I find
myself agreeing with most of their points, and I think they are great selling points for becoming a grad student. My greater age and experience hasn’t
entirely kept me from being nervous, but I do have more confidence and
definitely more work experience that applies to my schoolwork. Plus, I have
faith that I can handle just about anything for eight weeks – even statistics!
I think my
favorite part is the greater autonomy – I do not miss gen eds, even a little
bit. I don’t get to choose my classes, but I get to choose my program, and know
that it addresses everything I need to know about my chosen field. (I thought
that meant I’d never have to do math again, but stats snuck in there anyway.)
The lack
of structure is a little alarming at first, especially for someone like me who
identifies strongly with Hermione Granger. I want to know exactly what I need
to do to get an A, and I want to know all the steps on the path to get there.
However, I’m getting used to not being told all the steps, and making my own
path.
I was
never much of a joiner, so the lack of campus life doesn’t bother me much. I
would like to meet my cohort in person, but we seem to be doing fine with
lively discussion forums.
*An
unexpected bonus of grad school is the frequent use of the word ‘cohort.’
Apparently we are now too grown-up and advanced to have anything as prosaic as ‘classmates,’
so now we get to be a Bond-villain-like ‘cohort.’ Very cool.
I have to admit my age and lack of experience in the field can be nerve racking for me sometimes. Sometimes I feel that some of my cohorts are more established in their career and I have difficulty relating. However I do my best to relate my current job position with what I can in discussion posts. It is wonderful hearing about everyone's experiences and learning from them. I feel that people are more open to discussion about what is going on in their personal career online rather than in a classroom setting.
ReplyDeleteI seem some nice improvements in your blog, Amanda. Your posts about relevant, course-related topics and the team project are generated some good interactions. Keep it up, Mark
ReplyDeleteAmanda, even thought this a my third experience as a graduate student, I still have the same worries as everyone else: what do I have to do to get an A, did I do all my work or did I miss an assignment, will I have enough time in the day to complete all my work, etc.? Best, Helen.
ReplyDelete