How to Survive Grad School

I am about to start my 3th, and last, year of Grad School. I am pursuing a Master of Divinity, and though I knew that Grad School was going to be busy and hard, it is actually a lot more complicated than that.

For one, I was not aware of how big of a social life Grad School was going to bring.. So, here are a few tips on how to survive Grad School, because it is more than just going to class and doing your homework.


1. Coffee- Of course I am biased because I love coffee and I cannot conceive how people go around their days without it. I didn't drink coffee the 4 years I served in the military. But once I was out I started to drink coffee to cope with the civilian world. Grad School had only increased my need for caffeine.

2. Get a mentor and become a mentor- I was blessed enough to have a mentor that was also my roommate, and sort of sister too. She was coming close to her senior year when I came to the program, she was in the same program and that just helps a lot more. She was able to guide me through my first year, as I navigated the campus, how professors worked and all the little trinkets of Graduate level. Getting a mentor is key to survival. On the flip side, it is as important to be yourself a mentor to new students. This will help you to put your acquired knowledge to practice, as well as helping other students.

3. Make friends with people from other programs- You will have classmates that are not part of your program. Make friends with them. This will not only expand your social circle, but it will give you the opportunity to get your mind off of school from time to time, and it will also expand your knowledge in other areas. As your friends share with you what they learn, and you with them, you will get new perspectives from people that do not know or understand your field. You will learn how to explain and express yourself to people unfamiliarized with your terminology. You will also gain new knowledge on areas you do not know. I'm starting to understand music in a new level by having roommates that are music majors.

4. Don't read the entire book- In Grad School you will be doing a lot of book reviews because they are teaching you how to write scholarly and peer review. But, you do not have to read the entire book to still write a good review. The Director of my program gave us this tip: study the table of content, yes the title of every chapter and sub chapter. Read the introduction. Read the first page of the first chapter. Read the first page of the middle chapter. Read the first page of the last chapter and the entire conclusion. That is all you need. Truth be told, books are full of fluffing words. Authors just over explain subject all the time. Now, if it is a book that you are interested in, put it aside and read it completely when you have the time. But for homework time sake, no need to read it all.

5. Ask for gift-cards as holidays gifts- Here's why... you're going to need book, food, clothes, etc., and students don't make much money even if they are working. So, if your family and friends give you gift cards, you'll be saving some money for other things you may need or want. It can be gift cards for restaurants, your school's book store, clothing stores, Walmart or other places where you can get food and items.

6. Self-care is vital- Unfortunately I did not learn this until the end of my second year. I used to think it was selfish and irresponsible to take a day to pamper yourself when there was so much to do. Well... reality is that if you do not do this, you will not function properly and do your best, which is a lot more irresponsible. Take a day, preferably a day that you do not have class. Make sure that assignment that are due that day are turned in, and disconnect. Sleep, eat well, exercise, do something you love -whether it is shopping, painting, watching tv, going for a drive... anything that will get your mind off of duties and refresh your entire being. Make sure you also spend a little extra time with God this day.

7. Help others- No better way to learn something than putting into practice and no better way to put something into practice than by helping others.

8. Pray and practice Spiritual Disciplines- Not only because Grad School is hard and you will need divine help, but because having a personal relationship with Christ is vital for life. Pray, read the Bible, be silent and alone for at least an hour a day, meditate in God's word, fast, journal... these are key for life and will help you endure and survive Grad School, whether you're in Seminary or not.

9. Not everything is a priority- The worst thing you can do is to stress, and stress comes from wanting to do everything. You will have each one of your professors tell you that each assignment is important. Clubs or committees you're part of will say the same. Church and family as well.. Learn to prioritize and do not worry about the rest. Sometimes you will be late in an assignment because you're sick. If you have a family, family is first. If you're in the military, your service is first. Even Superman neglected his job at the newspaper when there was an emergency, so do not stress about having to postpone something because a priority is taking all of your time and energy.

10. Use colorful pens/highlighters- Using different colors help your brain retain information better. Even if you end up highlighting the entire book, if they are different colors your brain will associate a color with a specific information and it is easier to remember.

11. Ask a lot of questions- There is no such thing as a stupid question, even if they sound stupid, they are useful for clarification. So, ask a lot of questions. Now, if you are like me and don't know how to elaborate an understandable question, pay attention when your classmates ask questions, you may get answers you didn't know you needed.

12. Tell someone what you learn- Go to a friend and say, "hey, I learn this today in class... isn't interesting?".. This will help your brain retain the information because you brain will remember that conversation. It also helps you develop ways to communicate your expertise, and/or learn ways in which you can communicate what you know. Knowledge means nothing when you don't know how to use that knowledge.

13. Ask yourself how you can apply the lesson- Along the lines of the previous tip, after every lecture ask yourself how you can, or will be, using what you learn in your career or even your personal life. For example, during my Clinical Pastoral Education class I learn not to ask questions but to, organically, invite the person to share more. I have applied that in normal conversations with friends and people I want to get to know without making them feel like I'm interrogating them.

14. You are responsible for your own education- More than a tip this is a reminder. You are paying for your education. Professor ought to teach you, but it is up to you to learn.

15. Distractions are OK, but not for long- It is okay if you get distracted. Whether it is that you got caught up on an emergency, having fun with a friend, or a TV show.. as long as you stop the moment you realize you're distracted and/or not let yourself be distracted all the time, you are fine. Things happen. Do not stress.

16. Learn to cook with whatever you have on hand- reality is that if you're a student, even if you work, money is going to be tight. What's more, you're simply not going to have the time to keep your pantry full at all times. Learn to prepare a meal with whatever you have. There was this one time that my roommate/mentor and I were on a roll doing homework and, didn't really have much to eat or time to do anything else, so we put together a bowl of whatever we had on hand....

To be completely honest, it was actually very delicious!

17. Take advantage of the school trips- You will never find cheaper, meaningful and totally worthy trips as those your school offers. Go travel the world for a purpose (the purpose if your own education BTW). Every school offer trips, not just semesters but actual touristic/educational trips. If you qualify because of a class that you have to take anyways, take advantage of that and go. I have gone to Europe and Israel with my school. You get to see the place as a tourist, learn as a student, and socialize like a person. You get to meet people that, otherwise, you would have not and you may even make life-long friends. One of my very good friends is an awesome young lady I met in the trip to Europe. If you don't know what to expect, read my other blog mapquesttravelblog.net for more information.

That is it friend. Those are the basic, yet useful, tips to survive Grad School. I'm going to leave you with a quote from my favorite professor Dr. Ken Cleaver.

"A diploma is a piece of paper, but education is a mindset"