End-of-Year Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I officially completed my first year of graduate school. It was really exciting for me because there were times that I seriously doubted that I would make it. But now that the year is over, I have had time to reflect on my experience and I have learned a few things this year that I thought might be helpful to others who are new to navigating either college or graduate school.

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1. Keep Getting Involved.

This might sound silly coming from me. If you know me, you know that I was pretty involved in college and always advocate for students to get involved, so this shouldn't be a "lesson learned" in graduate school. But it is. Student orgs for graduate students are much more sparse than those for undergraduate students, so it was intimidating for me coming in trying to find a place to get involved. Luckily, there is an easy place to start.

If you're having trouble finding places to get involved, look no further than your academic department or major. Often, each major or department will have some sort of student organization that can offer an easy way into getting connected to other people who share your same interests. For me, this was the Graduate History Association. The other officers quickly became some of my first friends in graduate school, plus the fact that they were a year ahead of me gave me an opportunity to talk to them and ask questions about the program. This made my transition into graduate school much easier than it would have been if I had done it completely alone.

2. Talk to Professors.

Professors are definitely scary. I have many times found myself dreading having to approach a professor to ask questions or even just say hi. So, if you feel this way, you are not alone! But it is important to establish some sort of relationship with your professors because they are really valuable resources when it comes to things like letters of recommendation, job/internship hunting, or just seeking advice about courses in your program. You don't have to become BFFs with every professor you meet (although I like to think that I am), but at least make an effort to let them know who you are and that you are invested in your academics.

An easy way to do this is to utilize their office hours. Office hours may be something that you never even think about, but professors are required to have them and a lot of times they don't get much foot traffic. By showing up to their office hours even just a few times, you will make an impression and they will be more likely to remember you. Even if you don't take advantage of office hours though, another easy way to stand out to professors is to introduce yourself on the first day of class and thank the professor on the last day of class. Besides that, making sure that you are paying attention in class (not sleeping or on your phone) and asking questions or contributing ideas will definitely make a good impression.

3. Think Ahead.

Ok, this has probably been my most surprising lesson this year. Did you know that there are so many people in college that... don't... plan ahead? Crazy. As an avid overthinker, I spend a lot of time trying to plan out my life at least 2 years in advance. While that does cause me a lot of stress, and I understand that it is important to avoid that, it does have benefits to an extent. In college or graduate school, thinking ahead can ultimately minimize your stress in the future.

Now, I'm not advocating for you to obsess over every little detail every single day — don't do that. However, I am advocating for you to utilize the resources at your disposal to prepare yourself for any unknowns. This includes reading your major's student handbook (usually found on their website), familiarizing yourself with class syllabi, researching what you need to do in order to follow your chosen career path, etc. Most of your questions will be answered in places like these, so make sure to locate as much information as you can in order to be as prepared as possible for your time in school.

4. Forgive Yourself.

I saved my two most important lessons for last. As important as it is for you to stay involved, talk to professors, and prepare yourself for the turbulent journey that is academia, it is also crucial to make room for forgiveness if you can't accomplish everything you want. If you are taking your academics seriously, then surely you care a lot about your grades and your academic reputation, and that's all fine and dandy. But, you still need to allow yourself to make mistakes and to take the time you need to nurture your mental health.

As difficult as it may be, don't overwork yourself. Listen to your body and allow yourself to take time off if you need to. This is a lesson that I am still learning myself, and I understand that it can be difficult to stop grinding when you have so many goals. But I have also learned this year that you will never be able to accomplish those goals if you burn yourself out. So, if you need to take one less class next semester, do it. If you need to take a break from writing and get out of the house for lunch, do it. If you need to reschedule a meeting because you just don't feel like you have enough hours in the day, do it. Don't beat yourself up for putting yourself first.

5. Believe in Yourself.

Hand-in-hand with my last point, it is also important to believe in yourself. This has been one of my hardest lessons to learn, but also one of the most important. Coming into graduate school, I was so terrified that I would not survive. I thought that it was going to be a living hell, where I would have no time to do anything but read and write, and that I would either fail out or drop out before the year ended. But guess what? I survived. And you can, too.

College and graduate school are challenging, don't get me wrong, but it is just like anything else in life: If you want to be successfull, be ready to put in the work. If you're looking for a place where you can give the bare minimum and still scrape by, then college or graduate school may not be for you. But, if you're someone genuinely interested in the benefits that a degree would give you and the career opportunities that it would open up, and you're willing to show up to your classes, do your assignments, and persist, then you'll be just fine. So, don't let your brain get in the way of your success. Remember that you have made it to this point, wherever you are now, and college or graduate school is just one more hurdle you have to jump to get where you want to go. But if you did it before, you can do it again. And again. And again.