My first few weeks of graduate school at Jefferson University are wrapping up, and I was surprised to learn that there was a learning curve involved with the amount of assignments and depth of course content. At first glance, it seemed easier as there is class twice a week at set times, as opposed to an undergraduate schedule where classes can be spread throughout the whole week… but it is completely different!
Now that everything is settling down and I am starting to establish a consistent routine and get back into normalcy, I wanted to share a few tips that I’ve learned along the way.
- Use your resources
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Sure, maybe you’ve heard this all throughout your undergraduate degree to the point where it could be considered cliché – but it’s very much true! I cannot stress enough how important it is to use the university’s resources and get help from your program’s faculty, advisors, and classmates. Every one of my professors has said some version of “if there is something wrong, you can talk to me and we can figure something out together,” and it is because they truly want you to succeed. They even have an open-door policy where no questions are off limits!
My graduate program is a clinical-based cohort model, and although we will not be doing any research or spending time in a lab, we will still be spending the next two years together in the same classes with a variety of group projects throughout. Sometimes people have the same questions or ideas, and we are able to lean on each other in the smallest ways. Combined with receiving writing help from the Academic Success Center on campus, time management tutors, and even popping into the Career Services’ office, I feel more confident academically and in the long-term after graduation.
- Don’t procrastinate (as tempting as it sounds)
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As someone who often procrastinated in undergrad, it might seem tempting to leave homework assignments until the last minute. However, in just this week alone, I was assigned several textbook and supplemental readings that took hours to complete! It has been said that graduate school is a full-time job and that there will be a lot of reading, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Many master’s programs, including mine, will often have a practicum or internship component built into the curriculum where you will go out and have supervised training and learning. For me, this first semester is the most availability I will have before practicum and internship are added next semester and next year, respectively. It is much better to try and be on top with time management and getting everything done as early as possible to be prepared for the rest of your program.
- Read strategically, and not for memorization
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Even so, a lot of students might be juggling school, work, internships, and family life. What does that leave for reading dozens of journal articles and textbook chapters that are assigned every week? Reading strategically and with intent can help mitigate some of that pressure, as opposed to trying to read and memorize every word.
For example—for journal articles that are dozens of pages long, you can read the abstracts, literature reviews, and conclusions in order to get a general sense of what it is about. If there is something you are really looking for in the article, such as what was used as a method or the discussion, that is when you’d want to go in depth. Introduction and conclusion/summary chapters of textbooks, as well as looking at key words and definitions, can help when you are short on time. If applicable, finding an audiobook or text-to-speech version of a text can help you multitask… just treat it like a podcast!
- Have fun and stick through it!
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It might seem that graduate school is overwhelming, and people may start questioning if they’re cut out for this field or struggle with impostor syndrome. I was actually surprised to hear that this was completely normal, and that it is truly all part of the adjustment process. Even compared to the very first day of the semester, it was not as intense as before.
In our program, it is emphasized to celebrate the small things in life. Finding joy in the mundane helps break up the rigors and stress of academia, and overall makes things a lot more fun. Those who have graduated from similar programs have told me that two years fly by and there were many ups and downs along the way. One day, it might feel like you know everything, and the next you might feel as if you are drowning. There is a lot of growth and change as people navigate through graduate school, and there is so much ahead after graduating!
When I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed about my studies, I think about how it is still the beginning of this program, and that anything can change in the next two years. I know one day I will look back and feel grateful that I was able to develop foundational skills, and that this was just one steppingstone for the rest of my career.
As someone who is starting graduate school one year after my undergraduate degree, this is really something I have never done before! These new emotions and ways of adjusting do not compare to starting high school or college for the first time. However, I know that this will pass, and knowing what I know now, I am excited for what’s to come.
If you are also getting used to graduate school, I hope this article helped! Thanks for reading!