Life as a Graduate Student
The differences between undergrad and grad school life
I joined IU’s MS HCI/d graduate program in the Fall of 2019, and I don’t think I fully anticipated how different my grad school experience would be to my undergraduate experience.
I did my undergrad at Iowa State University and assumed graduate school would be fairly similar, but just with more intense coursework. While that was true (very very true), it was such a unique and different experience in so many other ways.
My graduate experience has been incredible: I’ve made lifelong friends, I’ve learned so much about my field, and grown so much over the last 2 years. But with that being said, I would like to share some of the differences I’ve noticed as a graduate student.
There’s a lot more reading.
This was probably the hardest for me to get used to. In my undergrad, assigned readings were few and far in between (at least in an architecture major).
In grad school, a typical week’s assigned readings for one class might look like: 2 research papers and a 100 pages from a book. It was pretty daunting at first and while it can seem like a lot, the readings have helped me understand my field on a far deeper level. Undergrad, in a way, felt like scratching the surface of your field while grad school goes so much deeper, really getting into the nitty gritty of your field.
All your classes are in one building.
In undergrad, my classes were scattered throughout campus. There were times that I’d have 4 classes in a day, each in a different building across campus. It was great for exploring campus and getting my daily steps in, but sometimes I’d be exhuasted sprinting or trying to catch a bus to get me from one side of campus to the other in time for class.
In grad school, all my classes are in one building (Myles Brand Hall — The School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering). My department building almost feels like my second home (well, in pre-covid times). In fact, MS HCI students have our own dedicated studio space in Myles Brand Hall which is just for us to work and hang out. We’d have meetings there, hang out or work there in between classes, eat lunch there, etc. It was amazing to have a space that is just for us that we could continually come back to at any time of day.
You get a lot closer to your classmates.
In undergrad, classes can be huge (like those 400 person lectures). You might sit next to one person on the first day of class and never see them again.
In the HCI/d program, we’re a group of 47 students and my classmates are some of my best friends and the coolest people I know. In the program, we all take the same classes and hang out with each other outside of class, too. The cohort culture is extremely strong in the HCI/d program and is probably my favorite aspect of the program.
I also love the diversity in graduate programs. Our cohort is represented by so many different cultures and nationalities, and it’s amazing to learn about and experience each other’s cultures (like at Diwali or Chinese New Year).
Class participation is so much more important.
In undergrad, there are classes where you’re expected to attend and just listen to the professor without actively participating (like a 400 person lecture class).
I don’t think such a class exists in grad school! In grad school, class discussions are everything — you’re expected to share your thoughts and actively contribute in almost every class. It can be a little intimidating at first if you’re more introverted, but some of the most interesting insights and conversations have arisen from class discussions. That’s the beauty of grad school: everyone is so passionate about their chosen field and often come from diverse backgrounds, which gives everyone such an interesting and unique perspective on topics. Everybody is so respectful of eachother’s opinions and a single insight can turn into the most fruitful, interesting, and engaging conversation.
Grad school has been an incredible experience, but definitely a very different experience to my undergrad. I graduate this May and I’m going to miss my classmates so much!
