Sean Birdsey

How did you choose your specific area of study?

I fell in love with philosophy during my undergrad studies and wanted desperately to continue. Ethics and Public Affairs seemed to me the most intriguing and exciting concentration within the Philosophy MA, and the rest is history.

How did your academic experiences in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences impact you?

It's made me a lot more careful in my research, and I do my best to always see things from as objective a point of view as possible - when that's possible.

Of which accomplishment(s) during your time at Mason are you most proud?

Completing my MA with a relatively high GPA was something I was admittedly concerned about, so I am just happy to have been able to finish and to finish well!

Are there faculty or staff members who made a difference during your Mason career?

Absolutely! Thankfully - because philosophy is a relatively small department - I have been able to make connections with the professors who were always readily available to help me when I needed it. Whether I was just bouncing ideas off them or asking for help with drafting a paper, I received a lot of support from the professors I interacted with.

What advice would you give to an incoming cohort of graduate students?

Don't be intimidated! It's not that everything's easy, but especially in philosophy you get a good support system of professors and students, and more often than not you'll be seeing a lot of familiar faces in every class you take.

What are your current career plans following graduation? What are your long-term career goals?

Once I have the MA, I plan to apply to some adjunct positions at NOVA, but I will also be working on getting my secondary teaching license in English so I can be a high school teacher.