Being a Graduate Student

Trying to determine which three things would challenge me most as a graduate student was very difficult. My first thought was, "Isn't everything a challenge with being a graduate student?". But as I sat down to ponder what three challenges I would write about, I began to realize that I never thought to wonder what it meant to actually be a graduate student. When this question was asked in my MDE 610 class, I started to really think and it brought me back to when I first became a graduate student. Being a graduate student in itself is a challenge. I find that the majority of graduate students are full time employees, have families, commitments far outside any association with school. So how does one overcome all that to become a graduate student? And that's where I started.

What made me decide to become a graduate student? I've always loved learning. That, coupled with the fact that I wanted to advance in my career, pursuing my Master's degree was ideal. I was working as an Executive Assistant to the Assistant Dean of Admissions at George Mason and determined that pursuing my MBA degree would help in my future career endeavors. The initial steps taken to apply and enroll in my first course went so smoothly that I wrongly assumed I could take this on with no problems! Ha! That just sounds funny right? Who in their right mind would think grad school would be easy? A person who obviously hadn't give much thought to what it would be like to be a graduate student.

My first semester of graduate school was a mess! I still can't believe I made it through with hair. I didn't realize that I'd be sacrificing plenty of family/social time in lieu of writing papers, reading hundreds of pages of text, and participating in class discussions. While I managed to somehow meet every deadline, I realized that I wasn't learning. I was so focused on getting the assignment done that I wasn't allowing myself the chance to actually absorb what I was learning. That was a HUGE mistake!

I also was afraid to ask the professor questions because I feared that because I was a graduate student, I should know all of this already! My questions seemed "stupid" and I didn't want to be viewed as not being smart so I kept my mouth shut. Yet another HUGE mistake as my work suffered for it. What was I doing? What was I learning? Did I really have what it took to be a graduate student? I was losing out on family time, I was frustrated, overwhelmed, and stressed. So many questions were flying through my head and I honestly thought about quitting. But I wasn't a quitter! I told myself that I could do this.

I talked with my advisor, I talked with my professors, I talked with other graduate students, and even post graduate students. I sought advice on how to make it as a graduate student. I think many students when first starting out focus on the end result but never realizing until they're "in it" what it takes to reach that end result. I fail victim to just that kind of thinking. It's not always about the end result, although don't get me wrong, it is important, but it's how you get there that makes the end result much more special.

What did I learn from this experience? I learned that you have to stay focused, ask questions, and know that you're not the only one who makes mistakes. How else can you learn if you're so perfect at everything? I also learned to recognize challenges that I may be faced with for future graduate classes (I'll expound on that in the next posting). Being a graduate student is definitely a challenge, but a challenge that can be overcome. Where's the fun and pride in achievement if there's not a challenge?

Not only did I complete my MBA, I'm now pursuing my second Master's degree in Distance Education. I did manage to complete my MBA studies exclusively online :-) What better way to enhance my MBA by wholly understanding the process in which I endured to get my degree. Not only that, I've developed a great passion for online learning and hope to someday teach at a distance.