Now that you're a grad student, what do you think?

[newpsyche]

Hi, friends!

In most of our cases, we're several days into our programs.

So...what do you think? If you have a good idea of what will be awaiting you in the next few weeks or even months, what are your thoughts? Is this what you expected? Better, worse?

Is anyone suffering Impostor Syndrome?

[wildviolet]

We haven't officially started classes yet, but I have attended orientation and planning meetings for my TA and RA positions.

I think grad school is terrific! Finally, I've found people who are similar to me in terms of passion and intellectual ability. Imposter Syndrome? Not yet. I feel like most of us are on par with each other--no one is much better or much worse than the others, and we all have different perspectives and experiences to add to the conversation. At the same time, we're all here because we have a passion for improving education for all students.

I think the days will become very busy. In my program, PhD students take two to three classes per semester and have 1/2 time (20 hours per week) assistantships in the form of research and/or teaching, some of which requires commuting to local school districts. On top of all of that, some of us are trying to organize social outings and get-togethers. I'm very fortunate--the more experienced PhD students are happy to mentor, share their insights about the program and local area, and talk endlessly about issues in education. It's going to be an awesome five years!

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

Its worse than I thought... because I came from a different major as undergrad, it is a big culture shock especially given my cohort and I'm not sure how I'll graduate on time or publish a paper. My cohort is not very diverse to say the least. 1/4 of them are buddies from undergrad and half of them attended a school equal to or better than mine, but with an actual major in physics; I only took 5 actual upper division physics classes, which fulfilled the requirement for entry but wasn't "recommended".

There's only 3 PIs in my "big subfield" of experimental materials science, not good news... and once I went there, someone told me to stay away from 1 of them because of personality issues. I really, really doubt I can publish with these guys, not because of them but because my own limited skill; I don't even really know whats an interesting problem from the "physics" point of view, and from my reading of tens of Arxiv papers, the problems "physics" is interested in answering in materials science, are not as interesting to me.

The TA for the grad class isn't very helpful to say the least.

I have to make up remedial classes; when I interviewed they assured me that most graduate in 2 years, now they tell us "3 years is the usual time". I'm having trouble in a core class, hopefully it gets better.

I'm seriously thinking of going back to my original major so I can do more research and graduate in 2 years so I can move on to a PHD in a non-physics program or a job. Spending 3 years on a MS when I already spent 5 years on an already hard BS is too long, then 5-6 years (standard for physics) if I stayed in a straight physics PHD? Almost half my life would be spent at school! It'd be the equivalent of graduating 4 years with a BS and doing a 9-10 year PHD! The opportunity cost is staggering.

On the other hand if I went back to my original major, I'll graduate in 5 + 2 + 4, since 4-5 years is standard, which is much more acceptable.

[SumEsseFuiFuturus]

I think my experience is somewhat different than most new graduate students, as I'm attending the same institution for my MA as I did for my BA, but I'm really enjoying the start of this new program. My institution has a focus on undergraduates above all else, so I never felt like I was ignored by professors by any means, but I can certainly feel a difference in perception from faculty members with my new status.

A few days ago, a professor I had as a freshman and sophomore stopped me in the hall to say how happy she was to have me in the program, which pleased me. I had already had her research interests in mind over the summer, while I was plotting and conspiring about my thesis project, so I visited her in her office on Thursday, when courses formally began, and within 20 minutes I had her lined up as a thesis adviser. She even called over to the library herself to get them to buy me a book on my topic, which I thought was awfully nice.

So, as someone who's had two actual days of graduate courses, I have a thesis adviser and preliminary topic lined up. I've also got a committee assignment to work on the WGST conference. It's shaping up pretty well, I think. I'm also enjoying the courses I've started. I honestly didn't really want to go here; I wanted to go out into the world, but application results and money made this the best option for me. I didn't really even want to get an English degree; I wanted one in classics, but with my research project tying into both aspects, and such early and enthusiastic faculty support, I'm feeling a lot better about it.

[robot_hamster]

This was 2 years ago, but it was definitely worse than I thought it would be when I got to grad school.

I went despite not having funding offered to me. They wouldn't let me register for classes like I was supposed to because I didn't have an adviser lined up. It isn't like I hadn't tried. Everyone I asked turned me away, said they couldn't take any more students and I should ask this other person. After being bounced around like a pinball, someone agreed to be my adviser. I spent a long time after that wandering around blindly with virtually no guidance on my thesis. Yeah, I wasn't off to a good start.

Edited August 27, 2012 by robot_hamster

[newpsyche]

Wow--such diverse experiences, everyone! Keep 'em coming--we all want to know!

[Tall Chai Latte]

This is also two years old for me, and my experience was worse than I thought. In the beginning, I received conflicting advices on what courses to take, which resulted in overloaded course work. And then, I couldn't join the lab I wanted to due to funding crisis at the time. After being pushed around like a human pinball (like robot_hamster), I didn't settle in a thesis lab until the beginning of my second year and on a thesis project until half way through my second year. I was the last one to get a lab home in my cohort...

[fuzzylogician]

Well, I honestly don't remember anymore what (if any) my expectations were, but I remember being pleasantly surprised at how well prepared I was compared to some of my peers; I also remember being very happy with my cohort and our new first-year office, and a little shocked by the amount of work we were expected to do. Learning to field all the requirements was somewhat of a challenge initially. Since we all take the exact same courses in our first year it wasn't until second year that I had to deal with conflicting advice about courses. That ended in one semester of complete overload leading to incompletes in all of my classes, but I eventually made up for them all without consequence. That semester ended up being very successful in terms of presentations/publications so I think the course issue was completely understood and forgiven. We don't have official advisors in my program but I was very lucky in that I was pretty much accidentally assigned to do some work with the people who ended up becoming my main support system in the program. That didn't happen until the later part of my first year and the summer after that, and these people aren't who I had initially designated as POIs in my SOP. But hey, things happen unexpectedly and if there is one thing I've learned in graduate school is to seize every opportunity with both hands and take it as far as I can.

[isawstars]

Classes started Wednesday... I have only attended 2 of my 4 classes. I like a lot of people in my program. My advisor has been encouraging us to get to know each other and become friends which has worked out so far. I've already had 3 big assignments due Thursday at midnight. And I'm already feeling a lot of pressure about choosing a thesis/project. I have no idea what I am going to do. I really wanna pick up an extracurricular but it's also considered a class... but I don't want to have 5 credits my first semester... I am tempted but I don't want to do too much.

So yeah so far, so good. Which is good because I moved across the country for my degree.

[prettyuff1]

It is about what i thought it would be.. The classes are ok,studying is what i do when i am home and bored. The time in lab is petty good, I was luckly to land a good lab with good person to train me. That is important. It is a lot of work but I am working away.

[Gamarino]

So far, I've had mixed feelings. Classes technically start today, but I don't have Monday/Friday classes, so they don't start until tomorrow. I had a week of Orientation last week. I originally felt very baffled with my T.A. job, but luckily my coordinator sent me a ton of quizzes, exams, and a sample lesson plan, along with the emails of former T.A.'s who taught the same section as me. This has been helpful, but I'm still stressed because I've never taught before. I guess we'll see!

My program is pretty small, but all of the students seem very nice. However, I am feeling a little lonely on my own. While I've met people and made some friends during the two short days of Orientation, no one has initiated a get-together of sorts, so I stayed in this weekend (again). I'm worried that this is how my semester will be...

Additionally, I recently noticed a discrepancy with my schedule. I'm scheduled to teach a class at the same time I'm taking a required course. Both of these classes begin tomorrow, and my adviser is trying to switch me out of teaching the course, but no one has emailed me back. On top of this, I have no idea what I'm supposed to prepare for this class. My coordinator said it would be more logistical and that I wouldn't need to prepare lesson plans, as it's a "discussion" course. However, I have no idea what that entails and the class is supposed to complement a seminar, which strangely occurs AFTER the discussion class. What am I supposed to discuss? Anyways, the past 24 hours have been very stressful and I feel kind of unprepared for tomorrow. I have a lesson plan ready, and I've done all I can, but I don't know what to expect with this "discussion" course. ahhhhh

[waitinginvain?]

Today was my first day of classes and so far I want to drop out. I was one of two "new faces" in my class of 23 this afternoon. How can that be when today was the first day of class? Apparently all but two of us have taken a class with this same professor last year, so everyone (but us) knows the system. For instance, students "claimed" assignments as the professor read the syllabus. What?! Furthermore, most of them are so pretentious and boring that I entertained myself by standing my pen on end on the table. Childish, I know, but more interesting than the "discussions." But grad school isn't like undergrad when it comes to switching classes. There are very few that I can take at the graduate level. This is also a required class. So I don't know whether to take an elective in its place and put it off for another time, or just to suffer through it. At this point I just feel so stupid.

[BrokenRecord]

While I've met people and made some friends during the two short days of Orientation, no one has initiated a get-together of sorts, so I stayed in this weekend (again). I'm worried that this is how my semester will be...

Awww I don't know how much of a people-person you are but maybe it would be worth trying to initiate the get-togethers (coffee/study sessions to start) yourself once everyone is settled into the program? Perhaps they are in the same boat as you are and just a bit shy or busy trying to get things together. But I'm sure that will change as the semester goes along and there is more routine and comfortability (pardon my made-up word) with the cohort.

[imonedaful]

I have taken 2 classes so far, and apparently I am the only new PhD student from the United States.... and I am in the United States. When I go to class, I feel like I am at an international airport, haha. It should be interesting. For one of my classes our professor e-mailed us the syllabus two days before the class started with some readings we were expected to do and I started printing it out and realized that it is 33 pages long. Who has a 33 page syllabus? I will meet my advisor tomorrow whom which I was told is a brand new professor. I am guessing I am his first PhD student? All new and fascinating experiences. I have also realized I did not come prepared as far as school supplies. I printed out an article and could not find a stapler to staple it with. Haha I will have to pick up a few things.

[waitinginvain?]

After attending another one of my classes tonight, I've concluded I'm probably in over my head. Even though I graduated summa cum laude, I am intimidated by my classmates' intelligence. I feel like I've walked in in the middle of the conversation! Syllabi are vague, everyone knows everyone else, and they use words like "normative" and "performative", and they just assume that everyone knows how to give a presentation in "conference" style. I'm so lost!

[confusedgradadmit]

My MSc classes don't actually start until Sept. 5th, but I've been going to a week-long TA training session this week (which I gather is a bit of a rarity among grad schools these days, its pretty intense, going from 9am to 4pm every day). I also met and had lunch with my advisor last week, before he went on a last-minute vacation haha, and I also attended the weekly group meetings for each of the various research groups he has going on. I've got some interesting projects in the works, so I'm currently trying to decide between them. In the meantime, I'm helping to resurrect a certain server system from back in 2009 that had languished without a student to maintain it (its a web interface for professionals in the health sciences and biology to perform certain queries relating to proteins), and that's keeping me plenty busy enough. You can't imagine how frustrating it is to try to, for example, upgrade from a database system circa 2005 to the current version, and then repeat that for the 20 or so other programs it relies on.

I should note that, in Canada, our education stream is a bit different than the US. The typical path is a max of 2 years for masters level, then a max of 4 years for your Ph.D. There are typically only courses in the first two terms of masters, and none at the Ph.D. level. Some exceptional students can go straight to Ph.D., but its apprently pretty rare (I was offered the chance by one of the other schools I applied to, but I didn't want the pressure and risk of getting in over my head, and didn't really like the school as much anyway).

One thing I noticed, and this may just be particular to my advisor, was that a significant proportion of the people in the labs are actually staff members, rather than students. Now, he is the PI of what is essentially the province's flagship AI initiative (that's about all I can say, I think), so maybe he gets enough funding to justify it. Or maybe he can only feasibly advise so many students, but he just needs more hands on deck than that? It just seems odd that almost half (it seems) of the people in the lab are actually full-time staff, with educations ranging from undergrad to post-doc.

[wildviolet]

Or maybe he can only feasibly advise so many students, but he just needs more hands on deck than that? It just seems odd that almost half (it seems) of the people in the lab are actually full-time staff, with educations ranging from undergrad to post-doc.

I don't think that's unusual. My advisor has two full-time post-docs who help him supervise grad students and undergrads. He has tons of projects, though, so I would imagine that his primary focus is on getting the funding, coming up with the big ideas, and then hiring people to do the actual work.

[verklempt]

I'm a little apprehensive but still excited. One of my professors continually mispronounces words, has typos/misspellings/flat out wrong information in some of her presentations. I'm not sure what to think of that. One of my other professors made it pretty clear that she was not happy to be teaching the course and announced that one of our (more interesting) labs is to be cancelled because there are too many students in the class. Seems wrong.

Fortunately my two other classes seem well thought out and interesting. I haven't made any buddies yet, but most other people in my program are married/have kids. Bummer.

[TheFez]

One week nearly done --- and I am exhausted!

The PhD program is so much different from anything I have ever experienced as a student. Here's a few observations:

1. There's a huge amount of reading. I mean huge. Many difficult journal articles. I am in a quantitative type field (Econ) - so I never payed much attention to my reading speed (I got a 165V GRE) - but man could I use some speed reading training.

2. They treat us like "colleagues". There's a new level of respect for PhD students that is so pleasant. I got an MA, and felt like I was given more regard - but this is way different. The dialog is more frank, and consultative. They keep telling us not to sweat the small stuff. That what we do is our own decision - they are just their to support and guide us. Many of my courses (4 of them) don't have exams... seminars, papers.

3. I had to start teaching right away. Not thrilled about that. It takes time away from reading and thinking about research.

4. There's a lot of heterogeneity among my cohort. Some get it - some seem 1/2 under water in a week.

5. I like having office. Not crazy about having to share it with another PhD student - but we get along (except he like to close the door and it gets too damned hot).

6. Doing well seems to be a good bit about time management. The profs seem to want to overload you by design. Problem sets, readings, papers, teaching... they expect you in the office from sun up to sun down.

7. I bought two things that were really smart: A great desk chair (the first years get the worst hand-me downs imaginable). And my own laser printer (heavy duty, duplex type unit). Most everybody prints over the network to a central printer. Today it was broken --- I was printing happily away. Sweet.

8. They want us thinking about research right away... not sure yet how to fit that into the mix.

That's my first week.

[TropicalCharlie]

I am wrapping up my second week of school and admit that I feel a bit overwhelmed. Moving from Hawaii to the mainland, arriving at my destination less than a week before classes began, attending orientation, furnishing our apt, having individual meetings with my advisor and the rest of dept. faculty, trying to find myself a 'lab' to call home (my dept has a shadow policy before we can be admitted to a research lab), preparing for a seminar presentation, and overloaded with tons of reading, I am definitely feeling unsettled and anxious. Once I get my routine down and become more familiar with the new settings, I know that things will smooth out. Right now I am barely keeping my head above water. Just gotta keep pushing through, one step at a time. Oh, and breathe

[wildviolet]

I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff I have to juggle--courses with tons of reading and major writing assignments, TA (I teach a 3-hour section), RA, and meetings. Right now I feel like my mind is hopping around from one responsibilty to another. I'm feeling unfocused. Hopefully things will get better. I'm writing everything on my calendar (yes, I still like to write in a physical notebook) and hoping to take things one at a time. I'm a list person but right now things keep jumping around on my list in terms of priority, so I'm kind of doing just whatever I feel like doing at the moment. I don't think treating grad school as a 9-5 job would work for me. As a teacher, I'm used to constantly thinking about my lessons and prepping for the upcoming week. Somehow that experience isn't really helping me right now.

[R Deckard]

[Eddie Kant]

Lol R Deckard. I am also teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown. It's so overwhelming. In undergrad, I had plenty of work to do, but I never felt that it was insurmountable. I was never quite sure if I could get my work "just right," but it always turned out well. Now, I'm just breezing through as much as possible knowing that there is no way I'm going to finish everything. The amount of reading is impossible. I've heard the idea that "they do it by design" a couple of times. What is the rationale behind this?

On a related note, I was freaking out about TA'ing, but it's turned out fine.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

What surprised me the most the first week was how much of a work-from-home atmosphere my department has. In the whole hallway where are department is, there tend to be two, maybe three profs on any given day. Six of us grad students share an office, and most only come in when they have time to kill in between classes.

That's nice, I think, that there is so much flexibility. For instance, the other new PhD student has kids, and I'm glad for her that she can go home when she needs to without anyone thinking worse of her.

But... it's still weird to me. As an undergrad I worked in a physics lab where much of the work had to be done on-site, so the grad students spent a lot of time in the lab office space. I come from a work environment that seemed very flexible to me, but everyone still put in 40 hours a week at the office. I know I'm not productive at home, and my plan before I started was to treat grad school like a job, and put in office time. I still think that's the best plan for me, but I didn't expect that to be so unusual. (Example: Yesterday, the dept.secretary saw me and said, "What? You're hear on the Friday before a long weekend?")

What are other people's office time experiences/expectations?

[newpsyche]

I'm in the same boat as SeriousSillyPutty--I expected to have to be in the office at least 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. In reality, graduate students are only there when they need to be, and the way most peoples' schedules work out (e.g., courses, meetings) there are one or two days out of five when students simply don't come in and work from home. For me, that will be Mondays and Fridays.

As for working from home, I've found that I'm not as productive either...a good idea might be to go to your nearest bookstore (like Barnes & Noble) or coffee shop and set up camp there. You'd be amazed how much you can accomplish, and the atmosphere is more comforting than that of a barren office shared with five or six other grad students! (: