Originally Posted: Jan. 29, 2020
As an undergraduate, I seldom felt overwhelmed by coursework. I found praise easily. I wrote an award-winning honors thesis and graduated summa cum laude. When I heard horror stories about graduate school, I knew I would be an exception. I was wrong.
Although I lost 10 pounds in my first semester in Southern Methodist University’s history Ph.D. program from the stress of coursework, I want to avoid being all doom and gloom. I can confidently say that I have never learned so much in such a short period of time.
After my first semester of coursework at the university, 12 significant lessons particularly stand out. I hope this list will prove beneficial for other current and future Ph.D. students.
Graduate school shows you that you’re capable. In 2012 and 2013, I hiked roughly 1,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail and almost 2,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Graduate school, sans all the walking, is reminiscent of these long-distance treks: I am constantly hungry and look like I’ve been living in the woods. Yet the most striking similarity is that I am constantly surprised by my capabilities. Never did I think I could write for seven hours straight. With deadlines looming, I can. Never did I think I could read five books in a week. With fear of disappointing a professor, I do. I am both excited and scared to continue discovering my capabilities.
It helps to create another bubble. I began a romantic relationship when I moved to Dallas. Initially, I thought it foolish to date as I began a Ph.D. program, but my significant other allowed me to step out of the academic bubble. We went hiking, we saw movies, we enjoyed the symphony. To remain mentally sound in graduate school, you should maintain a world outside it. For me, that turned out to be a romantic relationship. For others in my cohort, it means being active with church, with sports or with family. That burgeoning relationship has since ended, teaching me another valuable lesson: maintaining a relationship while in a Ph.D. program is challenging. READ MORE