My Journey to UNC Charlotte (By Guest Blogger Anadin Tokmic)

Coming from a small town in the Midwest, I had no idea what to expect from a large city like Charlotte. Well, there was one thing to expect and that was University of North Carolina Charlotte. I chose to move to Charlotte quickly, once I found out that I was accepted to the Master of Economics Program at UNCC. Before applying to the program, I researched to see if it was a program that was a good fit for me. The thing I paid particular attention to was what the graduate students did once they graduated from UNC Charlotte. It’s always a good idea to see what one does with a graduate degree. Some graduates ended up working internationally, some returned to school for a doctorate degree, and others remained in Charlotte working with one of the local companies.

Based on what I researched about UNC Charlotte, it sounded like a good place for me and now it’s been a semester and counting.   My favorite part so far was forming a group of friends within the program.  In this group, we study together and at the same time network with one another. The students in my graduate program come from a variety of educational, professional, and personal backgrounds. It’s fascinating how much knowledge can flow when a diverse group is put in a room together for a few hours. Professors do a great job allowing opportunities for questions and collaboration to take place, but at the same time cover the lecture material.

Other opportunities that I found myself taking advantage of at UNC Charlotte include being a part of the Professional Development Program (PDP). The year-long program is a competitive based program with a two-step interview process. Five students are selected each semester and receive a scholarship. The  PDP program is designed to improve student’s professional demeanor by finding out the student’s strengths and weaknesses, their personality traits, and prepare them towards a career that best fits. All that is done in the first half of the program, the second half entails the student being paired with a mentor to get personal advice from an established professional in the community.

My experience at UNC Charlotte has been great so far. I feel that I have grown professionally and academically. UNC Charlotte has provided me with many challenges, opportunities and hopefully more of both to come.