What I've Learned So Far in Grad School

[corpsole2]

I am a month in to my second year of my M.A. in Government program at Johns Hopkins, and felt it was time to post some thoughts to the rest of you who are thinking of getting their graduate degrees. 

First of all, I found it was both easier and harder at the same time than my undergraduate program. In graduate school, I have not encountered a single multiple choice test. Now, I am great at multiple choice, but still dreaded them. In this sense, grad school is easy. The difficult part is getting used to being out of your depth. This is something my thesis advisor told me yesterday. When you are trying to decide on your thesis topic, organizing the research and testing the data, and then testing your theory, all of it is still new and some days you feel like a fraud for being there. 

Second, yes, you do feel like a bit of a fraud, as if you wonder how you ever got into this program. I study with military officers, state and federal government civil servants, and many other wonderful people who all have something to contribute. You can't help but feel that you are the odd man of the group. But, because my background is in history, I have found the class appreciates my putting things into historical perspective. 

Three, it will boost your confidence. Just like achieving a bachelor's degree gave me a huge boost in confidence, getting straight A's in grad school is a big boost, especially in topics where you feel unfamiliar. One of the courses I took this spring was in Global Political Economy, and was taught by the Chief Economist of the Irish Parliament. For most of the course I felt out of place and out of depth, but one of the proudest moments was when the professor awarded an A grade for my most difficult paper yet - a compare and contrast of welfare systems in the West. 

Four, grad school is totally different from undergrad. This has been said numerous times, and it is so true. In college, you seem to be expected to study for tests and occasionally write a research paper to get your degree. In grad school, it is training you to be a self starter and largely self supervisory - much like some elite white collar careers. While the professors are there to assign readings and steer discussions, they act more as mentors and counselors than in an undergrad classroom. When you write your thesis, you follow guidelines and formatting techniques laid out for you, but the thesis advisor is there to help you refine or redirect your research and act as a consultant. How my thesis advisor guided us to our thesis topics - which in turn led us to think of the subject in all three thesis papers - was brilliant. 

Five, don't short change yourself on grad school. If you are going to do grad school, go to the best that will accept you. I came within a day of registering for classes at WGU's MBA program, when I followed my gut feeling, which told me I could do better and get into my dream program in my dream career. A year later, I got into Johns Hopkins University, and it has been worth every minute. Why not study under Nobel Prize winning professors, a former CIA officer, or a top economist for Ireland? You glean so much from their perspectives, and it opens many more doors. 

Grad school is a challenge unlike anything else you've experienced. Whereas undergrad you studied broadly and became a generalist, you now study more narrowly and become an expert on a niche subject as demonstrated in a thesis. But, if you think you are up to it, you should do it. And, please, do one which requires a thesis. There is nothing quite like the feeling of working on something original, and being seen as a contributor to the work of giants in your field.

[bjcheung77]

That's a great write-up and summary of information! I love it, thanks for sharing, congrats on your first month in "year two".
In regards to your first choice (WGU MBA), would you have taken and maybe even complete the program before you got into John Hopkins? The program's completely different than an MA in Government, Security Studies. I can see that this program may be more suitable than an MBA as your undergrad was in BA/History.

The reason I am asking is that I'm looking into graduate programs. There are a few that interest me due to their cost/speed to finish and they're competency-based programs. I think my mindset is "focused on" or thinking that I should do the following.
1) Take the Hodges MPA/MIS programs and try to finish them each in one term or at most two.
2) When WGU gains their ACBSP accreditation, take the MBA/MSML program in one term each.

[jsd]

Hey BJ, when did you finish your TESU BSBA?

[bjcheung77]

I finished a while back (since May/June), but due to financial/personal issues, I didn't have enough cash flow to pay for everything to graduate in September. A few things going on in life that are causing delays, anyways, I just paid my graduation fees last month, I should be getting everything in December 2017. I'm just glad I am done for now until I take on another educational challenge...

[cookderosa]

I am a month in to my second year of my M.A. in Government program at Johns Hopkins, and felt it was time to post some thoughts to the rest of you who are thinking of getting their graduate degrees. 

First of all, I found it was both easier and harder at the same time than my undergraduate program. In graduate school, I have not encountered a single multiple choice test. Now, I am great at multiple choice, but still dreaded them. In this sense, grad school is easy. The difficult part is getting used to being out of your depth. This is something my thesis advisor told me yesterday. When you are trying to decide on your thesis topic, organizing the research and testing the data, and then testing your theory, all of it is still new and some days you feel like a fraud for being there. 

Second, yes, you do feel like a bit of a fraud, as if you wonder how you ever got into this program. I study with military officers, state and federal government civil servants, and many other wonderful people who all have something to contribute. You can't help but feel that you are the odd man of the group. But, because my background is in history, I have found the class appreciates my putting things into historical perspective. 

Three, it will boost your confidence. Just like achieving a bachelor's degree gave me a huge boost in confidence, getting straight A's in grad school is a big boost, especially in topics where you feel unfamiliar. One of the courses I took this spring was in Global Political Economy, and was taught by the Chief Economist of the Irish Parliament. For most of the course I felt out of place and out of depth, but one of the proudest moments was when the professor awarded an A grade for my most difficult paper yet - a compare and contrast of welfare systems in the West. 

Four, grad school is totally different from undergrad. This has been said numerous times, and it is so true. In college, you seem to be expected to study for tests and occasionally write a research paper to get your degree. In grad school, it is training you to be a self starter and largely self supervisory - much like some elite white collar careers. While the professors are there to assign readings and steer discussions, they act more as mentors and counselors than in an undergrad classroom. When you write your thesis, you follow guidelines and formatting techniques laid out for you, but the thesis advisor is there to help you refine or redirect your research and act as a consultant. How my thesis advisor guided us to our thesis topics - which in turn led us to think of the subject in all three thesis papers - was brilliant. 

Five, don't short change yourself on grad school. If you are going to do grad school, go to the best that will accept you. I came within a day of registering for classes at WGU's MBA program, when I followed my gut feeling, which told me I could do better and get into my dream program in my dream career. A year later, I got into Johns Hopkins University, and it has been worth every minute. Why not study under Nobel Prize winning professors, a former CIA officer, or a top economist for Ireland? You glean so much from their perspectives, and it opens many more doors. 

Grad school is a challenge unlike anything else you've experienced. Whereas undergrad you studied broadly and became a generalist, you now study more narrowly and become an expert on a niche subject as demonstrated in a thesis. But, if you think you are up to it, you should do it. And, please, do one which requires a thesis. There is nothing quite like the feeling of working on something original, and being seen as a contributor to the work of giants in your field.

Excellent remarks and I couldn't agree more!

I actually found myself disappointed when one of my grad classes was undemanding. It's such an opportunity to grow your brain in new ways! I'm glad you're having a good experience, and I also believe you selected the right school.

I want to add my plug for Harvard (which I'm sure is like JH) because it breeds excellence- and it's not as high to reach as people think. My graduate courses there were unmatched. While I'm satisfied with my MS in Nutrition for the purposes of teaching, when you attend courses at a school that grooms its students to be leaders (as opposed to learners) it feels so different. My culinary degree was that way, and it's night and day from my experience at TESU.

[sanantone]

That's a great write-up and summary of information!  I love it, thanks for sharing, congrats on your first month in "year two".
In regards to your first choice (WGU MBA), would you have taken and maybe even complete the program before you got into John Hopkins? The program's completely different than an MA in Government, Security Studies.  I can see that this program may be more suitable than an MBA as your undergrad was in BA/History.

The reason I am asking is that I'm looking into graduate programs.  There are a few that interest me due to their cost/speed to finish and they're competency-based programs.  I think my mindset is "focused on" or thinking that I should do the following.
1) Take the Hodges MPA/MIS programs and try to finish them each in one term or at most two.
2) When WGU gains their ACBSP accreditation, take the MBA/MSML program in one term each.

You and the OP are obviously looking for different things. The OP wants to attend a quality school with quality instructors and classmates. You want something cheap and fast. 

When I was choosing my graduate program, I was in between. I really did not want to attend a for-profit school, and there are no competency-based programs in security studies or international relations. I also needed to find schools that could I get into based on my last 60 credit hours. I had quite a few Fs from not turning in coursework in my early years. 

The biggest restriction was cost. I couldn't splurge on my master's, especially if I was going on to a PhD program. I had already accumulated enough debt at the two for-profit schools I attended. APUS and Angelo State University were about the same cost, but ASU is a public school in my state whereas APUS is for-profit and known as being an online school. It was a no-brainer for me. At ASU, all of the professors were full-time, and there were only four or five of them. The professors knew me by name, and I made friends with classmates because I had them in multiple classes. Customer service was more personable at ASU with it being a smaller school. When you attend an entirely online school like APUS, which has tens of thousands of students, you feel like a number. Another bonus with ASU is that Texas gives grants to graduate students, but only for Texas schools. That reduced the amount of loans I needed to take out. 

I think the classmates at APUS would have been similar to the classmates at ASU, but of slightly lower quality. Most of my classmates were either in the military or retired from the military.  There was one who had a management position at a government agency. I only remember one student who didn't have much work experience. I would go as far as to guess that just about any online government, security studies, political science, or international relations program will have a lot of military and government employees as students. But, at the end of the day, I will always learn the most on my own. I've always been an independent learner. My on-campus PhD classes at Texas State University were mostly interesting, and I liked conversing with my professors and classmates, but I would have been just fine studying by myself. 

Harvard Extension is a good option if you don't have the grades to get into a high-ranking school. Everyone can get into Harvard Extension as long as they pass their first few courses. You may not earn a degree from a ranked school within Harvard, but at least you'll have access to quality courses. Although, I've that most of the instructors at the Extension School don't really teach at the other Harvard schools. With Harvard Extension, the biggest hurdle is paying for the first two or three classes before you can be admitted and apply for financial aid. Several years ago, three Harvard courses would have cost me three months of income. That is simply something you can't afford when you're making less than $12 an hour. If Harvard Extension wants to truly be accessible to everyone capable of doing the work, then they need to do something about the tuition issue. Maybe they could charge a discounted price for the first few courses before admission. Maybe they could fully admit people right at the beginning if they have good GRE scores.

[jsd]

I finished a while back (since May/June), but due to financial/personal issues, I didn't have enough cash flow to pay for everything to graduate in September.  A few things going on in life that are causing delays, anyways, I just paid my graduation fees last month, I should be getting everything in December 2017.  I'm just glad I am done for now until I take on another educational challenge...

Awesome! Congrats on completing all of those credits

[Ideas]

Four, grad school is totally different from undergrad. This has been said numerous times, and it is so true. In college, you seem to be expected to study for tests and occasionally write a research paper to get your degree. In grad school, it is training you to be a self starter and largely self supervisory - much like some elite white collar careers. While the professors are there to assign readings and steer discussions, they act more as mentors and counselors than in an undergrad classroom.

Congrats!

Good info

Point taken, but I do believe it depends where and when someone attends college. It seems to me that most online courses involve a lot of writing, since they don't want to force you to do multiple proctored exams. (Some do have at least 2 proctored exams, but many have none.) Also, I think they've figured out that writing is a good way for students to absorb, remember, and apply the information. However, I can understand that undergrad has more hand-holding.

[cookderosa]

Although, I've that most of the instructors at the Extension School don't really teach at the other Harvard schools. With Harvard Extension,

Taking courses as a non-enrolled student allows you to choose any instructor, including those who teach only through the Extension college, but seeking a degree requires you choose from the Harvard courses that ARE taught by Harvard Instructors, it's not an option. Individual colleges within universities aren't ranked- institutions are ranked.
Ask our moderator Rebel how his daughter is doing with her degree from "unranked" Harvard University. Her "poor grades" earned her almost a full ride btw.
You're allowed your opinion, but it's just that- an opinion. I'd suggest anyone actually considering Harvard spend a few minutes on their site so they can separate out the myths from the facts. http://www.harvard.edu

[sanantone]

Although, I've that most of the instructors at the Extension School don't really teach at the other Harvard schools. With Harvard Extension,

Taking courses as a non-enrolled student allows you to choose any instructor, including those who teach only through the Extension college, but seeking a degree requires you choose from the Harvard courses that ARE taught by Harvard Instructors, it's not an option.  Individual colleges within universities aren't ranked- institutions are ranked.  
Ask our moderator Rebel how his daughter is doing with her degree from "unranked" Harvard University.  Her "poor grades" earned her almost a full ride btw.  
You're allowed your opinion, but it's just that- an opinion.  I'd suggest anyone actually considering Harvard spend a few minutes on their site so they can separate out the myths from the facts.  http://www.harvard.edu

Individual programs are ranked, which is ultimately most important, and none of the programs are housed at Harvard Extension. Every master's degree at Harvard extension is a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies with a concentration, which comes with its own problems because you have to explain how your liberal arts degree is actually a more focused degree or what extension studies even means. This is just Harvard's way of segregating and labeling their non-traditional students.

I don't need to ask how Rebel's daughter is doing because there are many people who spend less at good public universities who get into graduate programs at Ivy League schools that are not "extension studies." None of this changes the fact that a master's degree at Harvard Extension is extremely expensive for unranked programs and not being able to receive financial aid the first few courses makes their programs inaccessible to those who don't have several thousand to spend with the hopes they can pass and be admitted. Also, having to take a course or more on campus is cost prohibitive.

These are facts; they're not opinions. You can find this information on the extension website. I did my research on the biology program and determined that the tuition is way out of my budget and that I couldn't afford to take a couple of classes on campus. If the classes aren't hybrid, you  have to plan to live there. I'm sorry that it offends you that I'm not out of touch with the financial realities of many people.