The Graduate School Survival Guide
Graduate school can be a scary proposition. They are institutions of higher learning that normally accept admissions who have already obtained their Bachelors degree. These schools permit you to elevate your degree status while allowing you to study the finer points of your major that particularly interest you or that you wish to specialize in when you complete your graduate studies and put your chosen career into practice. Graduate schools provide the means to obtain any type of doctorial degree, Masters, PHD or any variety of advanced academic degree, an extension of your undergraduate work. Gaining admittance to a graduate school requires the usual battery of transcripts, letters of recommendation, admission essay and interviews. Not to mention your LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE and any other test that helps further your education. Once you have been admitted, what do you do next?
Stess Reduction
Above all, stress reduction is the end to which all other means should strive. Very few of us actually function well under pressure or the uncertainty of what the future holds. Arming yourself with all, or as much of the information you need before your arrival is the ideal way to go. It keeps you abreast of your surroundings and also eliminates many “surprises” that tend to be unwelcome in your new life. You most likely won’t remember your first week or so of grad school anyway because everything will be flying by you at breakneck speed but these early days are the time to find your advisors and the personnel that will be instrumental in your success. Your experience will in all likelihood not be what you expected on a variety of levels and at first may seem overwhelming. Take heart, this is experienced by about 99% of new students and is normal. No less frightening, but normal, and once you settle into a routine you will begin to acquire a bit more confidence in your new environment.
Develop Relationships
It is a good practice to develop interpersonal relationships with the faculty and with other students. This allows for free exchange of information and develops friendships that will prove to be invaluable in the future. Remember, you are going meet a lot of new people, cultivate contacts now. There is a good chance that the graduate program will assign you an advisor. Advisors assist you in the day to day functions of the institute, they may also help you to arrange your curriculum so that it easier to manage and possibly direct you in academic procedure and organization. Advisors are there to give you a clear perspective of your collegiate path. A mentor, on the other hand, is not as much technical teacher as personal support. Relationships with mentors tends to be more profound and on a much more privileged level. Not only does the mentor teach lesson plans but also gives direction in private matters that affect your career. They advise you of the work environment and offer guidance in how to handle yourself in a professional manner, while counseling you on what to expect from the career of your choice and make clear what is going to be expected of you. Some relationships between mentors and grad students continue well past grad school and last a lifetime.
Get to Know the Faculty
You should also learn to manipulate the faculty in general to your advantage. Do not be intimidated or be afraid to ask a professor for help if you don’t understand something or are falling behind in your studies. Now is no time to cower down to authority figures. While you should talk to any teacher in a respectful manner you should also be aware that they are there to help and they won’t know if you are need of assistance if you don’t approach them. Request a visit with your professor by whatever means is spelled out in the syllabus keeping in mind that this is their job and meetings after hours are probably not going to be approved. When you go to their office, then speak politely and respectfully. If you are anxious about the meeting then write your questions down. This will not only give the impression of being organized but you will not be stumbling over your words either. Be prepared. Bring your course materials and be ready to take copious notes so you will remember everything that is discussed and you don’t have to embarrass yourself by asking the same questions again at a different point in time. When the discussion concludes show an appropriate amount of gratitude by thanking them for their time. It should go without saying that having a good rapport with your professor is critical.
Time Management
Good time management skills are a must for the grad student. Sometimes you need to be very resourceful if you are going to get lab time, telescope time or any one of a myriad of different study options. Much of this is going to entail hanging around the lab and maybe squeezing in some time between other scheduled students. This is were your tenacity comes into play but this is a good thing because grad school is no piece of cake and only the tenacious survive. Maintain contact with friends and family in the “real world.” They can have a profound effect on keeping you grounded and providing a support system while you are away from home and on your own. Expect the unexpected, if you thought undergraduate work was hard you haven’t seen anything yet. Graduate school is tough, there is no doubt about that. It is not only an atmosphere to acquire book knowledge but also a vehicle for you to hone your professional skills and mannerisms. It is a totally unique learning experience but one that once it is through will give you a feeling of accomplishment like few other encounters will. And when it is all said and done and graduation is behind you won’t be surprised to find that it was one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of your life.
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