said it’s important to consider different factors while considering graduate school including the opportunities within the program, graduation rates, starting salaries and job titles that come after it.

Graduate school is for people who are curious, persistent and keen on knowing how things work, he said.

Knowing the difference between a master’s and a bachelor’s degree

A master’s program is a lot more research than an undergraduate and a different kind of training compared to an undergraduate program, Fields said.

Thomas said she read about 300 pages a week, was expected to digest and understand all that material and be able to discuss it in class for three hours.

“People who don’t like being in class or who skip a lot should definitely not consider it, since classes are just once a week, missing one can set you back significantly,” Thomas said.

In comparison to undergraduate education, the readings are more in-depth and the professor lecture less and the students are expected to lead the discussions, she said.

“I wouldn’t recommend grad school to everyone the same way I wouldn’t recommend college to everyone. It’s totally possible to excel without it, but if you can do it you should,” Thomas said.

Hanson said with having a bachelor’s versus a master’s means starting off on different levels in the company.

Companies usually spend three years training undergraduate recruits before they become productive to the company, while hiring someone with a master’s degree means offering higher pay but skipping the training and investing in someone, he said.

“But just having the skill set, starting at a different level in the company with a different voice, a different role and those things help your career progress more quickly,” Hansom said.

Do you really need it?

“A lot of my students are firefighters and policemen and sometimes they run into a wall in terms of promotions and come back to get a master’s so they can move forward in their career,” Fields said.

Fields advises students not to waste time or money without having a specific goal. Graduate school isn’t like undergraduate where you explore what you like, she said.

Hanson said he doesn’t believe a degree is right for everyone, because society sold this idea that everyone needs one which devalued a college degree.

A master’s degree is for those looking to branch out a little bit on what they’re doing and won’t be able to do that without one, Fields said.

“So I say figure out what you want to do, and that will change over the course of your lifetime,” Hanson said. “Figure out what you want right now and go and do that.”

The Issue

Intimate partner violence has been a tragedy that affects many Americans yearly.

According to https://ncadv.org 20 people per minute are abused by an intimate partner leading to about 10 million men and women affected each year.

One of the many reasons of violent behaviors in romantic relationships is witnessing or enduring violence as a child, studies have shown.

Maxine Davis, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at UT Arlington said there is a positive correlation between experiencing or witnessing violence during one’s childhood to becoming a perpetrator of intimate violence in the individuals adolescence or adulthood.

Domestic Violence Doesn’t Discriminate

Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness Assistant Director Jessica Sanchez said that an eye-opening case for many women was the pop culture duo Chris Brown and Rihanna when Brown was charged with assaulting Rihanna.

That it doesn’t just happen to unhappy couples but domestic violence affects more people, and doesn’t spare celebrities either, Sanchez said.

“Domestic violence could affect anyone irrespective of sex, race, age, sexual orientation, class,” Jessica Williams, Social Work Doctoral Student & Research Assistant at UT Arlington said. “It doesn’t discriminate, no.”

Sanchez said her father grew up in an abusive household and that even though he never became a perpetrator in the same way her grandfather was, there were definitely times where he showed signs of emotionally abusive behaviors towards her mother.

She said they decided to acknowledge the behaviors, and have her father recognize his triggers and also make sure her mom knew not to let that escalate.

The Cause

That abuse could be in the forms of neglect, physical abuse by an authority figure, watching violence between parents or close relationships, she said.

Davis said that social learning theory, where a child learns through witnessing and feeling the actions and behaviors of others, are picked up and the individual would be more likely to exhibit that kind of behavior in the future.

Williams, said there’s a small percentage of individuals who witness or endured violence that become perpetrators than those who don’t but it’s still something to look at.

“But there is some whether they weren’t getting the proper services when they were victimized, they will develop those different maladaptive, not the best relationship skills which ends up translating into some kind of violence in their intimate relationships,” Williams said.

Williams said there’s different kinds of violence, which includes physical violence but isn’t limited to that.

Intimate partner violence could be sexual, emotional, mental and also include economic control, she said.

“Verbal or emotional abuse is anything that would put someone down, heavy constant criticism, really anything that is going to be hurtful and emotionally damaging that is said,” Williams said.

One of the reasons behind this cycle is that, for  many of these perpetrators, maladaptive and unhealthy behaviors were normalized in their childhood and which leads to them reenacting them in their adult lives, Davis said.

Preventive Measures or Possible Curative Measures

“One of the things that we know has an influence on reducing violence perpetration is developing accountability and empathy within folks who have acted abusively,” Davis said.

For children who were abused or witnessed intimate partner violence, it is important to identify them as high-risk and intervene with them through therapy and education to prevent the cycle of violence, she said.

Sanchez said a lot of time dealing with these issues depends on the nature of the crime but also whether the person was a first time offender or more than once.  

Recognition and seeking help is an important step to recovery in terms of domestic violence, Williams said.

“Someone who may question, well oh, is my behavior with my partner unhealthy and the first thing to do would be to go to a counselor,” Williams said.

For those found guilty by the law, there are different penalties based on the case ranging from jail time, to community service, anger management and intervention programs.

The way to bring about change is by being open to having those conversations and tackle the issue of domestic violence, Williams said.

Information about getting help

For more information and receiving help about the topic

National Domestic Violence Hotline – https://www.thehotline.org or 1-800-799-7233

https://ncadv.org/learn-more

Displaced is a story about living in a place without ever really fitting and the reason I chose this story was to mirror how my college years have made me feel.

I moved to Texas from India for college and though I met a lot of people it’s never really felt like without family. I struggled with loneliness which led to depression that to date has been the biggest challenge I have faced.

Rose Klein is a friend I met freshmen year and we instantly bonded over feeling like a couple of misfits both from different worlds and yet the same brought together seeking companionship. Fast forward to senior year and we’re still a close.

As I got to know Rose better I realised that many college students experience loneliness and it isn’t commonly talked about.

According to The foundation of art and healing, about 64% of college students experience loneliness.

From personal experience, I suffered very much my freshmen and sophomore year until I realized the best way to meet new people is to face the scary and push yourself out of your comfort zone and join clubs or organizations that may spark your interest.

Knowing the situation, I wanted to capture the need for human connection in this story and show how humans are such social creatures thriving off society.

Rose has had a difficult time and yet she’s so hopeful for the future which is so inspiring and hopeful for those who feel like they’re stuck and having troubles finding their place. I am so thankful to have a friend like her, this is my way of letting her know that I want her to know she’s heard and that she’s made my college life so much better by just keeping me company with her stories, laughs and late night talks.

Her story is an inspiration to me all those looking for it because it always helps to know you’re not all alone in this ride we call life.

What’s your advice on tackling loneliness?

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When I decided to do a story on a sorority woman, much of it came from my frustrations with being in a sorority and facing different stereotypes.

As I got to know Lauran, I decided her story was so much more than just finding a place in college through a sorority. Her reasons, ambitions and passion stood out, which made me believe her story would be a perfect picture for those who don’t understand sororities and maybe influenced by the stereotypes and negative connotations of a sorority.

Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy has helped many families affected by the evils of domestic violence at different shelters across the nation. The sorority also helps create awareness in the community and on campus by informing and offering resources.

1 in 4 women will be affected by Domestic Violence and Alpha Chi Omega partners with One Love Foundation to educate people of the signs of unhealthy relationships.

Lauran is the VP Ritual and Fraternity Appreciation officer in her chapter at UT Arlington. Being a first generation college student she focuses hard on school, work to pay all her bills herself and is heavily involved in making a change in the community through Alpha Chi Omega.

Her relationship with her sorority sisters goes beyond just friendship but so deeply rooted that she knows some of these women would be her friends for life and even a godparent to her children, she said.

Lauran goes beyond the ‘party-girl’ stereotype the media paints on screen and is a truly inspiring real, strong woman that is changing different stereotypes.

With telling this story, I wanted to help facilitate a healthy conversation of what it meant to be in a sorority. It was especially challenging trying to get someone to explain to the outer world of something they mostly look at negatively.

On a personal level, the work sororities do within communities plus the experience and networking which comes along with it is a tool every woman in college should experience.