ClickNSmart Team
Life as an undergraduate is more organize than life as a grad student. As a grad student, hours spent in the classroom is much less, but research work is greatly increased. Good life as an undergraduate, such as joining sorority or fraternity, everyday party, and so on are long gone. Laboratory becomes your new home. Even though grad student has more workload compared to undergrad student, you will find your own excitement by doing something that you like. Be creative with your idea! You don’t need to study and follow the textbook, just do research you like about, get the result and then “Boom” (publish the paper and patent your result).
Graduate school gives you a new life and freedom. Graduate school is flexible and free. You can come anytime to the laboratory. Most people spend their time to do research around 8 hours. However, I spend an average of 12 hours/ day during weekdays and zero hour in the weekend (i.e. Have fun over the weekend!). Research is not easy. you need to be patient and work hard. You don’t always get what you want. Don’t be afraid of failing! Learning from failure is the best learning method possible.
In terms of courses, grad classes are flexible. On average you just need to take 9 - 12 classes. But the professors (and your research adviser) have high expectation on graduate students, unlike undergraduates. You really need to have more study hours for every class. No teaching assistant and sometimes no office hours available. A grad student is totally independent. They need to self-study and use your knowledge for your research. The basic idea to take class so you can use your knowledge(theory) for research purpose.
The Key : Research and Publish !!!
ClickNSmart Team
Monday, 26. October 2009
The Other Key : Master the use of definite articles and the conjugation of verbs !!!
Tuesday, 27. October 2009
There is an advantage to be a grad student: school might pay /waive your tuition or you can apply for fellowship
Tuesday, 27. October 2009
Wow, grad school seems does not have life. it’s good to know
Thursday, 29. October 2009
Grad school should be hard.. that’s why many people don’t go to grad school.
If you want to get in and get out easily in grad school, major in English
Sunday, 1. November 2009
I come from China .
Thanks your words.
Sunday, 1. November 2009
This is the first passage of blog I read in English.
I come from Hohhot,Inner Mongolia,China.
I am a junior in a University .
Friday, 20. November 2009
I am a graduate student at UC Santa Barabara and I can feel your joy and pain =)
Saturday, 9. January 2010
This article paints rather a dismaying image of graduate life. I’m a newly admitted student to Columbia’s grad school and I certainly hope this article is inaccurate.
Saturday, 30. January 2010
I think it depends on what kind of majors your graduate study is. If you’re in humanities and social sciences, you may not have to be in any labs of some sorts besides doing surveys. However, if you’re in the science and/or engineering, then this article will give you heads up of what graduate study really is.
Congratulations on your admission to Columbia. Good luck for your graduate study.