{"id":1139,"date":"2022-08-31T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/?p=1139"},"modified":"2022-07-22T11:00:58","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T16:00:58","slug":"graduate-school-life-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/2022\/08\/31\/graduate-school-life-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate School Life | What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many ways in which graduate school life varies from the undergraduate experience. Even if you\u2019re jumping into continuing education right after college, the lifestyle changes in particular can be very pronounced\u2014affecting everything from time management and employment opportunities to day-to-day schedules and financial considerations.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a breakdown of what to expect in graduate school, and the changes (outside of the classroom) you should anticipate once you\u2019re enrolled.<\/p>\n<h2>Grad school will take up a lot of your time<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re\u00a0pursuing your master\u2019s degree full time\u00a0or\u00a0part time, graduate school life will put your scheduling skills to the test. Although you may have fewer classes per semester than you did as an undergraduate, your course load will be significantly more demanding. From reading and writing assignments to potential research and field work, the bulk of your activity will take place outside the classroom\u2014leaving you with far less free time than you might be used to.<\/p>\n<p>If you have children, are in a relationship, or have other personal commitments, you should expect grad school to affect your usual routines and responsibilities in that realm as well.<\/p>\n<p>When preparing to enroll, be sure to do the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Check items off your to-do list (before school begins).\u00a0<\/strong>If you have any big extracurricular projects or plans that are still in progress, do your best to finish them before school starts. It will be much more difficult after you\u2019ve started your studies, and getting these items out of the way will allow you to focus more closely on your work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create a workable schedule for ongoing tasks.\u00a0<\/strong>Even after clearing your plate, you may still have plenty of responsibilities to juggle. Make a list of all of your recurring commitments and put together a timetable that works for you (and that allows for plenty of study time!). Listing and prioritizing agenda items will help you eliminate things you can\u2019t handle during school, and keep you on top of the things you can.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask friends, family, and co-workers for support.\u00a0<\/strong>Whether you\u2019re navigating childcare, making time for your significant other, or other personal considerations, developing a healthy support system is critical to managing your responsibilities and stress levels during school. Reach out to people you trust early, and see how they may be able to help you balance the demands of graduate education with your other commitments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Balancing graduate school life and work will take effort<\/h2>\n<p>Pursuing a master\u2019s degree can feel like a full-time job, but depending on your situation you may also need to actually\u00a0work while studying. This introduces challenges to managing not just your time, but also your energy.<\/p>\n<p>The need to simultaneously perform at work and at school can create competing tensions (especially if you have a demanding job), and adjusting to these tensions is key to a successful continuing education. Here are a few tips if you\u2019re planning on working while studying:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Discuss your grad school plans with your employer.<\/strong>\u00a0Tell them what you hope to achieve, what your schedule is going to look like, and how your goals relate to your position at the organization. This will allow you to work together to set reasonable expectations and, depending on what you\u2019re studying, discuss what sort of support your employer might be willing to provide.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Budget more time for yourself than you think you need.\u00a0<\/strong>It can be difficult to know just how intense the work-school balancing act will be until you\u2019re in the middle of it. As you transition into graduate school life, work with your employer to set generous deadlines and ease into accepting new projects so you can\u00a0avoid burnout and work anxiety.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Remember the benefits of working while studying.\u00a0<\/strong>Pursuing a master\u2019s degree while working is definitely a challenge, but it yields myriad benefits, from\u00a0networking opportunities\u00a0after graduation to potential advancement in your current organization. It\u2019s also a chance to apply your current skills and experience to your grad school work, which will help you thrive in class and make you an asset to your graduate program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Graduate school will affect your finances<\/h2>\n<p>Whether or not you\u2019re working during school, continuing education will have an impact on your financial situation\u2014and you\u2019ll likely need to make changes to your spending habits while enrolled. Here are a few things you should do as you prepare for these adjustments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Consider your financial readiness before applying<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong>\u00a0Keep in mind not just the costs of tuition, but also of things like housing, books, supplies, and administrative fees. Also make note of any long-term financial plans you may have (such as buying a house), as graduate school will likely take priority over some of those goals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conduct thorough research into\u00a0<\/strong><strong>financial aid<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Beyond the\u00a0Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there\u2019s plenty of potential assistance out there for aspiring graduate students\u2014including\u00a0scholarships,\u00a0student loans, and grants specific to your area of study. Be aware of all your options, and submit applications for aid early.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Save up before school starts, and cut costs wherever possible.\u00a0<\/strong>Particularly if you aren\u2019t planning on working during grad school, it\u2019s a smart move to give yourself a financial cushion before you begin studying. This could mean doing odd jobs, putting in more hours at work, or cutting down on unnecessary spending.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In many ways, graduate school life will be different than what you\u2019re used to\u2014and while there are certainly going to be some challenges, it\u2019s important to also keep the positives in mind, too. Continuing education will deepen your knowledge and expertise in your chosen field, give you the chance to connect and network with new people, and open you up to advancement opportunities in your career. It requires a lot of planning and sacrifice, but if you take care to prepare, graduate school can change your life for the better.<\/p>\n<p>Source: https:\/\/www.idealist.org\/grad-schools\/blog\/grad-school-lifestyle-changes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many ways in which graduate school life varies from the undergraduate experience. Even if you\u2019re jumping into continuing education right after college, the lifestyle changes in particular can be very pronounced\u2014affecting everything from time management and employment opportunities to day-to-day schedules and financial considerations. Here\u2019s a breakdown of what to expect in graduate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice","8":"category-general-post","9":"category-life-of-a-grad-student"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_660004024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1139"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1140,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions\/1140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}