what to do when you mess up big as a grad student

Whether you've just finished your undergraduate program and are thinking about taking the next step into a Master's caste or are considering returning for a graduate program years later on earning your Bachelor's degree, the prospect of taking a footstep upwardly into graduate studies is a big i.

When you think dorsum on your first foray into higher, there'south probably quite a bit of advice and wisdom yous picked upwardly over the years from your friends, family, faculty and personal experiences that you would have loved to have on twenty-four hours one. That learning curve can exist steep, and not knowing what to expect can certainly make things harder.

Yous probable accept less people in your circumvolve with firsthand experience in graduate school to turn to. In fact, Dr. Caroline Gulbrandsen, Dean of Graduate Studies at Rasmussen Academy, cites that only 9 percent of Americans take earned Principal's degrees.^one Getting to exist a function of what Gulbrandsen calls "the nine percent social club" requires prospective grad school students to accept a significant shift in mindset and approach.

While you might non have a graduate school mentor in your life right now, nosotros tin still aid you become settled in. To do this, we asked people who have completed graduate-level programs to talk about their own mistakes and offering insight on how to avoid these pitfalls.

five Avoidable grad school mistakes to proceed in mind

1. Thinking grad schoolhouse is just like undergrad

It'southward an understandable error—after all, if you lot fabricated it through undergrad without much problem, why alter what works? Gulbrandsen warns this thinking can lead to students getting caught off guard. The master mistake Gulbrandsen sees new grad students make involves their perception of what the programme is actually similar.

"When they showtime enroll, they are planning for the same number of hours they devoted for the final courses in their undergraduate program," Gulbrandsen explains. "That won't piece of work at present. Gone will be the assignments that you tin can crank out in an hour or so."

Dr. Monica Smith, an archeologist, professor of Anthropology and graduate student supervisor at UCLA, believes adjusting to the new demands at the Main'south level tin can be difficult at commencement.

"In undergraduate, y'all know when you lot're done: you went to grade, you've read the book, you wrote the paper and you took an exam," Smith says. "In graduate school, yous are never done. Classes are usually seminars or intensive labs where at that place are many people who accept read or done things that you realize you'd also like to read or exercise. If you find this energizing, then grad schoolhouse might be the right place for you."

Both Dr. Gulbrandsen and Dr. Smith propose prospective grad students of two central competencies they must be ready for: research and writing. Students must be prepared to have both of these skills to a college level.

"The projects you will undertake will frequently require the exclusive utilise of peer-reviewed, scholarly sources, professional journals and/or some combination of these," Gulbrandsen says. "In advanced degree programs, you will move from literacy to inquiry."

Smith says that writing skills are indispensable at the Master's level.

"If you do non like to write, and then graduate school is not the correct place for you," Smith cautions. "Even if you are a scientific discipline major and don't conceptualize writing that much, yous will accept to write, both as a part of your graduate work and equally role of your career."

2. Focusing on grades instead of connections and relationships

Chuky Ofeogbu, founder of Sojourning Scholar and earned his Primary's degree in Mechanical Applied science, advises doing your best to not obsess over grades.

"The biggest mistake I made coming into graduate schoolhouse was thinking that obtaining a stellar GPA was the most of import affair," Ofeogbu remembers. "In retrospect, I learned that other activities such every bit pursuing academic enquiry and networking with my peers and faculty members were equally as of import, if not more than important."

Raz Thumb, a nonprofit digital strategist and graduate of a Master'southward program in Public Policy, also believes grades are non the nearly important attribute of the grad school experience.

"Invest way more fourth dimension and energy into relationships than classes," Pollex says. "Pass your classes and acquire what yous demand to larn merely, in most fields, at the Primary's level, information technology doesn't matter if you get an A or a B. It's the relationships you brand that will affect your life in such unpredictable and rich ways, for a long time."

While obviously this doesn't mean you should accident off your coursework, yous should keep grades in perspective—does getting an A instead of a B matter more than edifice applied skills and connections in your field? Try to strike a balance.

3. Attention just for the credential, not the experience

"Don't be like the person who said 'I'm not here to learn annihilation. I'm just here to get the degree,'" says Maria Blum, a therapist with a Master's degree in Social Work. While Blum realizes that not everyone tin can take time off from work to pursue more schoolhouse, she made the decision to quit her job and focus solely on grad school because she genuinely wanted to acquire more and increase her professional skills.

Graduate student Missy Larson also finds this kind of mentality frustrating, especially when she gets the sense that people are simply in school to cheque a box.

"My biggest pet peeve is the people that don't engage in the course or the discussion," reports Larson, who is currently working on her Master's in Clinical Mental Wellness Counseling. "Don't do it if you aren't going to appreciate the experience and contribute."

4. Declining to reset fourth dimension commitments with piece of work and family

Time management remains a sticking signal for those because grad school, even if they're established adults who are used to managing multiple responsibilities.

"Please do not think y'all can alter your life by earning a chief'due south degree only keep everything in your life the same as you pursue it," Gulbrandsen cautions. "So many take made that mistake—myself included."

Many working adults presume they've got time management down, says Gulbrandsen.

"At this phase of your life, you are probable in the midst of juggling family, professional person, and customs needs," Gulbrandsen says. "That'south a rich, busy life."

Just what happens when y'all take all that and then determine to throw graduate school into the mix? Something's got to give and many struggle to adapt their commitments accordingly. "This is the biggest obstacle I see with graduate students."

Gulbrandsen recommends sitting down with your manager at work too as your family prior to enrolling in a graduate plan to discuss how the demands on your fourth dimension can exist addressed.

"Are there options for a flexible work schedule?" Gulbrandsen explains. "Who will accept on some of the household and family chores and responsibilities you take always handled?"

Getting a articulate, realistic sense of what your role at work requires and what your loved ones expect may be uncomfortable, but it'south a valuable step to take earlier yous start grad school. It's also of import to evaluate where yous are in your life and work situation. Assuming you should jump straight into a grad program immediately after completing your bachelor'due south degree can pb to burnout and disillusionment, according to Minesh Patel, attorney and founder of The Patel Business firm.

"Don't be afraid to take fourth dimension off to delve into other professional experiences," says Patel. "Beyond disciplines, these professional detours and experiences oftentimes come in handy, helping round out your skills and make you more appealing in a diverse workplace."

5. Taking on as well much

While it can be tempting to tackle a big workload from the start—those who have put off grad schoolhouse for a while might feel impatient and eager to begin—many Chief's programme graduates say that this can be overwhelming, even leading to burnout.

"Don't overstuff your schedule," advises Will Ward, founder of Translation Equipment HQ and Main'due south-level graduate in Mod Eye Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. "Take a few classes your first couple of semesters so you can sympathise the workload, then make informed decisions as to how many you can realistically juggle at once."

"My biggest mistake was taking too many courses at a time," recalls high school science teacher Cindy Milbrath. "They were all mentally tough, and I feel I didn't get as much out of them, or enjoy them, equally I wanted because I was always scrambling to get my work/labs washed."

Gulbrandsen likewise recommends starting small. Taking several courses at once is much different at the Principal'south level than at the Bachelor's level.

"Yous'll need to fully experience the academic rigor as well as demands on your time before you can fully appreciate how many credits you are able to manage," Gulbrandsen says. "You tin e'er add another course in the side by side term, just having to drib—or worse, neglect—a course is costly, both financially and academically."

Fix yourself for the adjacent level

When taking the side by side step from your Bachelor's to a Master's degree, it'southward important to become the facts and ready yourself. Want to larn more about navigating the modify from college to grad school? Check out our article "Moving from Undergraduate to Graduate: What to Expect."

¹"Fast Facts: What are the trends in the educational attainment of the U.Due south. population?" National Middle for Didactics Statistics, U.Southward. Department of Education. [accessed September 2021] https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=27

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Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/grad-student-mistakes/

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