Undergrad to Grad Transition

[LionsandBears]

Hello all! I'm writing because I've been lurking for a while and you all are amazingly helpful so I'm hoping someone can speak to this:

 

I'm currently in undergrad and I've been blessed enough to be accepted into a Ph.D. program straight out (I am not deferring in any way). I'm excited but I'm also a little nervous as it means the training wheels are officially off! As it stands I don't even have furniture (lived in dorm all four years) or a car (lived in New York City). For anyone that has done it, how did you handle transitioning to Ph.D programs and grad life straight out of undergrad and it's cushiony existence? Was it tough? And what tips do you have for someone who's a little freaked out?

[tspier2]

It has honestly been the most difficult experience of my life. There's no way I could have ever anticipated -- or prepared for -- the sheer amount of work that it requires. I'm reading and writing more than I ever have before, and the required level of critical thinking will surpass anything you've put forward thus far. As I've been told, the first year is the most difficult; after that, it's supposed to get easier. Just go in with an open mind, be willing to try anything once, and try to stay ahead.

[orangeglacier]

It's probably going to be more work and different work than you had as an undergrad, but you don't necessarily have to think of it as a sudden big transition to adulthood.  Moving somewhere new is intimidating and there will be changes, but you don't have to suddenly become a responsible adult.

 

Personally I went with a school-run grad student apartments so that I wouldn't have to buy a ton of new furniture.  I've met new people and found some new hobbies, but overall my life here is very similar to my undergrad life - I work all day on the weekdays, with maybe a bit of videogames at night, and then on the weekends I work in the afternoon and drink and play board games with friends at night.  The only difference is that the work involves less classwork and more research.

[Tall Chai Latte]

It wasn't easy for me. As someone who went to college in-state, being far away from home was the biggest challenge. I also lived in dorms (until my school kicked all upper classmen out) and went home once a week. It took me about a year to feel fully settled in to the new city, developing new hobbies... This is key! Also, learn how to cook

I went with rooming with somebody during my first year. That way, you could learn things about the city quick. The only real furniture I bought was my desk from ikea, and bought the rest from the local ikea.

[Bleep_Bloop]

Academically speaking, the transition depends on your experience in undergrad. I went to a liberal arts college where I got very wide coverage but a lot less depth in my specific discipline, and there were no graduate-level seminars for me to take. All of that made my transition similar to what tspier2 describes. I felt horribly unprepared. To be honest, I did the only thing I really could do; work my ass off and just roll with the punches. There's not much I could have done to prepare for it. You're pretty much just thrown into the deep end: sink or swim. Just keep reassuring yourself that you're capable of making the transition and succeeding in your program because, after all, they didn't accept you by mistake. You'll have low moments, but you'll start to realize that with time they're farther and farther apart, until they subside and you realize that you've finally adapted. That said, I have some friends who did their undergrad at R1s or ivies, had big name academics as their supervisors,  already had grad classes under their belt in undergrad, etc., so their experience coming in from undergrad was different. Everyone transitions differently.