The inevitability of our current social-media geared world means that, with a quick Google search, a future graduate student can look over numerous blog posts, editorials, snarky tweets, think pieces, and other pithy essays dedicated to the general education of a prospective student's future experiences in their program of choice. Also in social media, there are articles that cynically pontificate to said student about whether further academic work in is the best choice for them after undergrad in the first place. However, there are a lack of pieces for those who, when going to their program of choice, don't know what to expect in their first year. The first year is, well, the first year. What's to expect when they don't know what'll happen? This essay or grouping of words with gifs above them aims to remedy that particular question.
1. You will do ALL of the Reading, Writing, and Networking.
Think of all of the scholarly articles, book chapters, and peer reviews you had to read in your undergraduate career. Now multiply that by four. Especially in your first semester, you will read so many words that, once done, you will not think of words in the same way again. Words won’t even word. You also will learn that Interlibrary Loan is an awesome resource. On top of it all, you will learn that you know more than you think, and that you know even less. Especially in your field of choice, you will learn many new things about said field in your coursework, activities, and research. As for knowing less than you think, it's good to know that, especially regarding coursework and activities, you will learn concepts and skills that may initially seem foreign. You will not be parroting the knowledge you learned in your undergraduate career in graduate school. You shouldn't.
This humbling realization is what the big three of grad School is all about: reading, writing, and networking. You will read book-shaped mountains of material carefully crafted by scholars in your desired field so you can carefully create your own material. You will find a focus in your program in which you never before thought you would be interested. At this realization, you will want to learn more and more about said focus, and, perhaps, maybe even write about it. Through your program, you will have opportunities to meet and work with scholars in your desired field, with your desired focus; they will be awesome people with which you want to initiate and maintain professional contact. You’ll be marketing yourself like never before. However, for all of the above, sanity is extremely important. Pace yourself. Don’t try to do everything all at once. Take your time. If you leave all of the big three until the night before an exam, class discussion, networking event or conference, and you will figuratively die.
2. You will reach out to your professors, peers, and fellow first years.
Your professors, whether you believe it or not, are there to help you on your higher academia journey. In fact, that’s what their office hours are for.
Try not to catch them for a question right when they’re about to leave for a meeting or out-of-town conference, but don’t hold out on asking them for fear of looking idiotic. You won’t.
Be able to accept criticism and bluntness, but not to the point of critical damage. Your professors won’t be there to hold your hand, but, if you make an effort to reach out to them, they can help steer you in the right direction.
Same goes for your upper-class peers, albeit under a different context. If they’re in their second year, chances are last year they were in the same boat as you, and definitely had the same questions you have whirling around in their own brains.
The same approach goes for your peers in their third, fourth or other consecutive years. They have knowledge that comes with their respective experiences. If you have comments, get in touch with them. Go out for coffee and pick their brain. If they’re working on a project or thesis that you find fascinating, ask them about it. Chances are that you’ll make a worthwhile connection.
Don’t hesitate to ask your fellow first-years things too. They are also going through the same confusing, information-overloading time that you are. Encourage your classmates and their work. Take all of the opportunities you can. You are on this journey together.
Your grad school environment is an important one; cultivating relationships with your professors, peers, and classmates is a big step in making that environment the best it can be. You’re not alone.
3. You will learn that time management is your friend.
Yes, Time Management needs to be capitalized. It's that important.
If it hasn't become so already, the concept of wisely managing your time and energy will become exponentially important in grad school.
Once outside opportunities roll in, it’s unbearably easy to be the “Yes!” person, to be the person that you think everyone will be able to count on. Keep in mind your schedule and the hours you need to work each day. If you have a job, keep in mind the time you need to rest after your shift(s). Be selfish with your time; know your limits.
We all know that there are 24 hours in a day, and that a lot can be done in that amount of time.Too much work, however, is too much work no matter how you scale down your time.
You need to rest. You need to eat. You need time to yourself. Being involved shouldn’t feel like a competition. There is no such thing as a “who can be the busiest/most stressed out” contest. Nor should there be.
4. You will want to get a hobby outside of your program.
Do it! Responsibly.
Not only will you be a better-rounded person, but you will also carve time for yourself outside of program-related obligations.
Having an activity – be it swing dancing, ballet, going to wine/beer tastings, anime, ice skating, karate class, video games, tabletop, sharing awful/amazing puns with friends, costuming, antiquing, riffing on bad movies, or literally everything else under the bright, starry sun – not only gives you time to recharge, but it also grants perspective.
There is a great risk of taking all of your coursework/thesis work/readings too personally and too seriously. All of higher academia’s meticulously melded words will embed themselves into your brain and won’t want to leave.
A hobby will alleviate the pressure of your work, if only for a little while. As long as it’s done in moderation, your hobby will help you feel better once you go back into your coursework.
5. You will feel like an impostor. You’re not.
When you first enter grad school, you will feel this way a million times over (and then some).
Whatever your field may be, for the first few weeks (or months), you will see yourself surrounded by so many smart people who ask great/smart questions, and, on everything they do, earn high marks. You were the top dog at your undergrad, and now you’re surrounded by other top dogs.
At this moment, you will question all of your career and life choices. How did you get to this program in the first place? It was all a fluke. Sheer, dumb luck; that’s what it was. The program made a mistake. They had to have. You’re a fraud. You have to be, right? Despite all evidence to the contrary, you still feel as if you’re not as good as everyone else in your program, and you feel like a fraudulent fake, phony.
First things first: you’re not a fraud. You got into your program for a reason. You are a smart, capable human being. By the end of your first year, if not your first semester, you will be an even smarter, more capable human being. You have skills that you can strut with no holds barred.
Second, this phenomenon of wildly anxiety-inducing thought is what’s known as impostor syndrome (first coined by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes). Nearly everyone in higher academia has this syndrome, and it seems inescapable.
If these worries are taking up too much of your time, energy, and sanity, please talk to someone who can help. Be it a professor, a family member, or a therapist, talking about your worries will not only help you articulate them, but it will also help you put things in perspective. You will be able to better help yourself when reaching out to someone else.
Your program is absolutely what you make of it. That being said, this is where your work comes in. You're at a time in your academic career where you can thoroughly and fervently dig into the focus of your interest.
As long as you do work toward producing something (“something” being a paper, a thesis, a dissertation, a play, a portfolio, etc.) of great personal importance and pride, taking all of the opportunities you can sanely undertake, connecting with people you respect, and cultivating a good work ethic, you’re going to do great. You will be great.
