On October 18, 2024 The Berger Institute invited Alumni Dr. Frida Liu ‘04, Joceyln Chang ‘23, and Isabel Mendiola ‘18 to hold a graduate student panel. Each panelist gave personal insight into their experiences obtaining their graduate degrees in psychology, medicine, and law.
Dr. Liu, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, shared her experience getting a PhD in clinical psychology. Chang, spoke on her journey applying and attending Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Mendiola, currently in her third year at Stanford Law School, informed students on her nontraditional path to law school.
The panel began discussing the skills they carried over from their time at the Berger Institute. Dr. Liu emphasized adaptability, saying that her undergraduate research experience taught her to do “good work anywhere,” a mindset that helped her succeed in graduate school at the University of Arizona. Chang built off of Dr. Liu’s points and expressed the importance of flexibility and being able to digest a challenging load of new information. Finally, Mendiola concluded that her biggest lesson from her time at the Berger Institute was the value of collaborative problem solving.
The panelists moved on to discuss the decision to take a gap year before graduate school. Dr. Liu, who attended graduate school directly after college, still encouraged students to take a gap year as she acknowledged the landscape for applying to PhD programs has changed since her time there. For Chang, taking a gap year allowed her to have real field experience that she believed to be beneficial for both the application process and also one’s own understanding of their future. Mendiola described how working with Teach For America and a juvenile justice nonprofit helped her gain clarity and confidence before applying to law school.
Additionally, the panelists talked about their experiences financing graduate school. Dr. Liu explained that most competitive PhD programs in the STEM field are fully funded through a stipend. However, both Chang and Mendiola’s noted that medical and law schools almost always require federal loans and grants. The panelists emphasized the importance of seeing graduate school as an investment, and weighing the potential cost and return.
Finally, the panelists discussed strategies to cope with the stress of graduate school. Dr. Liu advised students to take time to adjust to the new demands of graduate school. Chang echoed this and also emphasized the importance of building good coping mechanisms before entering medical school. Mendiola spoke on the value of defining personal goals and distinguishing what is necessary versus fulfilling in the process.