Graduate School FAQ

Thanks so much for your support on my recent post about why I went back to graduate school. Being obligated to write a paper is certainly more difficult than working on my latest sewing project that’s for sure. But I know it’s for a great cause and I’m really glad to have more free time now that classes are done.Usually now I’d be writing papers and taking tests instead of showing you holiday crafts and spending time with my family. I’m glad to be closer to the finish line! I know some people have questions so I thought I’d do a little Graduate School FAQ. Then you can see a little bit of what my day in the life is like as a blogger, in a Ph.D. program, with a full-time job. Sound like a lot? Nah! You can do it!

1. What is a typical day like for you being in school?

This answer has two parts. During the week I work full-time. When I was in classes, I had to go to work early, so I could leave early to go to class. Most of my classes were from 4:00-7:00, but I occasionally had one until 9:00pm. That makes for a long day, and a lot of packed lunches and dinners. On days I had classes (some semesters it was 3 times a week) I would try to read in between them, or after I got home. On the days I didn’t have classes, which was usually Monday and Fridays, I’d come home, eat dinner quickly and then get in as much reading as I could before I fell asleep on the couch. On the weekends I’d usually give myself a break on Saturdays and do things at home, like projects or cleaning. Cleaning as a break? Fun, I know! Sundays were homework days. All day, that is. I often take breaks from reading articles for class or writing papers. You can only sit for so long!

Now that I’m doing research and writing I tend to work wherever I can. Every single day I do a little bit of work, whether it’s reading, looking up articles, reviewing literature and other things like that. Writing a dissertation is a continuous cycle. I write, then I hand in a chapter, then I wait for it to be reviewed by my adviser. They it starts all over again.

2. What does one wear to graduate school?

Funny, you should ask. Anything you want! Most days I’d go to class from work, so I’d be in business attire, rather than the sweats and Uggs you see most college students in {I’m too old for them anyway}. Here is an outfit I wore on my first day of classes last fall. Comfy but pulled together.

3. How do you carry around all those books?

You mean these ones?

Very carefully. I actually got most of those from the library on one day. The two stacks on the right are for one paper alone. Being in school is definitely a workout! From parking far from the buildings on campus to walking all over carrying these, it definitely was a nice balance to sitting on my behind all day reading. Most books you can get electronically though too, see below.

4. Do you have any tips or fun apps for keeping track of your work?

Yes! These days if you are back in school, a iPad is your bestie. I use it every single day. I keep all my class notes in the notes app, track my homework and assignments in the calendar and even read on it. There is a must-have app called iAnnotate that lets you highlight and write notes on PDFs. It is a game-changer. In graduate school you constantly read articles from journals. We used to have to print them all and carry around 4 inch binders full of paper. Not any more. The iPad does it all, I love it.

5. What program are you in?

I’m in a Higher Education Administration program at a public university. I also got my Master’s in that same program, which is where the picture on this post is from.

6. What are you writing your dissertation on?

So, you’re interested in my dissertation huh? Don’t try to fool me. This is heavy, mostly boring stuff. To put it simply, I’m researching the experience of college professors in working with students and community organizations in the area of experiential education and how faculty involvement shapes the institutionalization of community engagement. Huh? Yea, I told you. At least that’s the topic this week 🙂

7. What do you plan to do after you finish?

Once I get a little further through my dissertation, I will look for other job opportunities, since by then I’ll have racked up even more experience in my area and nobody will be able to resist the charisma of my degree… Or I hope they won’t. Plus maybe I’ll be lucky enough to get a promotion? If not, you better start hiring me to decorate your house, I might need a job.

8. Will we have to call you Dr.?

Ha! Easy folks, that title is a long way off. And even when it gets here, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to comprehend it! Doctor? Me? That may take some getting used to 🙂

9. Tell us some fun things about graduate school.

The fun is in the friends you make and the traveling you do. This past fall I got to go to Lubbock, Texas; Philadelphia; Pennsylvania; Omaha, Nebraska; and Grand Rapids, Michigan all in the span of six weeks. It was great to see new places and to present at conferences on your “expertise”. These ladies are some other “scholars” <– our official title, I met in Texas and I got to meet up with Carrie from Making Lemonade in Philly. So there is some fun along the way. Plus highlighters. Those are fun too. Are you aware of the colors they come in these days?

I hope that helps you learn more about me and my life as a grad student.

Is there anything else you want to know?

Are you thinking about grad school yourself?

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Kaplan University. I am not affiliated with Kaplan in any way and these opinions and my answers to the FAQ are all about my own experience in graduate school.