Mastering Graduate Work - Learning the Ropes of Graduate Studies in the Liberal Arts

Graduating students around the United States are only a few short months away from embarking on their journey through professional life. Those months are indeed short, with exams, coursework, and last minute commiseration a part of any graduating senior's last days in college. However, many students are dumbfounded as to the path they should take after they get their diploma cover and toss their hats in the air. I can understand this consternation as only four years ago I graduated college with a degree in...history. Yes, I took a path of study that has few direct paths in the real world. That is, few paths open to the many graduates who stop their course work in history at the BA level.

I decided to increase my chances, however slim they might be, at finding a job in the world of history by moving onto the Masters level. I won't go through the entire story of applying to schools, visiting departments, and waiting for responses to come in. Needless to say, there was a period of about two months where I considered finding some entry level job instead of paying for a Masters program that I was unsure about. However, I managed to land a teaching assistantship and received a fellowship for my exemplary studies at the undergraduate level. In short, the fledgling history department that I applied to enticed me to study there instead of going elsewhere.

As the days approached toward my first course as a graduate student and my first discussion session as a teacher, I realized that I was woefully unprepared for the realities of graduate studies. What kind of relationship should I have with my fellow teaching assistants? Were history professors more or less approachable than the ones at my small undergraduate school? What am I doing studying HISTORY?! The orientation materials sent to me by the university's Graduate School and the Department of History were ineffective. I knew that these materials were more of an introduction to graduate life than an oracle that would provide me wisdom from on high.

I learned quickly a number of lessons as a history graduate student that can be used by other graduate students in the liberal arts. In fact, I think these lessons can be used throughout the pantheon of graduate programs in the United States. I am writing these hints out for the benefit of burgeoning academics in the country's universities because I want them to have a real view of what needs to be done to succeed in graduate school. Here they are, laid out before you in bullet form, one of the many skills I have learned in inching toward my Masters:

1) Realize your limitations early on: I was, by all accounts, a brash and overconfident student when I entered graduate school. If you don't believe me, I could have some fellow teaching assistants and students voice their opinions. However, all of the people that would say I was overconfident at the beginning would speak to my rapid evolution into a well-balanced graduate student. The reason is that I came down from my post-graduation high and realized that I was in a truly competitive environment. The reality hits you hard the first week of classes when you realize that you have to read a mound of books for class and another mound for your final papers. I learned quickly that balancing humility and confidence was invaluable to getting my work done ahead of time and making the grade.

2) Expand your network throughout your department: Students in any graduate program should seek out their professors. Professors slog through undergraduate courses, giving the same lectures and assignments semester after semester. However, many of the professors I met were aching to have discussions with informed and interested students. Take advantage of the open door policy of many professors, who are eager to meet with knowledgeable graduate students and aid the next generation of academics. Do not confine yourself to the professors you have class with; look for professors and lecturers who have a common area of interest or a unique background. Fortune favors the bold in graduate school.

3) Take every opportunity possible: My first year in graduate school was a whirlwind of activity. I only have two courses that met on Tuesday and Wednesday night but I also had my teaching responsibilities, my job as a researcher for a local biographer, and my writing obligations with several academic publishing companies. The reason I was so busy was that I jumped at every opportunity available to me. The researcher job was broadcast out to every history graduate student in the department but I was the only one to seize it. Just recently, the book I did research for came out and I saw my reward in the Acknowledgements section. In a conversation with other teaching assistants, they asked where I was able to land this financially and intrinsically lucrative job. This opportunity, and others, was available to everyone but I took a chance on improving myself while doing my graduate studies. Graduate students should take every chance they can to improve their lot over the long term.

4) Attend events!: Many graduate students are understandably exhausted at the end of their days, as they have to deal with their graduate work and whatever jobs they may have on the side. However, graduate students need to attend events sponsored by their department. Colloquia, seminars, and public events aren't simply excuses for professors to get together to talk about obscure topics. It is an opportunity for young scholars to ask questions, explore, and build relationships with colleagues who share a similar interest or skepticism. Attending a few events each year can show professors that you are interested and can help expand your knowledge base.

5) Don't be afraid to go down different paths: Part of the graduate school experience is not learning from mistakes but learning that there are few mistakes made when a student tries something new. After my first semester, when I got my sea legs in graduate school, I decided to explore different topics than my specialty of American political history. I took several European history courses dealing with revolutions and I wrote papers on trends in Quebec, Algeria, and Australia (far from my comfort zone of the Populist and Progressive Eras). The process was trial and error, obviously, and some of my papers were far from successful. However, my professors understood that I was stepping out on a limb and appreciated my intellectual curiosity. To this day, my curiosity is far more expansive than when I entered graduate school. Students need to take chances in graduate school or they won't be able to get the most out of the experience.

6) Go Interdisciplinary: Liberal arts students in particular will appreciate the need to expand outside of their academic field. As a history student, I took undergraduate classes in philosophy, political science, and art. Students in any field, from chemical engineering to psychology, should seek fields in which their knowledge can be useful. For example, psychology students can look to sociology, information technology, or other fields to find a practical use for their studies after graduation. Interdisciplinary studies are far from the sole purview of undergraduate institutions and the very curiosity that I discussed in my last point is what allows a student to find complementary fields of study to their own. Most importantly, interdisciplinary study demonstrates that the methods and views on a particular topic can be seen from many different angles. The dynamic research, writing, and observation skills learned in interdisciplinary study are vital for success in the professional world.

Graduate students who will enter classrooms in Fall 2007 and beyond should take these tips to heart. My experiences may differ from other graduate students but the lessons we all learned are similar enough to make my advice appropriate beyond the time of its writing. The most important piece of advice I can offer in closing is that students should never fall into the trap of comparing themselves to their fellow students. Unlike undergraduate institutions, where there may be some competition among students in a certain department, graduate school is much more about individual learning. Don't create competition that isn't there in the first place and you will find yourself in a better position to succeed.