Graduate school is nowhere near as fun as undergrad

[90sNickelodeon]

Or so I've heard.

Anyone care to agree/disagree?

:shock:

[LingGrad2009]

Or so I've heard.

Anyone care to agree/disagree?

:shock:

I can't agree or disagree yet, because I don't start until next month, but your assertion begs the question that undergrad was fun to start with. I did not find it so. What I found it was fulfilling, particularly the final two years when I was working exclusively in my major. I am hoping (indeed counting on it) that grad school and a subsequent career in the field will renew that sense of satisfaction and the feeling that I was, for once, doing something where I belonged. I sure never got that sense in anything I was doing before or have done since.

[jasper.milvain]

I can only compare undergrad to my MA, since I haven't started my PhD yet.

That being said, graduate school is WAY MORE FUN than undergrad. Having seminars that run long enough to get into substantial, detailed discussions? Fun. Increased access to university and department resources? Fun. Running a classroom? Extremely fun. Feeling like you're actually producing real research instead of running another set of novels through the essay machine? More fun than pretty much anything.

[twocosmicfish]

I think it depends on why you went to both places.

If you went to college to party or for the "college experience", undergrad will be a lot more fun. At grad school you do not spend as much time at parties or doing extracurricular activities, and there is a lot more work and stress involved.

If you went to college to learn something, grad will be a lot more fun. You get to focus on this one thing that you claimed really excited you. Your classes are more collaborative and less arbitrarily graded. Your classmates are generally people who share your passions and skills, instead of a bunch of idiots taking the intro course for the 4th time.

[kahlan_amnell]

Or so I've heard.

Anyone care to agree/disagree?

:shock:

That depends on what you find fun.

[Minnesotan]

I'm a big nerd, so I like getting paid (albeit bad wages) to talk about books, write about books, and, of course, to read books all day. The only time grad school stops being fun is when student essays come in, but there are other ways to evaluate student work. =)

[jasper.milvain]

Student essays can be a scream if you approach them with the right appreciation for absurdity. Swapping especially bad sentences with other TAs can also be a hoot.

[purplepepper]

Swapping especially bad sentences with other TAs can also be a hoot.

A friend of mine was TAing for an art history class in something like the beginnings of Christian iconography. In an essay he was grading, a student was trying to explain when images of Christ appeared in the church. This is a quote

"And then Christ rose up and came all over the church"

Make of it what you will.

[Minnesotan]

Student essays can be a scream if you approach them with the right appreciation for absurdity. Swapping especially bad sentences with other TAs can also be a hoot.

I have to be careful, though, because I have the tendency to make fun of undergrads too much, already. My mockery starts to bleed into lecture time, if I get carried away.

[jasper.milvain]

Yes, that's very true. It can certainly breed negativity. The bad student sentences threads on the Chronicle forums are a hoot, though.

[belowthree]

but there are other ways to evaluate student work. =)

I'll post a link to this again just in case there's someone here that hasn't seen it:

http://www.concurringopinions.com/archi ... _grad.html

I trust, Minnesotan, that you only adhere to the strictest and best executed forms of this type of grading?

[SconnieNation]

This thread is funny having already obtained the B.S., but scary for any current undergrad.

[Stories]

Fun? Uhh... I'd say that college was way more fun. I was far more social, far more out and about than I was during grad school #1. I imagine grad school #2 will be much more like grad school #1 than undergrad. Grad school is far more stimulating, gratifying, and interesting intellectually, though.

[Minnesotan]

I'll post a link to this again just in case there's someone here that hasn't seen it:

http://www.concurringopinions.com/archi ... _grad.html

I trust, Minnesotan, that you only adhere to the strictest and best executed forms of this type of grading?

Anything my cat chews up to the point where I can no longer read the essay earns an A. Unfortunately, my students have caught on to this method, so now all of the essays they turn in smell like Meow Mix. Cheeky buggers!

[jasper.milvain]

Fun? Uhh... I'd say that college was way more fun. I was far more social, far more out and about than I was during grad school #1.

I was more out and about during my undergrad as well, but I was still fairly young and very insecure. I drank too much, smoked too much pot, and had too many one night stands (too many because they were motivated by needing attention/approval, not too many because of any objection to one night stands). I'm still 'traditional student' aged, but my life is much more fun now that I've chilled the hell out a little. Now that I'm not wasting my time on melodrama and unhealthy relationships, I can appreciate good times more.

I trust, Minnesotan, that you only adhere to the strictest and best executed forms of this type of grading?

I prefer the double-blind version of the above, wherein one first throws a stack of papers with letter grades written on them to get a truly randomized distribution.

[aginath]

I had way more fun in grad school than undergrad. As an undergrad, I didn't really get active in any organizations until my senior year. That spilled over into grad school, where I found myself mentoring undergrads, serving on the graduate student council, volunteering with camps for incoming non-traditional students, and more. Between actually enjoying class (meaningful discussions instead of droning lectures) and making all sorts of new friends, I was 10x the social butterfly in grad school.

[rising_star]

Fun? Uhh... I'd say that college was way more fun. I was far more social, far more out and about than I was during grad school #1. I imagine grad school #2 will be much more like grad school #1 than undergrad. Grad school is far more stimulating, gratifying, and interesting intellectually, though.

Hmmm... I find that grad school #2 in my case is more like college. I possibly had too much at grad school #1. And whoever says that you don't have time for extracurriculars/partying in grad school is clearly not in my discipline. I view the national conference as 5 nights of 5+ beers and have to prep my liver beforehand. Every week is a week full of drinks and I love that about my life.

[Minnesotan]

I view the national conference as 5 nights of 5+ beers and have to prep my liver beforehand. Every week is a week full of drinks and I love that about my life.

You've made me fall in love with you all over again, RS!

[90sNickelodeon]

Well my undergrad experience was an epic fail. Hopefully grad school, although it's a professional school, will be more fun. But then again, a trip to the dentist would be more fun than my undergrad experience. Here's to looking up!

[anthrogradhopes]

A friend of mine was TAing for an art history class in something like the beginnings of Christian iconography. In an essay he was grading, a student was trying to explain when images of Christ appeared in the church. This is a quote

"And then Christ rose up and came all over the church"

Make of it what you will.

omg. I died.

Suddenly the teaching/grading aspect of graduate school sounds at least somewhat appealing.

[Thanks4Downvoting]

A friend of mine was TAing for an art history class in something like the beginnings of Christian iconography. In an essay he was grading, a student was trying to explain when images of Christ appeared in the church. This is a quote

"And then Christ rose up and came all over the church"

Make of it what you will.

Sweet! That sounds like fun to me...

[CuomoFan77]

Grad school is not quite as fun, but then again it's grad school.