undergrad vs. grad school

I wish someone told me graduate school would be nothing like my 4 years in college studying biomedical engineering. Part of me thought it would just be a prolonged experience and I would continue taking classes as normal. However, the increased workload and expectations introduced several new pressures and obstacles I had to overcome. I wanted to share my main observations in order to prepare you if you’re considering graduate school, or also engage with others in graduate school who may have experienced these or different challenges. Of course, experiences vary for everyone depending on where you completed your undergraduate degree and where you’re going for graduate school, but in general, these are some major differences between undergraduate and graduate school.

​1. Realizing the workload and pace changes

There’s a reason why number of classes drop per semester from when going from undergraduate to graduate school. Undergraduate classes are a step above high school, professors teach lectures in class, assign lots of homework, have exam review sessions, and generally prepare you for the exam. They typically teach out of a textbook and at a slower pace. Welcome to grad school: professors assign a TON of reading at home, from which you get most of your education, they teach at a much faster pace, usually conversational and applied examples, use several resources in addition to textbooks, provide much less homework and exam preparation, and warn you anything assigned or discussed may be on the exam. You have to quickly learn how to train yourself to work at this faster pace, constantly studying, and creating your own or searching for practice problems online to prepare for the exam. Many times, the exam will look nothing like what you’ve learned in class, because the professors are pushing you to your limit to strengthen your problem solving abilities (you know, like in the real world!?)

2. Attendance matters

Typically, undergraduate classes are quite large, and it’s common for the professor to have no idea who you are or whether you’re attending class. Sleeping in or feeling sick (or for some, feeling lazy) meant you could skip class, get notes from friends, and still complete assignments and exams like everyone else. Graduate school classes are much smaller, the professor knows who you are and whether you’re sitting in class. You’re now a professional graduate student, and you better want to be in class! The professors are not going to babysit and require attendance, but they definitely notice who is coming to class or not. Attendance is a sign of respect, if you want your professor to like you, offer their time and guidance, you have to get to class on time, and email them in advance if you plan to miss a class.

3. Expectations are different

So you made it through at least 4 years of college and decided you STILL want to pursue higher education. This filters out many students, and in general, graduate school professors expect a higher degree of maturity, professionalism, commitment, and effort. Don’t count on assignment extensions, acceptance of late homework, or extra credit. Some professors may be nicer than others, but in general, they are less forgiving with irresponsible students. They expect more from you and understand only the deserving students will pass class. There are many obligations and responsibility that demand your attention, so you must prioritize cleaning up your act in order to succeed. Furthermore, the students around you are a lot more dedicated in their studies from what you saw in undergraduate days, so be prepared for (and enjoy) being in an environment where others take their assignments, exams, sleep, and health more serious. Then there’s your family, whether they are helping pay for graduate school or not, they know you are postponing a job, extending your time in school, and expect you to continue to excel and push through. This can all place a lot of pressure on you, make sure you react appropriately to give and gain respect, but also don’t let others expectations drive you to a breaking point. If you need to reduce your workload to succeed at your pace, do it.

4. You face a whole new set of problems

Loneliness, a much higher level of stress and anxiety, lack of money, feeling inadequate or comparing yourself with others, worrying about your future, health issues, etc… you deal with many new issues you didn’t even touch base on in your undergrad years. I’m writing a separate post on common struggles of graduate students and how to reduce them.
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It definitely takes a special kind of student and level of commitment to succeed in graduate school. However, the willing find a way to face and overcome the challenges and ultimately succeed!