Applying to grad school? Stressed about the application process and being in grad school? In this post, I hope to ease your worries. After wrapping up my first term of my Master’s (and now I’m halfway through my courses) I learned a lot about grad school to share with you. TL/DR: it’s not as scary as you think!
If you are in the application process and looking for specific tips about finding, applying, and getting accepted into grad school programs, check out this podcast episode. If you’re looking to apply to an undergraduate program, I have resources for you, too (how to survive grade 12, what I learned from my first year of university, what to expect in university)!
New to Clear the Air? Hiya, my name is Jenna! I am a Master’s of Global Governance student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs/the University of Waterloo in Canada. I focus on environmental and climate governance, with specific interests in food security, urban sustainability, and feminism.
I want to break down three key areas of grad school you may be wondering about: program intensity, the grad school community, and figuring out what’s next.
How intense is grad school?
There are different kinds of grad programs: research-based and course-based. They will vary significantly in their program structure, affecting how ‘intense’ they are. I am in a course-based program, where I take 8 months of courses followed by an internship and a Major Research Paper (a smaller thesis). A research program requires you to take a few courses on research methods and foundational knowledge, but you spend the bulk of it writing a large thesis. You would collect your data, analyze it, and write something novel about that.
With these different structures, the intensity of the program can vary. If you don’t enjoy independent research and don’t have a specific niche area that you like to research, a course-based program may suit you. If you had a good handle on coursework in undergrad then the transition to a Master’s is not overwhelming. You take fewer courses (usually 3 per term) but they have larger weekly requirements than an undergrad course – a lot of reading, super engaged classes where you’re discussing the readings for 3 hours, and large written assignments. You actually have to do your readings; it is obvious in class if you are not contributing to discussions because sometimes your classes are only 3-4 people (that was my case). Most classes are graded heavily on participation. I think all three of my classes had 30% of the total grade just from in-class participation and discussion board contributions online. In terms of scheduling, you only have three (long) classes a week, so your overall schedule is less intense. However, you have to have strong time management skills to ensure you get your course requirements done throughout the week at your own pace.
Outside of coursework, you do have to tackle other things. I am now searching for internships (i.e., applying to jobs) and working on my Fellowship policy brief – essentially it’s a group project outside of coursework that we present to Global Affairs Canada in the new year, so it’s pretty stressful. Many students including myself also work during their program – some students even have families they care for – so it’s possible to do many things while in grad school because it does offer a lot more flexibility than undergrad.
A research-based program is a little less intense upfront because you take 1-2 courses to start and think about your thesis proposal. It picks up when you finish those courses and have to focus on your thesis. You get more time to work on your thesis than an MRP in a course-based program (around one year versus four months). However, that is not much time when you need to make a research plan, collect data, run it through some data processor, do statistical tests, and write your long thesis.
The bonus about grad school compared to undergrad is that most programs do not have exams, quizzes, tests, etc. So no silly memorization and spitting out facts in a time-sensitive period (save for comprehensive exams in your PhD). Exams, how I do not miss you.
So, how would I compare my grad school experience to undergrad? It was a bit of an adjustment, but I found it was a smooth transition. Granted, I have strong study habits from undergrad. For tips on boosting your study skills, check out these posts:
Is there a community in grad school?
With much smaller cohorts, I think that the grad school community is much stronger than undergrad. You are all there for a very specific reason and have an interest in the same field. At the same time, I was worried that everyone would be competitive. Far from true! Everyone is incredibly nice and we have a collective feeling that we don’t know what we’re doing – which is honestly very comforting. My program runs many social events for us so I regularly see my 14 peers outside of the classroom. Our profs and academic advisors know our names and our interests. At the end of term, one of my profs even took our small class out to the pub on campus.
While academics can feel more intensive and self-directed than undergrad, having a strong community helps you get through it. The Faculty and staff know how isolating a Master’s or PhD can feel, especially during COVID. They want you to be humans first and students second. Of course, this mentality can differ by program and school. But this was my positive experience, and I know many Master’s students from outside my program/school who feel the same way.
How do you figure out what's after grad school?
Haha. If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far from myself and my peers, it’s that no one knows what they’re doing. After attending a conference in October I thought I wanted to jump straight into a PhD after my Master’s. I connected with multiple profs and my academic advisor about this, researched programs and emailed administrators at other schools. and thought about a research proposal. In the end, I felt too overwhelmed to make decisions so quickly and just stopped. Most PhD applications are due in December/January of the year before starting the degree. I had no idea how to put together a research proposal for a 5-6 year degree when I didn’t know what I was writing my MRP on in my Master’s. It’s also a lot to commit to one school for another 5-6 years. So I’ve decided to go into the workforce post-grad and maybe revisit the PhD idea a few years down the road when I’ve settled my life and have a clearer outlook on what I want to do.
Part of the reason I came to this decision was an unpleasant experience with academia. I submitted my thesis for publication in a journal and got rejected. That’s not the sad part, because I was anticipating that outcome. An undergrad thesis by someone without academic publication experience in a relatively competitive journal? I would have been surprised if it was accepted. The real tough part was the feedback I got (all anonymous of course), it felt like a personal attack and was a slap in the face: did I really want to go into academia? While research and academia can be a beautiful, enriching place, I’ve heard the struggles of my professors and peers about how toxic it can be as well. I want a break to recover before plunging into that toxicity, thanks. So while it sucked to receive that feedback (I certainly cried) it helped me resettle myself and my goals. And nothing is stopping me from resubmitting elsewhere…but I will pass for a while.
Final verdict
Overall, I’ve been loving grad school. The courses are all very interesting and I’ve been excited to write my 7,000-word papers. I can take that work and use it, too: I’ve submitted refined versions for op-eds in newspapers and conference presentations. It’s also amazing and refreshing to be surrounded by peers and professors who are passionate about similar issues to me. At the same time, Global Governance is such a broad field that I learn a lot from each of my peers and their wildly different fields.
The vibe of grad school is different from undergrad, and whether you do a course-based or research-based program you need a solid routine and independent working skills. Sure I’ve been stressed in classes, but not to the extent that certain undergrad courses stressed me out. The stress now usually comes from juggling coursework with non-academic commitments (I was working 25 hours/week in late September/early October…I do not recommend this while completing full-time studies). Once you have those, you really can have fun and enjoy it.
Are you applying to grad school? Let me know your questions and concerns in the comments!
For more about grad school, study habits, and student life, I recommend checking out these posts:
- Podcast: Tips for acing grad school applications
- Podcast: I’m graduating! Reflecting on my undergrad
- Blog: What to expect in university
- Blog: Fail-proof study tips
Until next time!
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