How to Feel About Your First Day of Graduate Classes.

Anxious, nervous, excited, worried; as I mentally prepare myself for my first day of graduate classes starting this September, I have felt all of these emotions. Do I really want to put myself through two more years of writing papers, late night studying, and everyone’s favorite in-class presentations? And time and time again my answer is… yes.

As the first day approaches, the usual jitters are normal. Remind yourself that you got into grad school because of what you have accomplished so far as a student and an individual. These combinations of emotions are all acceptable. As an undergraduate moving on to graduate school, you are jumping into the ‘unknown’.

The ‘unknown’ is scary, but it’s also awesome! If you think of every new step you have taken in your life you can look back and truly see how far you’ve come. If you are anything like me, you have anxiety about everything. I get anxiety thinking about anxiety. The one thing I have learned however, is that you cannot let anxiety dull who you are. Have a voice in class, be professional, and remember to take everything in before it’s all gone. This will also translate to who you are as an individual in the real world. You can feel how you want about the first day of graduate classes, but the fact is that they’re right around the corner.

You can have all of the feelings and emotions in the world, but alongside these sensations, what you should feel is READY.

Go get ‘em!

                                                                                                         - Matt

What You Can Expect: Undergrad vs. Grad

Since this is my first time posting on the blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Jurkovic and I am a student in the Master of Science in Communication Disorders program at Stockton. In addition, I currently am a Graduate Assistant (G.A) in the Office of Graduate Studies. I began my graduate school journey a little under a year ago. It is crazy for me to think that a year has already gone by! One thing I remember asking my friend (who was already a year into the program) was what to expect this coming year. I now can tell you from experience that graduate school is different than undergrad, that’s for sure. Graduate school is different for a few reasons, and here is what you can expect:

1.     Graduate school occupies a lot of your time

You will feel that your social life has disappeared and all extra time is spent doing work. It is okay though because those around you will understand. Also, you aren’t going to be getting a graduate degree for the rest of your life, so this is only a temporary sacrifice. The time will fly by!

2.       You have more responsibility

In graduate school, it is up to you to decide when you are going to complete assignments. You will receive the syllabi the first day and it is your own responsibility to know what is due when. You will also have to re-evaluate your time management skills because you will have more work on your hands then before. Your professors definitely hold you to higher standards in graduate school.

3.       Procrastination is NEVER a good idea

In undergrad you could probably get away with procrastination-everyone does it. Even waiting until the day before to study for a test. In graduate school, procrastination is not something that is recommended. In the end it just causes you way more stress than it is worth in the long-run.

4.       You will have a new definition of the word stress and flexibility

There will be times when you will look back to your undergrad years and think about how you whined about assignments: you will now see that those task where easy. You will also put your  multi-tasking skills to the test. You may find yourself eating, doing homework, while also completing another task. Whenever you get the chance, you will end up working on an assignment.
 

Don’t worry though, plenty of people have made it through the adjustment. You just need to stay positive and know that you can do it!

Keep checking our blog for tips on how to survive graduate school.

 Thank you for reading!

-Steph J. 

My Journey of A Lifetime

It is hard to believe that after 2 years and 3 months, my journey as a graduate student has come to an end. There have been many stressful moments, late night study sessions, missed social events/time with family & friends, sacrificed relationships, pig out sessions, and so much more but, it was all worth it!!! I am proud to say that I have passed my speech-language pathology praxis examination, my comprehensive program examination, and have officially completed my Master’s Program as of August 10^th! I would have not made it through this journey without the support of my amazing cohort, family, fiancé, work family, and friends. It takes a village to conquer graduate school! 

I have officially accepted a tenure track position as a speech-language specialist in an elementary school, where I will be working with children from preschool to 5^th grade. It is crazy to think that this coming fall I will be starting school as a professional instead of a student! Talk about a major role switch. Before I leave, I wanted to leave you all with some tips that helped me pass my praxis, comprehensive examination, and overall how I got through my graduate school journey.

Passing the Praxis

Don’t wait until the last minute but, do not over study!!! So, like most of us, I am not a good standardized test taker and tend to give myself a lot of anxiety. You want to make sure that you study yes, but you don’t want to over study to the point where you confuse yourself or forget what the difference between morphology and syntax is (this happened to me one day lol). With the stress of finishing school, completing assignments, applying for jobs, and everything else your brain is already in overload.

The praxis book recommends studying at least 15-30 minutes a day. What worked best for me was studying in 20-30 minute increments. For example, I set aside one whole day or block of time (4-5 hours) and would read a section/take the chapter quiz, and then go watch television, play with my dogs, take a nap, make a snack, go for a walk, or just browse the internet. I did anything to help relax my brain and step out of the “praxis world”. This is key, because it truly can consume you if you let it. It is all a mental game, and you need to believe in yourself.

 About a month and a half before my test date, I started studying. First, I read the chapters where I didn’t have my classes yet, and then moved to areas where I felt I needed the most refreshing. After each chapter, I took the chapter quiz and gaged how well I understood the material. If I did well, I moved on, if I did not do well, I marked it and went back to it later. About a month before my exam, I started studying with one of my friends. We would meet twice a week and take a chapter quiz together (all pre-planned and organized so we would review the material prior). THIS REALLY HELPED! You don’t realize how much talking out a question and seeing someone else’s perspective helps you. Soon after that I started studying with another one of my friends who I have studied with throughout my entire program. This was an even bigger help for me because, she truly is my balance and helped me to not “over think” questions, which is a big part to taking the praxis. When taking the praxis and answering the questions here are a few things that helped me:

1.     Think of the answer that the Praxis Book would want, not what you learned in school and your clinical practicums. This is hard but, remember the people who wrote the praxis book also wrote the praxis. This is the same for if you take a test for a class, you would give the answer your professor would want.

2.     Take your time when you are taking the test. I read each question 2-3 times, especially if I don’t understand it. 

3.     DON’T RUSH! You have 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete 132 questions, you have time!!!

4.     Believe in yourself and remember that you know more than you think. Trust yourself!

Passing Your Comprehensive Examination of Your Program (COMPS)

            Studying for my praxis really helped me with my comps. The information that you have learned in your classes and from your Praxis book will all begin to overlap. This helps the information really stick! Additionally, the week before the test a few people in my class and I all met up and divided up courses from each semester, and comprised a study guide. This was one of the best things we did because, it really helped break down the important sections from each course. You learn so much in your program sometimes it is hard to remember all of the key sections. Finally, the key to successfully passing was NOT STRESSING OVER IT! I went in with the mindset that I knew more than I thought, I passed my praxis, and I know I can do this. Remember to take a deep breath and reflect back on how well you did in all of your courses. Plus, as you are reading your comp questions you will be amazed at how much information comes flooding back to you!

Getting Through Graduate School

Some of the main things that helped me get through graduate school included:

1.     Support from my family, friends, and fiancé. This was crucial for me because some days you will find yourself asking why you did this or how you will make it through. It’s nice to know that people are around you and supporting you every step of the way. 

2.     Having a positive mindset. You have to tell yourself the reward will be worth it in the end and that you can do anything you put your mind to. I took each semester class by class and towards my last semester It was day by day lol. The work always gets done, you will always do well if you try, and you just have to believe in yourself!

3.   My cohort was a big help!! Knowing that I wasn’t alone and having other people to turn to for clarification, help, and support was a blessing. Not to mention, I met some amazing people who have become close friends and was able to go through this journey with one of my best friends.

4.   Rewarding myself! When I finished a big assignment, a midterm/final, or a semester i treated myself to a night out, ice cream, a wine night, a night of no work at all, and so forth. All work and no play will drive you crazy! Take the time to reward your successes, no matter how big or small!

5. Taking time to Reflect! Their will be times you ask yourself why you did this, times you want to cry, and times you want to just give up. DON'T! Think back to why you did this, what made you embark on this journey. Most of all remember this, if it was easy everyone would do it. You were chosen to be a part of this graduate program for a reason. Just keep on pushing forward day by day, assignment by assignment. The work will always get done and the grades will come!

Your graduate career is going to come and go, take the time to enjoy it and be proud of all of your accomplishments. It has been an honor sharing my stories with you for the past 2 years. I hope my experiences and advice have helped you in your graduate programs. I have no doubt you will all do amazing things. Even though this will be my final post, I know you will be in good hands with Stephanie and Matt. I look forward to reading their experiences in their programs! 

Remember, you are stronger than you think and braver than you could ever imagine!! Best of luck in all you do and thank you for letting me share my graduate school journey with you!

<3 Jessica