Realities of Grad School: Writing, Balance, and Support with Amanda Seney

Are you thinking about graduate school, or perhaps already navigating its hills and valleys? The latest episode of Victors in Grad School is a must-listen for anyone considering this transformative step. Dr. Christopher Lewis sits down with Amanda Seney, the Writing Center Academic Program Specialist at the University of Michigan-Flint, who shares her unique path through higher education and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.

Amanda’s story is one of perseverance, growth, and self-discovery. After a significant gap between starting and finishing her undergraduate studies, Amanda returned to academia more determined than ever. She didn’t just finish her degree—she flourished, embracing the experience by double-majoring and then moving seamlessly into a graduate program. For Amanda, the decision to pursue graduate studies wasn’t just about credentials; it was about personal growth and opening new doors, even when the destination was unknown.

Transitioning from undergraduate to graduate school, Amanda noticed a significant shift in expectations—not just from instructors, but from herself. She discusses the journey from following directions to taking initiative, where research projects became opportunities for self-direction and exploration. Amanda shares how this process required greater personal accountability, self-advocacy, and time management—skills that don’t just make for successful students, but for resilient professionals.

A recurring theme in Amanda’s reflection is the presence of “imposter syndrome” and self-doubt—a feeling familiar to almost every grad student. Her advice? Lean on support systems, whether it’s faculty, peers, or campus resources. Amanda credits her relationships with instructors and the collaborative atmosphere at UM-Flint as key to overcoming her doubts and achieving her goals. For non-traditional students balancing family, work, and school, Amanda is candid about the struggles of finding balance and sets realistic expectations: it’s not about perfection, but doing your best with the support you have.

Perhaps most eye-opening is Amanda’s emphasis on the importance of revision in graduate-level writing, advocating for multiple drafts and peer feedback. She reminds us that writing well is a process—and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

As Amanda’s story reveals, graduate school is not just an academic pursuit, but a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and community. If you’re pondering this path, want practical tips, or just need encouragement, tune in to this enlightening episode. Amanda’s journey isn’t just inspiring—it’s a roadmap for anyone aspiring to thrive in grad school.

Take a listen and equip yourself for your own victorious journey in graduate school!

 

 

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Victors in Grad School, where we have conversations with students, alumni, and experts about what it takes to find Success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]:
Welcome back to Victors in Grad School. I'm your host, Dr. Christopher Lewis, Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Michigan, Flint. Really excited to have you back again this week. As always, every week, you and I are on a journey together. We have an opportunity to be able to learn, to grow, to be able to learn from others in their experiences to help you in the journey that you're on. It truly is a journey because no matter where you are, there are things that you can do along the path to be able to prepare you, as well as to help you to find success as you go through that experience for yourself. That's why every week, I love being able to bring you different people with different experiences that can talk about the graduate school journey that they had for themselves.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:59]:
Things that worked, things that maybe didn't work, things that they learned along the way that can give you some tools for your own toolbox and help you on the journey that you're on. This week, we got another great guest. Amanda Senti is with us today. And Amanda is the Writing Center Academic Program Specialist at the University of Michigan, Flint. She works with graduate students on writing and helps them with the journey into being a graduate school writer. Because it is different. It is different in that journey from undergrad to grad, there are different expectations. Not only expectations from faculty, but expectations you have to put on yourself as well.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:42]:
And Amanda is here to help students along that pathway. And she learned a lot of the things that she's helping students with in her own journey. And I'm really excited to be able to talk to her about her own experience and to have her share some of those today. Amanda, thanks so much for being here today.

Amanda Seney [00:01:58]:
Well, thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:00]:
Now, I know that you did your undergraduate work at the University of Michigan, Flint, and at some point, at some point in that journey, you made a choice. You made a decision that you wanted to continue on. You wanted to get a graduate degree. Bring me back to that point and tell me more about that decision and why you made that decision to continue your education.

Amanda Seney [00:02:23]:
Yeah. Wow. Okay. So that is kind of a long story. I guess I should say that I started undergrad right after high school, but I had also gotten married at the same time. And my husband was in the military. We were out of state. There was a lot going on.

Amanda Seney [00:02:35]:
And then we had kids, and I was not able to finish my undergrad at that time. And so I had a very long gap in between when I first started and then when I came back to finish. It was about 14 years before I came back to U of M to finish my undergrad. So then I started, and I think I had something like 90 some credits that I. I brought with me. I transferred in. And so I really could have finished fairly quickly. But I was so much enjoying the undergraduate experience and I was learning so much about myself and just about the world in general that I thought, well, okay, while I'm here, I also think, I think I'll do a double major because I'm not done with this undergrad stuff yet.

Amanda Seney [00:03:13]:
And so I decided, okay, I'm going to do a double major. And so that extended my time a little bit. And I think it ended up being about two and a half years to finish my undergrad. But then I still just didn't feel like I was done because I was growing so much, just so much as an individual, as a member of society, as a. As an employee that I wasn't ready to be done yet. And I wanted to see what I could do at a graduate level. And so I just decided to make that kind of seamless transition at the time since I was kind of in the swing of school anyway at that point. So that was why I decided to keep going.

Amanda Seney [00:03:43]:
And I just thought it would open more doors for me. I didn't know what those doors were going to be, but I wanted to see where it would go.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:03:49]:
So you went to that undergraduate degree. You made the decision to go to graduate school. As a lot of students do, they have to figure out for themselves what's the best program, program. Where should I go? You made a decision to stay at the University of Michigan Flint to go into a graduate program in English language and literature and continue your education there. Talk to me about that process for yourself and that decision for yourself. And what made you decide that the University of Michigan Flint was the right program for you?

Amanda Seney [00:04:18]:
Well, partly it was. I just really like the university. For one thing. I know that we have so many support system, and at that point I was familiar with so many of the resources. I also really liked the campus job that I had, which was working at the writing center. And I knew I could continue doing that because it is a great place and I love it and I wanted to be able to stay there. So that was part of the draw for the University of Michigan. I mean, honestly, goodness, it's just the quality of instruction is so high because I have been in other places, and they were also very good.

Amanda Seney [00:04:45]:
But I really like what I had seen here. I liked that I knew they were going to be smaller class sizes so that I could continue those relationships that I had built with instructors. There was just so much with that now. Why the English language and literature in particular? I knew I wanted something in the humanities because I figured that's just what's close to my heart, and that's where I wanted to go, I guess. And I was also definitely working on creative writing at the time. And so that English language and literature gave me a lot more opportunity to do creative projects, which was important to me at that time, period.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:15]:
So every student that goes to graduate school has to make a transition. I mentioned at the beginning that there's transition in expectations and how you're taught, but also there's transitions in how you have to write, how you have to think, how you have to process. There's a lot of different ways of learning that happens as you go into graduate school and go through graduate school. Talk to me about those transitions for yourself. Because you found success, you got through the degree, you went through that process. What did you have to do to set yourself up for success, and what did you have to do to maintain that success throughout your graduate school journey?

Amanda Seney [00:05:52]:
I think one of the big things was it was a mental transition for me because in undergrad, you're used to doing what other people are telling you to do in order to get the degree. And like you, the instructor tells you what they want to see and you do that. And there is a lot of that in graduate school, too, but there's a lot more also of, well, you tell me what you want to do. I felt like. And so those research projects became very much, well, what are you interested in? And it was a challenge for me at the time to kind of get into that mindset of, oh, no, this is. I am making these decisions, and like, this is on me. And whatever that decision is, it's not good or bad or whatever. It's just whatever I decide, that's the direction we're going.

Amanda Seney [00:06:31]:
So there was that level of. I don't even know what you call it, like a personal accountability or you're deciding for yourself. You're very much more in charge of a lot more aspects of it. So there was that. There was also. I mean, one of the big transitions for me was that projects got bigger. I was very used to being able to do things at the last minute, which is what you end up doing as Many of the non traditional students know, right, there's not a lot of time and so things get pushed back and other things take priority often. And I could not do that the way that I had been used to doing.

Amanda Seney [00:07:00]:
And so that was a transition to try and make a better job of balancing things out and leaving myself time to do the things that needed to get done. And then there was also a little bit more of a transition to being able to advocate more for myself on those times when life really did get in the way and I could not get the things done to being able to go to the instructor and say, hey, I'm really sorry, but this is the situation. Is there a way we can work together and still make this thing happen? So that level of self advocacy and then whether they said yes or no, you know, that wasn't the point. It was really just being able to go to them, one professional, one adult to another, and say, hey, what can we do here? I think that was a big one to be able to look at the instructors not as this authority figure from on high necessarily, but as someone who we are working towards being in a professional relationship in a sense, like I am going into this scholarly community and I would like to be a co worker in a sense rather than this authority situation. And there's a lot more collaboration available in those areas.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:07:57]:
A lot of students have told me that they face imposter syndrome as they go through that graduate school journey, that they have to hit it face on and they have to figure out for themselves, how do I deal with not only that imposter syndrome of saying, am I good enough? Should I be here? But also there's self doubt as you go through that program that you have to tackle as well. Talk to me about that for yourself and how that showed up for you in your own graduate study and how did you handle it?

Amanda Seney [00:08:31]:
Oh, goodness, 100% okay. Wow. I guess part of that was like I was used to dealing that with that from undergrad because again, because there was such a big gap between when I started and when I went back. And so I was very much a non traditional student. I'm a first generation student. My people don't do this. I really didn't know what to expect. And that was bad enough at undergrad, but then we went into the graduate level and we have like no level of familiarity with what any of this looks like.

Amanda Seney [00:08:56]:
So that was very intimidating. So how did I deal with that? So again, as I mentioned, right, because I had been in undergrad and because I was trying to use the resources available to me and the class sizes and all that. That I did have pretty solid relationships with several instructors who were always very, very encouraging and were willing to listen to me and just they always believed more in me and my abilities than what I believed in me and my abilities. And they were just excellent supports for that and for. Even when I didn't necessarily feel like I was, well, I didn't know what I was doing, but when I really felt like I didn't know what I was doing, they were there to be like, oh no, you're good, everybody feels this way and just keep going and you're going to be fine. So there was that, I guess so reaching out to the people around me as much as possible. I was also doing the graduate work. Some of this was still in like post Covid and so a lot of the classes were online.

Amanda Seney [00:09:45]:
I didn't have a lot of the face to face connections with other students. That would have been nice. I imagine if you have a cohort like I know a lot of the programs do, that would have been a massive way to deal with that, to be able to talk it through with people going through the same thing, literally the same thing with you at the same time. But other than that, it was really just trusting the process and going forward and taking those pieces of ownership where I could and being able to step back and say, you know what, I did do a really good job on that. That was a pretty cool thing. Look at me, maybe I am in the right place. A lot of self forgiveness had to happen in some ways.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:10:19]:
Now you also mentioned you were married, you had kids, you were balancing a lot of different things as you were going not only through the undergraduate work, but also as you continued on through that graduate degree. Talk to me about balance. How did you balance school, work, family, other responsibilities while in graduate school?

Amanda Seney [00:10:40]:
Largely I did it poorly, I would say. Now I was in a sit where my kids were a little older, so they were able to do a lot of things on their own. They didn't need as much from me. I can't imagine doing this with young children. Like you would have to be really truly on the ball with a lot of things. And that impresses me so much. Yeah. So those of you out there doing that, you are awesome.

Amanda Seney [00:11:01]:
I mean, I did have a lot of support. My husband was very supportive. So he would pick up some slack where he could and then the kids were very much on board with now this is okay, Mom's got to go do this Right now. So we're going to leave her alone for now and then we'll come back later and we'll talk and do this right. Tried to carve out those times of, yes, I am available, yes, I am part of your life, but for this piece of time, no, I am not. And just to set some of those boundaries, I think was where we did. And then also so far as balance, like being able to step back and say, okay, maybe we don't take so many credits this time because there's been so much going on, looking at the realities of family life and other work life and things like that, and saying it's time to just take a little bit of a breather.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:42]:
You definitely need those breathers every once in a while. And having someone that can support you along the way is really important. Having those support systems in place is so important. Did you find as you were going through your graduate experience that you were able to build relationships with faculty or peers that were especially impactful in supporting you in this journey yourself? And if so, how were they supportive? And what did you learn about building those relationships that could help others in thinking about the support systems that they need?

Amanda Seney [00:12:18]:
I think I already mentioned that I did have pretty close relationships with several instructors because I had taken so many of their classes at that point. So how were those supportive at that point? Because we had the relationship, like they knew my situation and I knew some of their situation and we kind of knew each other's interests even, right? So they could be like, hey, I was thinking this thing, what do you think? I ended up on a separate project, that it was a grant funded project actually, because of a relationship that I had with another professor. And she was like, hey, here's some thoughts I have on this thing. Would you be interested in being part of this? And I said, yeah, that sounds awesome. So that was like, that was super cool just being. They were so supportive of whatever my interest was because we had that relationship. And so we were willing to be like, well, this is not exactly where I thought that project was going to go. But yeah, okay, let's see where it goes.

Amanda Seney [00:13:05]:
Because I trusted their advice and they trusted where I was at. So there was that in a lot of ways. And then also when I did need flexibility, could I have a couple extra days for this due date? You know, I'll get it to you before you start your grading on Monday, because I know that you start your grading on Monday. Then they were more likely to be like, yeah, okay, that's, you know, get it to me by this time, and then that'll be fine. So there was a lot of that with peers. I would say, yes, I did. And that was partly because we were taking some of the same classes together. And then we got, we did get to have some of that.

Amanda Seney [00:13:33]:
Not a cohort relationship, I don't think, but some of that talking about the different things we've been reading and talking about those things and everybody feeling the imposter syndrome and being able to say, do you feel this? Yes, yes, I do. Oh, good. It's not just me, you know, just a lot of the. It's not just me and being able to geek out on ridiculous literature things. We just had a lot of fun. So being able to find somebody where it's. You can enjoy what you're going through I think is hugely important. How to go about that.

Amanda Seney [00:14:01]:
I think I stumbled into most of mine. I will be honest, I'm not like a naturally social person. And so it's more of a. They probably pursued me more than I did them. I had to learn to trust a lot of people in ways that I hadn't been comfortable with. And that, I mean, that was a good thing, right? So being discerning, but being able to open up to, oh, this person really does think I'm kind of okay. And like, we really are enjoying the same things. And so that was, for me, that's how that happened.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:28]:
I guess in thinking about what you have said, every person learns quite a bit inside the classroom. But as you go through a graduate degree, you're learning both in class and outside of the class, learning about not only the field, but learning about yourself, learning a lot of other skills along the way that are preparing you for the next step. What would you say was the most valuable thing you learned outside the classroom during graduate school?

Amanda Seney [00:14:53]:
I think for me, a lot of the growth that I experienced was very much in a professional kind of setting. And so it was just growing in confidence, I think, and saying, oh, no, this skill set that I have is a legitimate skill set and it's valuable and I can use it in these ways and I can have this responsibility that I didn't think I'd ever have. And I can work with people in a way that I didn't think I'd be able to do. So it was really a self discovery of a lot of things that I was capable of that I would not have guessed.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:25]:
I guess now I mentioned the fact that you're working with graduate students on writing now, and I guess I would be Remiss to not have you talk a little bit about some of the things that you've seen with students as they come into graduate school and as they may struggle with that transition in and through graduate school in regards to their writing, what are some of the biggest challenges, stumbling blocks, things that people may not be aware of, that they may need to work on as they make that transition into graduate school?

Amanda Seney [00:15:58]:
I think, and this was for me too, and this is definitely something that I see with other writers making that transition. But in my opinion, and for the majority of writers, revision is not something that most of us have done much of at the undergraduate level. And it becomes so crucial when you are at the graduate level to commit to doing multiple layers of revision of whatever you're writing. The one done just doesn't work anymore because what you're working on is so much more complex and in depth. And so, I mean, being able and being willing to put in the time to block out that time to say, okay, my, my rough draft needs to be done on this day so that I have another two days to do a revision, so that I have another two days after that to go back and look at it again and again and again and to get the feedback, the peer feedback is another big one, I think, from people that are in the same situation are and are knowing the things that you're knowing. Right. To. To do more peer feedback, revision and feed.

Amanda Seney [00:16:53]:
Yes. Get as many eyes on it as you can and it gets super cringey and it feels bad, but you get used to it and it's so, so useful.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:02]:
Definitely don't be afraid to ask for help and go to that writing center that your campus may have. Go to other people to ask for assistance. Have some of your peers review. There's lots of ways in which you can do that. So definitely listen to what Amanda's saying and take advantage of that. Don't think that you have to be that expert coming in, because most students are not going to be an expert coming in. They are going to need some work along the way to become better. Even if you are a strong writer already, there's going to be a transition process for yourself in learning more about your own writing and what is expected in your program that may be different from what you have experienced in the past and will experience as you go into graduate school yourself.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:47]:
Now, as you think back to your own graduate school experience, what's something you wish someone had told you before you started graduate school?

Amanda Seney [00:17:55]:
I think one thing that would have been helpful, maybe somebody did tell me this, I don't know, would just have been that, like grad school is not the end of imposter syndrome, for one thing, it's, it's a long process. At least it is for me. And so when you, when you hit that moment of yes, I've graduated, and then you look around and say, now what? There's still a lot of adjustments that happen after that point too, I think is it can be anticlimactic and it shouldn't be celebrate that moment. But then there is still the what do I do now? So that was definitely a thing, I think. And then I think a lot of what I did learn in graduate school, it took me time, once I was done, to really digest it and let it all percolate and for it to settle in ways that I understood later, looking back at it. And so I think if somebody had just said, hey, this isn't going to make all the sense right now, but in a couple of years when you've had time to sit with this, like, it's all gonna, it's all gonna fit together in ways you didn't see coming, that might have been nice to know too.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:52]:
And finally, again, as you think back and you think of others that are thinking about graduate school, thinking about transitioning into graduate school, going through graduate school, what are some other tips that you might offer them that would help them find success sooner?

Amanda Seney [00:19:08]:
Definitely a number one. Be aware of the resources that are out there for you because there are so many people in the background who are on your side and want you to succeed. And there are so many things that you have access to that you don't necessarily know about unless you go and look for it. This is why the orientations are so important. This is why being familiar with the websites are so important. There's so much out there and it will make the journey so much easier and smoother if you can use those supports. I think that's a huge one. And I think being realistic about yourself and your situation, especially because many of our graduate students are again, the non traditional.

Amanda Seney [00:19:44]:
You're living with families, you have jobs, and to just be cognizant of the realities of wherever you're at and to be okay with that and to work within that framework if you need to. Not everybody can handle doing full time. I know I could not. And that is an okay thing. There are, there are things to think about and to be realistic about. I think to just be kind to yourself where you can, because it is, it's a challenge. But it's doable.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:20:07]:
Well, Amanda, I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much for sharing your journey today, for sharing the experiences that you had, the advice that you've given, and I wish you all the best.

Amanda Seney [00:20:18]:
Thank you so much.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:20:19]:
The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of master's and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you're looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit umflint.edu/graduateprograms to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school. I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at [email protected].