Maximizing Grad School: Time, Money & Mindset with Abigail Weycker

Graduate school is often described as a journey—one full of unique challenges, opportunities, and moments of growth. In the latest episode of the “Victors in Grad School” podcast, host Dr. Christopher Lewis sits down with Abigail Weycker, a double master’s degree student at the University of Michigan-Flint, to unpack what it takes to thrive as a grad student.

Unlocking Opportunities: Dual Degrees and Joint Programs

One of the main themes Abigail discusses is the value of joint degree programs, such as the university’s Four-Plus-One track. Many don’t realize these programs exist until someone points them out, as was Abigail’s experience. By strategically double-counting certain courses, she’s able to fast-track her journey, save both time and money, and ultimately earn an MBA alongside an MS in Leadership and Organizational Dynamics (MSLOD).

Dr. Lewis emphasizes the importance of investigating whether your institution offers such programs, as they can offer incredible opportunities for growth and advancement.

Transition and Mindset: Embracing the Graduate Challenge

Transitioning from undergraduate coursework to graduate-level expectations requires more than just academic skill—it’s about shifting your mindset. Abigail shares how meticulous planning and using a color-coded planner has been crucial for her success, along with meeting consistently with academic advisors. Their guidance ensures she’s on track, understands course sequencing, and discovers new opportunities—like adding her second master’s—she might otherwise have missed.

Making the leap from “just another day of school” to treating graduate work as an investment in her future, Abigail highlights how “taking it day by day, or even minute by minute” can help manage stress and keep you moving forward.

Building Relationships and Community

Another powerful theme from this episode is the importance of building relationships—both with faculty and fellow students. Abigail explains that being proactive about connecting with professors and staff transformed her experience. It not only made learning easier but also enriched her network, opening doors she never expected.

Advice for Future Grad Students

“Dip your toe in and try,” Abigail encourages future grad students. Go at your own pace, build connections, and remember: your journey is unique. The support you cultivate, both academically and personally, can make all the difference.

For anyone considering graduate school—or currently navigating it—this episode is packed with practical wisdom, honest reflections, and encouragement. Listen to the full conversation to get inspired and equipped for your own grad school journey.

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.

Abigail Weycker [00:00:08]:
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, I love being able to talk to you about this journey that. That you're on. And I call it a journey because it truly is a journey. You are looking at graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:32]:
Maybe you are. You've already applied to graduate school. Maybe you're already in graduate school. No matter where you are, there are things that you can do today, right now that will help you to be able to find success in that journey. And that's why this podcast exists. This podcast is here to help you to be able to learn from other people, other people that are currently going through the graduate school, that have gone through graduate school. Maybe they've been out of graduate school for some time, but they can still provide you with some of those building blocks, some of those things that they learned along the way that can help you as well. Today we got another great guest.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:08]:
Abigail Weycker is with us. And Abigail is a student at the University of Michigan, Flint. She is actually in two different master's degrees at the same time.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:19]:
And she started the first master's degree while she was an undergraduate student. So we're going to be talking to her about the journey that she has been on toward where she's going, and I'm really excited to be able to introduce her to you today. Abigail, thanks so much for being here.

Abigail Weycker [00:01:33]:
Yeah, no problem. Thanks for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:35]:
It is my pleasure. And I guess one of the things that I want to do first and foremost is I want to go back in time. I know that you were a undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, Flint, and at some point in time, you had something in your head that said to you, I want to go further. I want to go beyond the bachelor's degree, and I want to start my graduate degree while I'm an undergraduate student. So bring me back to that point and what was going through your head?

Abigail Weycker [00:02:02]:
Yeah, so I honestly didn't know about the joint four plus one program until I want to say, the end of my sophomore year, beginning of my junior year. And I believe it was one of our marketing assistants at the time, Audrey Banks, she had just made a flyer for it, like one of those big, gigantic flyers. You know what I'm talking about? And I was like, what is that? So I went and I talked to Tamika and Rachel, and I talked to them about what the four plus one program entails. And they told me about how you can essentially double count a few undergrad classes that are also master's level classes, and they would count towards both your undergraduate degree and your master's degree, so you can do them simultaneously. And I was like, okay, so essentially you can knock out a year worth of master's classes while also going to get your undergrad degree. So then that's why it's called four plus one. So then you only have one year of your solely, just your master's afterwards.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:03:01]:
So full stop there, everyone. I'm going to talk a little bit about this because at the institution that you may be at, if you're an undergraduate student right now, one of the things to look at is, does your institution have a joint degree program? If they have a joint degree program in a program that you're interested in, it might be something to look into. Every university that has these type of programs set them up in different ways. And the way in which they are set up here at the University of Michigan Flint does allow for students to double count, meaning that you are taking graduate courses as an undergraduate student, and those credits transfer back down to complete bachelor's degree requirements, while at the same time working toward requirements for the master's degree as well. So that being said, you can, as Abigail just said, save some time, save some money potentially, and continue working toward your goal. Now, as I said, not every university has these, so it's not going to work with everybody. But it can't hurt to look into it further, especially if there are areas that you are interested in that have these type of programs that are available and you want to start early if you can identify what's there. Because if you can start taking them in your junior year, maybe or your senior year, you want to prepare yourself for that so that you are talking to academic advisors and preparing ahead of time.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:04:22]:
Now, Abigail, you decided to do a joint degree program for the mba. Talk to me about that. Why the mba, and why did you decide that that was the right graduate program for you?

Abigail Weycker [00:04:34]:
Yeah, so I started with the MBA because it just was the logical choice for me to go from Bachelor's to Master's of Business Administration. It just sounded right. And then again, I was talking with Tamika Shepherd. She's a graduate advisor at U of M Flint, and she had mentioned that going for my mslod because my focus for my master's in the MBA is HR and Marketing. And MSLOD is more hr, solely focused. So she mentioned that doing the MSLOD would only be four more classes. So it would only take me one extra semester because I'm taking three classes at a time, which you don't have to do. That's just how I'm doing it.

Abigail Weycker [00:05:15]:
So I'm going full time. So she said it would only be four extra classes. So realistically that's only one extra semester for me. Technically I'm graduating twice. I'm graduating with my MBA in April of 26 and then my MSLOD in December of 26. So I was already going summer for one extra class for my MBA anyways. So I just added two MSLOD and then went forward in the fall.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:38]:
And I'm going to break down these acronyms. Mslod, Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Dynamics. Now, what Abigail was just talking about here at the University of Michigan, Flint, we call a dual degree. Many universities, dual degrees are possible. That basically just means that you are joining two different graduate degrees together. And usually if you are combining different degrees together, there's some type of an overlap between those degrees like Abigail just said. And they don't have to always be in the same academic area. So for example, you could be studying nursing and also get an MBA because you might want to do executive leadership in nursing.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:06:19]:
So there are ways in which which you can partner different degrees together. Every institution is different and the number of credits that you can double count will be different because of that. But it's again a way for you to be able to maximize the time that you are in graduate school and be able to really focus in on those areas that you truly have an interest in as you move forward. Now, Abigail, as you were transitioning into your first graduate degree, there are definite transitions. You're going from the way in which you're educated as an undergraduate student. You were still an undergraduate student while you're taking graduate courses. And there are different expectations, there's different expectations of graduate students. Faculty are going to treat you differently, expect different things.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:07:06]:
And you have to figure that out as you are going along. Talk to me about that transition for yourself because you have found success in this journey thus far. So as you started your graduate program, 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?

Abigail Weycker [00:07:26]:
Yeah, it kind of sounds cliche, but the biggest thing for me is keeping a planner. I'll mark down, I'll go through the syllabus or syllabi, the first day of the new semester, and write down all of the due dates in the planner in different colors. And then that way I can mark them off when the assignment is done. And then mentally that just makes me feel a lot better and makes me not stress out about missing something as much. So with grad school, you're going to get a lot more, I wouldn't say a lot more assignments, but you're gonna get a lot more in depth assignments. So there's gonna be more parts, there's gonna be more to it, there's gonna be longer essays. So it's gonna take more time than maybe just your typical practice of maybe doing it the day before that. It's not something that you can do in grad school anymore.

Abigail Weycker [00:08:10]:
And that's okay. I mean it just, it's, it's all about car. That's why I use the planner, because it's all about carving out the time that I need to successful assignments on time and to the best of my ability. And then another big strength or recommendation that I have is consistently meeting with your advisor. I know everybody tells you that and everybody tells, oh, me with your advisor regularly, blah, blah, blah. And it kind of seems a pain in the butt, but it really, really, really does help because if you end up trying to advise yourself, you could screw yourself into another semester or preparing money for a class you didn't need. And you won't know that until you get evaluated by an advisor and they're like, actually, I don't know about that. And you're like, oh, okay.

Abigail Weycker [00:08:56]:
And you won't know your options until you talk with an advisor either. Like, I wouldn't have known about the mslod, the joint MBA MSLOD program if Tameka hadn't mentioned it to me. So it's important to make sure that you establish that connection and keep that connection and meet with them at least once a semester.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:09:13]:
Completely agree with you. Too often I've seen students do what you just said, which was self advisement. Especially if they're in a program that might not be cohort based and they are just looking at a catalog and saying, oh, that sounds kind of interesting. What if I took this course? Or if they see, oh, I have to take this course and maybe I'll take this or maybe I'll take this next term, not realizing that a course is only offered once every other semester. So sitting down with an advisor is definitely an important piece because you can then look at that schedule and Say, well, what makes the most sense? And you might learn something, something about a joint degree or a dual degree program. You might learn about a specific class that you really have to take this term, unless you want to have a delay.

Abigail Weycker [00:09:59]:
That was a big one for me, was figuring out certain classes only are offered certain semesters. And you wouldn't know that unless you know the back end or you've experienced it in the past and know to look for it. It is embedded within our websites and places. But unless you have any idea about that being an option or an issue, potential issue, you don't know to look.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:10:21]:
So talking about some of the transitions you went through as you move into graduate school, there are mindset shifts that you do have to go through as well. Talk to me about what mindset shifts did you have to make to succeed in graduate school?

Abigail Weycker [00:10:35]:
I think for me really is it made me realize that I'm an adult now. These are big steps to go forward, and these are the step that are going to ensure a good future for me and a good future career for me. I think it's pretty typical now that a lot of companies want you to have your master's, especially in certain topics like education likes it and business likes it. I mean, it's not guaranteed and it's not required, obviously, but some companies like it. And so realizing that and putting myself in those shoes makes me realize that getting these two masters is going to make me more attractive to certain companies and I could be more likely to get my dream job quicker than someone else who might not have those experiences. And it's taken a lot for me to shift my thinking like that because I was like, oh, it's just another day of school. Oh, it's just another day of school. Okay, now I've got my bachelor's degree.

Abigail Weycker [00:11:29]:
Okay, now I'm working on my master's. Okay, now the next step after that is a job. So you basically switch from a child or kid mindset to, okay, every day I go to school now. And then you're like, oh, I'm an adult. This is for something. This means something.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:46]:
So as you think about the classes that you've taken, the other students that you've interacted with, you started graduate school young. There are many people in your program that probably stepped out and came back. Maybe they were working and going to school at the same time. So they're bringing different perspectives into the classroom. Talk to me about that experience for you as someone that that was young in your graduate courses and what that experience was like for you.

Abigail Weycker [00:12:12]:
Yeah. So I considered doing that. And it's totally okay if you do. There's no judgment, no hate, no anything. But I just know myself and I know that for the last 13 years before I started college, all I've known was school. And then the four years of my undergrad, all I've known was school. And then I started working. So I was worried that if I stopped, had a family, had kids, got a full time job, that I would be like, oh, I'm done with school and try to come back and be like, I don't, I don't know how to get back in the groove anymore.

Abigail Weycker [00:12:46]:
So that, that's just how I knew personally myself. And I was like, right now is the perfect time to do it. Especially with the credits double counting, I was at an advantage. So I'm like, I need to take this advantage now. I definitely do notice that I am the youngest in most of my classes, if not all of them. It's a little bit intimidating because I feel like I don't have the workforce and day to day experience that a lot of them have. But it's nice because they end up mentoring me in a way, so they end up giving me perspectives that I may have never thought about if I wasn't in this class right now. I may have them if I went and got a career right after my bachelor's and then came back, but I didn't and I went straight into master's.

Abigail Weycker [00:13:27]:
So I'm straight in the learning portion, not in the real world experience portion. So having a class with those that went right into the real world world experience portion helps us to mesh together the ideas of both.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:39]:
The relationships that you build between as a undergraduate student, between faculty and student is a little bit different. The relationships that typically you're building in graduate school with faculty as well. So talk to me about how you built those relationships, how it might have been different between being an undergraduate student and a graduate student for yourself in the different degrees that you're working on.

Abigail Weycker [00:14:03]:
But.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:04]:
And what did you do to be able to build those strong relationships?

Abigail Weycker [00:14:08]:
The same way it's important to reach out to your advisors and connect with them. It's important to reach out to your faculty and your staff and reach out to them and keep a connection up with them. Especially being at a smaller university, at being at U of M Flint, that was one of my big draws to come here is because I was looking at Ann Arbor, I was looking at Michigan State, and those are classes of upwards of maybe 100 200, 300 people, depending. So you're just going to be another head in the classroom, which that's fine if that. But for me, I. Even in high school and stuff like that, I love the connection between me and my teachers first, not even just a first name basis, but just knowing more about them and knowing their life and then finding a connection. And then we'd end up having a conversation about something I probably would have never known about them. So that's a big thing, is reaching out and finding those connections and feeling comfortable to talk to your professors.

Abigail Weycker [00:14:59]:
Because if I don't understand something, I don't want to feel scared to go to them. I don't want to feel scared to try and learn a concept and say, hey, I might need another Zoom meeting about this. Hey, I might need another one on one session about this. I don't, I don't understand. So it's about being not afraid to approach them and build it further than just school. Because. Because if you build it further than just school, then you're building your network eventually for your future. And then the change from undergrad to grad.

Abigail Weycker [00:15:27]:
Again, this is probably going to sound cliche, but I feel like in a graduate setting, you're looked at as more of an adult, you're looked at as more of an equal. And they treat you like that. Like there are professors on a graduate level that will end up, not that there's not any on the undergrad level, but they'll like, joke with you and tell them about the night before and blah, blah, blah, blah. And it's great because then you build that, that connection deeper than just a classroom level. And then you feel more comfortable talking to them about certain things personally or professionally.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:57]:
You also, as you've gone through undergrad into grad, you've worked on campus and you've been a part of student staff and have continued to do that in your gradu graduate degree as well. And I have told students as they go into graduate school, if they're not working full time, they should get involved on campus. They should find ways to be able to connect with people in a different way. Talk to me about your experience as a student employee on campus and what that's been like for you in balancing not only the work that you're doing in class, but also outside of class.

Abigail Weycker [00:16:31]:
So I will say, before I even started college, I looked into, um, Flint and reached out and figured out what organizations on campus there were that I could join. And granted, I joined a lot and then didn't Follow through with them because it got overwhelming. But there were a handful that I stuck with, such as the Society of Human Resources Management. I joined U of M Flint's women's club soccer team. I'm involved with a couple other things, but working on campus. I started in 2022 in the summer at School of Management as an office assistant. And it's part time, but then it's. It's also creating those deeper relationships with the staff and faculty that I wouldn't have.

Abigail Weycker [00:17:07]:
They know me on a first name basis. They know about my boyfriend, they know about my family. I know about their kids, I know about their hobbies. And you wouldn't know that if you didn't go and create those relationships. And it's nice because having an on campus job, they are almost required to. But they're nice enough to work around your school schedule. So if you're feeling overwhelmed or I need to study for this exam, hey, can I take this day off or take a couple hours to go study? And nine times out of 10, they're totally okay with it. And they totally understand because they were in your shoes one day too.

Abigail Weycker [00:17:45]:
And they understand that to be a student worker, you have to be a student first.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:50]:
Now, as you look back at your experiences going through graduate school thus far, and you think back to starting in graduate school even before you started in graduate school. What's something you wish someone had told you before you started graduate school?

Abigail Weycker [00:18:06]:
So I live by this quote now. I heard it, I want to say, last year sometime from a professor, actually. He came into the office one day and I was pulling my hair out. I was so stressed and it wasn't even work. It was just like these assignments are just piling up and everything was going crazy. And he looked at me and he was like, abby, take it day by day. If it doesn't work day by day, take it hour by hour. If it doesn't work hour by hour, take it minute by minute.

Abigail Weycker [00:18:32]:
If you have to break it down like that, get one thing done, mark that off in your head and be like, whew, I did that. Okay, onto the next thing. If you break it down more simply like that, then it's less stressful in your head and you have more of a mindset of, I can do this. I might be overwhelmed right now, but when I get this done, it's gonna feel so good and I'm gonna be so successful, it's all worth it.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:55]:
I love that quote. I think that's something that anybody going through graduate school should be living by, because it can get stressful. You can feel like an imposter sometimes. There, there are definite times where you are going to be challenged in many different ways. So it is important for you to be able to look at things in small chunks, take advantage of that and get the things done you can. And just like Abby said, take it minute by minute, second by second, whatever it takes to be able to get to that finish line. Because there will be times where you're continuing to look for that light and you're keeping to walking. You're walking, you're running, you're, you know, you're doing whatever you can to be able to get to that end point, whatever that end point is.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:40]:
If it's your first masters, your second master's, whatever it may be, you've got to keep going. And I keep thinking of the old adage from Finding Nemo, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. It's the same type of mantra, but you've got to keep moving forward. So, Abby, as you think about others, other people that are thinking about going to graduate school, whether it's going for an mba, whether it's going for whatever degree, and you think back to your own education thus far and what you've learned, what are some tips that you might want to offer other individuals that you might not have shared thus far that would help students find success sooner?

Abigail Weycker [00:20:20]:
Really, I would say just dip your toe in and try and if it doesn't feel successful, feel good, feel like you don't continue. If it feels amazing and you're like, wow, I can do this, I think I can see myself continuing, keep doing it class by class. And like I said, hour by hour, day by day, like you can take it as slow or as fast paced as you want to. It's. Nobody's telling you your timetable. It's completely up to what is best for you and suits you to be successful both in life and in school. And I, I wish that I was less hard on myself in that way. And even now I still am.

Abigail Weycker [00:20:57]:
But have fun with it. I mean, obviously take it seriously, grades and all that, it's important. But enjoy your time in the school, enjoy the classes, enjoy the people you meet. Make those connections. They could be lifelong connections. I met my best friend in grad school. I might not have done that. I met professors that I know are recommendations for life.

Abigail Weycker [00:21:16]:
I know that I will have connection with them for from now until forever. You don't know until you try and put that foot forward. Dip that toe in. Give it a shot.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:26]:
Great thoughts and I really appreciate you sharing all of this today, Abby. And I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing all of this today and for all the work that you're doing to engage with other students on campus. Abby also sits on our advisory board here at the University of Michigan Flint for our Office of Graduate Programs. So I'm always excited to be able to get her perspectives on things. So thank you for that as well. Again, getting engaged, getting involved in different ways. But Abby, I just want to say thank you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:55]:
Thank you for being here today, for sharing your perspectives, and I wish you all the best.

Abigail Weycker [00:21:58]:
Thank you. I appreciate it.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:00]:
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 [e-mail].