How Your Values Change In Grad School

By Madison White on October 12, 2016

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Sometimes graduate school happens right after undergraduate, but sometimes it doesn’t. So what changes from undergrad to grad?

In short, your views on college will make some pretty big changes as will what you value during your experience at university.

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1. You’re focused.

While your undergrad was focused on the experience of college, grad school is almost exclusively focused on your future. You aren’t in grad school just to have a good time or to break free from your parent’s grasp, you’re in grad school because you believe it to be a necessary step toward your future goals. While your undergrad experience was about exploring and being involved, your grad degree will be entirely in one subject.

By now, you should have a good idea of what you want to do next and what steps to take to get there. You should be narrowing down your interests into things that will translate into future success. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all the fun is over. It might just mean that the fun is focused.

2. The rest of your life isn’t on hold.

During your undergrad years, you may find yourself saying phrases like “I can’t wait to get out of college” or “I’ll be so happy once I’m finally in the real world.” Once you’ve moved on to your graduate degree, you really are in the real world. There is no more time to make excuses about “just being in college” because your adult life is happening now. The rest of your life isn’t on hold anymore.

Now, you may still be in a university setting, but you’ll be expected to act and perform like a working adult would. In many cases, you’ll be teaching lower level classes, helping with research, and conducting your own course of study. You’ll be in charge, not only of yourself, but of others as well. This is a lot of responsibility that, for some, can seem a bit daunting at first. However, don’t be discouraged and just remember to keep doing your best.

3. You jump at opportunities.

During your undergrad years, you may have jumped at opportunities for free pizza or t-shirts, but outside of that, you might’ve been dragging your feet when it came to actually getting involved. If someone mentioned anything about volunteering, did you get excited at all?

Hopefully, as a graduate student, you’ve realized that you have the ability now more than ever to make a real difference. This means that whatever you want to do with your research or projects or community service, you can make happen. When professors offered optional projects, you might’ve rolled your eyes before. When professors ask for extra work now, you’re happy that they’ve asked you. You know that whatever experience you get with professors during your degree is instrumental to your future. You’re ready to squeeze every last drop out of the time you have.

4. Money.

Now, this header may be misleading. Something that really doesn’t change a whole lot for some grad students is money. Financial aid varies widely across the board, however, so there’s a good chance that as a grad student you’ll be fully funded and making a modest salary.

However, there’s also a good chance that you’ll end up paying even more for graduate school than you did for your undergrad. So you might have thought that your ramen noodle days were over when you got your first diploma, but you may be very, very wrong. You may take a teaching assistantship, but it may not be enough to live off of. This means also taking up another part-time job while managing your classes and outside research.

However, there is still a good amount of financial aid out there. If you’re really keen on finding ways to fund yourself, a little hard work before applying to schools can go a long way.

5. It’s more personal.

Depending on the size school you went to, you may have been a very small fish in a very large pond. You may have found it difficult to really get to know many of your professors. However, in graduate school, this is usually a different story. Grad schools admit far fewer students than they do for undergrads. Usually your classes will be far smaller as well, which means more one-on-one time with professors is likely, if not guaranteed. This means you’ll get to establish professional relationships with people that can really help you out in your desired field. Making the most of these people, who really do want to help you, is the absolute best thing to do.

Whatever happens to your attitude and values throughout your graduate degree, just remember to make the most of the time you have. Getting a graduate degree is an extraordinary experience that not many people get to have.

Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

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