Being a graduate student....

Being a graduate student is very different from being an undergraduate... Now there are several questions this statement raises... Why is it different? Is it different in a good or bad sense? And of course, is there a consensus among graduate students about this statement or is this my personal experience? The reason it is different is fewer classes with in-depth concentration on a single topic. I remember during my undergraduate years, I took a class in heat transfer. We studied about conduction heat transfer, which deals with heat transfer within a material. After taking that class I thought to myself hmm I know all there is to know about conduction. To my surprise, I get to graduate school and take a semester long class just on conduction. Then I realized what I had learned about conduction during my undergrad years was only icing on the cake... Apart from that, there is of course the THESIS or a PROJECT REPORT you have to write. And now you cannot divide part of the write up with the buddies in your team. IT’S ALL INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. I'm sure I have scared everyone and made it seem that getting a masters degree is a nightmare. Hmm not exactly :).... You only have to take 3 classes per semester for a full time load... If you paid any attention to your classes during your undergrad, then you have the basics nailed already and it wouldn’t be as difficult. I remember during my undergrad when the professor would introduce a new topic in class, we would all have dumb looks on our face.. Lol at least by the time you get to grad school you know the terminology at least. Also, no more annoying team mates to deal with who don't show up for any of the meetings but are first in line to get the team grade... The classes are usually later during the day or late night so no more 8:00 am classes.. Unlike undergrads, the day of a grad student doesn’t start till 12: 00 pm :).. And the best part is: you can talk to your undergrad pals pretending to be mr/miss know it all and hear their wows when you brag about how you breezed through your undergrad classes…Just love doing that lol…

For me the best thing about my grad years at UT-Tyler has been the ability to travel to conferences paid for by the university. I got a chance to spend a week in Austin and a week in San Francisco over the summer last year. I even presented a paper at the ASME heat transfer conference in San Francisco :)

That last question, do other grad students agree with my statement… Well who cares if they do or not..hahaha I’ve to know what I’m doing to be able to get as far as I did:).. Ok people you must be thinking I’m so full of myself :)… lol

Jokes part… At times like this when the economy is bad and jobs are limited.. Grad school has helped me keep motivated and opened doors for more opportunities :)