Billy Buehl Graduate Student Spotlight

Billy Buehl is a first year ITS Masters student in the ECT school and also works for the school's PR team. We talked to Billy a bit about the projects he's been working on as well as what life is like as a grad student studying ITS.

"What would you say are the biggest differences between undergrad and grad school?"

The most noticeable difference is definitely the workload, there's way more to than in undergrad. Other than that, I feel like the professors in the ITS school really care about their students and are interested in what we're working on, there's definitely more of a working relationship rather than a student-instructor relationship. They're always there as a resource. The classes themselves are much more applicable. For instance, the coding classes i'm taking have really advanced my skillset and that's a very marketable skill. Lifestyle wise I'm working way more than I did in undergrad both on schoolwork and at my university job. It's definitely a busy, but rewarding life.

"What projects have you been working on since starting grad school?"

I'm helping with data logging for the Green Roof project. They're installing a garden on the roof of Schoonover and it's my job to gather the data and present it with a software called Zabbix. Constructing hasn't started yet but it should begin sometime in the spring.

"What advice would you give to someone thinking about a Masters in ITS?"

If you have any interest in it, taking ITS classes in undergrad will help you determine if ITS is something you want to pursue and if it is, give you some experience so that you're not totally behind once you do get into the program. Also, try and figure out how to balance work and life early on so that you have a smooth transition into grad school.