What is Grad School Like...

[11Q13]

I couldn't think of where else to ask this. Among my friends it seems I'm always the trailblazer, the first to accomplish things, take the next step, etc. (also the first to make mistakes they learn from). It's been frustrating because I don't really know what to expect from grad school. Can someone give me a breakdown of the general differences? I'm applying to programs in Religion, which should be similar to most humanities. What is the feel, the atmosphere? what is the workload like compared to undergrad, what sort of work is it, more reading focused, more writing focused? Quantify it for me, like should I expect to read 10 books a week, and 2 10 page papers? What surprises were there? What questions should I be asking that I'm not?

[90sNickelodeon]

I heard it's easier than undergrad. There are less tests and you take classes that actually interest you.

[tarski]

At my university most of the philosophy graduate courses are also open to 4th year students, so I've been in them. I don't know about religion, but what we usually do is read and then argue with each other . Presumably more and better arguments shall be expected in later years.

You might try looking for course outlines, that's what I did out of curiosity. Most of the seminars I'm in read two papers a week, whereas this one seems to be three:

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/philo/courses/consciousness08Fall/

So, slightly higher load. There's a list of their assignments at the bottom. Doesn't seem too special, except of course for the higher (I assume) standard.

Googled briefly but failed to find some religion outlines.

Edit: this one, on the other hand, is a *way* higher workload (yay!)

http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/courses/externalism/index.html

Edited November 23, 2009 by tarski

[rising_star]

In my social sciences MA program, every social sciences seminar required a book a week of reading or 200 pgs of articles and book chapters, a 1-2 pg response paper weekly, leading discussion 1-2 times per semester, and a 15-25 page final paper. The more hard science-y seminars had 5 journal articles per week, leading discussion once or twice, and a 12-15 pg annotated bibliography or paper.

In my PhD program, we typically read less, usually 2/3rds of a book rather than the whole book each week, and don't always have to write response papers.

There's also, of course, the expectation that you are reading in your research areas, keeping up on the field, and taking copious notes to prepare for comprehensive exams and proposal writing.

[captiv8ed]

rising star, how many classes did you have at once for your MA?

[piccgeek]

In my literature MA program, classes typically have anywhere from 200 to 600 pages a week per class of primary text and another 30-50 pages or so of accompanying critical theory, and you take 3 classes per semester. Most classes have a shorter-ish paper (8-10 pages) or a major presentation (20-40 minutes) in the middle and a more research substantial paper (15-25 pages, ten+ sources) due at the end of the semester. The workload and expectations are significantly higher than undergrad, but there are less classes, so it all balances. As someone applying to grad school, you've probably had higher standards for yourself in undergrad than many of your peers; grad school just expects everyone to maintain those standards. The biggest difference, for me anyway, is the level of in class discussion/exploration. Your classmates are as interested and invested in the subject as you are, so there's always actual dialogue in discussion, rather than awkward silence while a prof waits for an answer. It's awesome.

[coyabean]

In my literature MA program, classes typically have anywhere from 200 to 600 pages a week per class of primary text and another 30-50 pages or so of accompanying critical theory, and you take 3 classes per semester. Most classes have a shorter-ish paper (8-10 pages) or a major presentation (20-40 minutes) in the middle and a more research substantial paper (15-25 pages, ten+ sources) due at the end of the semester. The workload and expectations are significantly higher than undergrad, but there are less classes, so it all balances. As someone applying to grad school, you've probably had higher standards for yourself in undergrad than many of your peers; grad school just expects everyone to maintain those standards. The biggest difference, for me anyway, is the level of in class discussion/exploration. Your classmates are as interested and invested in the subject as you are, so there's always actual dialogue in discussion, rather than awkward silence while a prof waits for an answer. It's awesome.

thanks for saying its awesome. i am sacrificing a lot to get to where you are and it is scary how many people are so happy to tell you how much they hate it! i am banking on learning, being challenged, not being the only one to speak up in class, etc. nice to know i am not making up all that awesome potential.

[rising_star]

rising star, how many classes did you have at once for your MA?

The requirement for TAs and RAs is 9 hours. In my MA program, pretty much everyone took 3 courses at a time for their first two semesters. I took four each of my first two semesters. For reference, we needed 8 courses plus thesis hours to graduate.

[alexis]

I'm in an M.S. program right now, and so far, it IS awesome. Ten times better than undergrad. Just as much work, but more engaging--discussion, analysis, etc--rather than cramming and memorizing things. Mostly essays and presentations rather than tests. By doing research and interacting with your professors, you really feel like you're contributing. The only downside I'd say is that there's less of a social aspect to grad school, at least at mine; it's not like undergrad in that way.