Advice from Experienced Travelers: What to Expect on the Grad School Journey

In which current and former students in master’s and doctoral programs share their graduate school challenges and surprises.

Photo by Tabea Schimpf on Unsplash

Grad School Is a Journey

In this space, I have often used the metaphor of graduate school as a journey. Having just shared George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” with my undergrad English class, I am alert to the dangers of what Orwell calls “dying metaphors.” But I’m going to push back on Orwell here and aver that referring to graduate school as a journey is not lazily reverting to a worn-out figure of speech, but rather suggesting a heuristic for understanding what pursuing a degree can be like.

So instead of giving my tired metaphor a rest, I am going to push it further. If you were going on a journey, you would find it helpful to talk to people who had been there before. They could help you plan for realities, ensure you saw the best sights, and warn you about potential dangers.

I reached out to some contacts who either are current graduate students or recently earned their degrees. In this post, I share some of their thoughts on the joys and challenges of graduate education.

Part One: Cautionary Tales

The point of most cautionary road signs is not to stop the driver from moving forward, but instead to provide information that the driver can use to navigate challenges. Similarly, some of the surprises that students shared with me are not necessarily problems. Rather, they are realities of graduate school. If you are prepared for the reality and modify your behavior and expectations in respond, no problem. It’s when you ignore the caution that things get dicey.

Curves Ahead: Graduate-Level Academics

Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

One example of this is academics. “Graduate school was significantly harder than earning my undergraduate degree,” said Drew, who recently completed a Master’s of Divinity and is beginning a Ph.D. in theology. “Generally speaking, those in graduate school want to be there. Therefore, the expectations of professors and coursework tend to be harder.”

The increased academic rigor of was a common theme. Some students felt unprepared for the new level of work expected. “My master’s degree was a huge change from undergrad and took a lot of change in terms of personal growth as well as academics,” said Michelle, who completed her master’s in music history and is now a Ph.D. student in musicology. Good news – she said the academic adjustment from master’s to Ph.D. was nowhere near as challenging.

For others, it was the specific requirements of their degree that provided the challenge. Karol, who completed her Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education Leadership in 2023, said that she was surprised by “the rigor and specificity involved in learning and mastering the APA rules and formatting.” As a lifelong MLA user who also had to switch to APA (and sometimes Chicago) for grad school, I can definitely relate to that one.

Jeremy, who is pursuing his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, also noticed program-specific demands. “In the engineering discipline specifically, I found that even though my knowledge of the core concepts of what had been taught at that school was sufficient, it did not prepare me as well as I would have thought for the research track.”

Bridge Ices Over: You’re on Your Own

Jeremy pointed out another potential graduate school challenge. “While there are many people who will try their best to help you, assume you are the one who cares most about achieving the goal of an M.S. or Ph.D.”

He emphasized the importance of understanding policies and advocating for yourself. He advised reading both your school’s handbook and the university-wide graduate handbook. “Most schools default to the school-wide handbook when there is a dispute, so understand it well,” he said.

Karol agreed, noting, “My greatest challenge was navigating the academic requirements.” She counseled current grad students to “check in regularly with your academic advisor, but if you are in a highly self-directed program, make sure you are up-to-date on required courses.”

Similarly, know that not all faculty will understand your work or life situation. Many graduate students have families and jobs outside of school, but this is not something faculty will necessarily take into account.

“Something that was definitely odd to me was how many professors did not anticipate working professionals would be taking their course,” said Jonathan, who is finishing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

As a graduate student, it is often up to you to advocate for yourself. “Your professor will likely be very busy with research and securing funding, so take it upon yourself to know these rules and fight for your own progress,” said Jeremy.

Next time: Scenic Turnouts — Joys in the Graduate School Journey

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