As a recent PsyD graduate from the Michigan School of Professional Psychology, the start of the 2015-2016 academic year has given me pause to reflect on the five years I spent at MiSPP, what I learned, and what I wish I had known before starting graduate school. While I loved my grad school experience, there were a host of things no one told me about grad school until I was there or experienced them on my own. The following are seven things I wish I knew before starting graduate school at MiSPP. What would you want to add to this list?
1. You will never read a book, chapter, or research article again; yet, you will read all the time.
When you are assigned 200-500 pages of reading every week, in addition to many writing assignments, and practicum hours, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to read everything in detail. And the truth is, almost none of the professors expect you to either. In graduate school, you are learning about different theories, intrapersonal processes, and specialized areas. Knowing how to skim and read strategically is absolutely necessary for success. Learn what works best for you early on.
2. You will write all the time.
Graduate students read and write all the time. In most classes, you will write 30-50 pages between research papers, response papers, and journals (that’s 90-150 pages per semester!). Determine a brainstorming, research, and writing process that works for you so that you can hone your skills for writing clearly and quickly.
3. Graduate school is a bit of an exercise in self-torture, but you will love it.
You will always be working. Your academic and clinical work will take up almost all of your time, by necessity and because you think psychology is just so awesome! In fact, at times, you may have more work than is humanly possible for anyone to complete. There will be weeks when you simply do not have the time to immerse yourself in a particular reading as much as you’d like or you may not be able to read every single page of an article assigned for a class– this is normal.
4. Your first semester will be the hardest.
The first semester you are getting used to a completely new institution, with a unique culture, a new practicum placement, or maybe learning to balance being a student with working. This unto itself is a lot. On top of that, you will be asked to engage in a participatory way of learning that is likely very different from your undergraduate experience, and you will need to adjust as quickly as possible. You may even start to second guess your decision to attend graduate school. This is normal. I went through this and I know many folks from my cohort did as well. Just put one foot in front of the other, do your best, and “trust the process.” If it turns out that graduate school is not for you, this is fine too, but give yourself time to figure things out.
5. People care about what you say. In graduate school, YOU are a professional.
People care what you have to say. In classes, your participation is sincerely welcomed and required. You will get so much more out of your experience at MiSPP if you speak in class and participate fully in small group discussions. Don’t worry about being right, everyone is learning together – in fact, being wrong sometimes is good. Be open to learning more and advancing your ideas.
6. If it hasn’t already– Life really starts to happen in graduate school.
Regardless of your age, life happens in graduate school, life really happens. As a graduate student, I saw my peers have babies, become ill, get married and divorced, and suffer the losses of loved ones. I myself was diagnosed with a chronic health condition and got engaged during my time as a graduate student at MiSPP. Be they joyous or stressful, personal and family events will happen. You will need to allow time for life. ALWAYS communicate with your professors and you will find that they are almost always understanding and helpful.
7. Graduate school will completely change everything.
Graduate school really is a life-changing experience that can never be undone. My experience, without a doubt, changed how I see the world and myself. Graduate school at MiSPP should make you even more open minded as you study and learn about all of the countless perspectives on the human condition. When you leave, use your knowledge and experience to make the world a better place.
Whitney Begeman, PsyD (PsyD 2015)
Resident MiSPP Blog Writer
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