Welcome back! We hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday season. With the spring semester slowly approaching, we decided to discuss life as a graduate student in a master’s program for students who are interested in applying for graduate admissions or any student considering graduate admissions in the future.
The decision to return to school for a master’s degree takes reflection and true commitment. We encourage students to define their true intent for achieving a master’s degree. We also encourage students to have, at least, an idea of how the degree can elevate their lifestyle, habits, and choices. Once you are able to figure out your true reason for obtaining a master’s degree, the next steps are searching for your ideal programs/schools, the admissions process and preparing for graduate-level course work and the overall lifestyle.
The graduate student experience is different from undergraduate because the coursework is typically more rigorous and challenges your skills, such as critical thinking and research. As a graduate student, you’ll become more involved in data collection and gain knowledge about theories that impact or influenced the field you aspire to work in. Overall, graduate school supports your learning and development as a student and member of society. Let’s keep it REAL, a master’s degree sounds ideal to those who know how to use this experience to their advantage. It is important, however, to recognize that there are challenges along the process of obtaining a master’s degree that can impact your overall goal. Here are a few tips that can help new or aspiring graduate students: 1) commit to your work, 2) time-management becomes your best friend, and 3) enjoy the process.
Commit to Your Work
Like most goals in life, you have to stay committed throughout the entire process so you can truly achieve your goals and reap the benefits. Let’s keep it REAL, graduate school is a long journey, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You have to remain committed to completing assignments and using the right resources for academic success. This commitment shouldn’t be too difficult considering there is one major advantage most graduate students already have. The advantage is the experience you gained from your time as an undergraduate student because chances are you will use the same skills but at a level that is more complex and challenging. In other words, you already have your foundation for academic success, you just have to learn how to apply it to your new journey so that it meets your needs and empowers you to succeed.
Time-Management is Your Best Friend
If there is one issue most graduate students run into, it is the idea that there isn’t enough time to complete everything that needs to get done. For most graduate students, this concept goes beyond coursework and assignments. This is why we recommend becoming more consciously aware of how your time is spent. We recommend using a planner or system that holds you accountable to completing assignments, even if it’s just one small portion at a time. This approach will allow you to progress as a graduate student, complete assignments with minimal procrastination, and take care of personal matters that might interfere with your schooling. This form of organization typically helps most students stay organized, focused, and dedicated to their goals.
Enjoy the Process
Let’s keep it REAL, we know that the process of achieving specific goals can become overwhelming and sometimes unbearable depending on what’s going on in life. Although life circumstances might interfere and cloud our reason for pursuing a master’s degree, we encourage all students to enjoy the process. First, remember why you chose to become a graduate student and the change you want to make in society. Second, tune into the experiences, environments, or coursework that grow your passion and spark your interest. You started this process of obtaining a master’s degree for a very important reason so don’t lose sight of it!
As always, thanks for checking in as we keep it REAL about life, education and learning. The journey might be challenging, but it is definitely rewarding. We hope our insight and advice can help new or aspiring graduate students realize the importance of what they aspire to do.
Keep it REAL.
Recognize Education And Learning 