10 Things I Learned in Graduate School

I'm a recent graduate student from a very expensive and "elite" art school. I received my MFA in Industrial Design and am wrapping my mind around what I've learned over the past two years. I wanted to offer advice to anyone who might see this post and is considering grad school or may even be struggling in grad school right this moment. 

Attending grad school to get your master's is hard. I won't sugar coat it. It's costly in many factors, including your relationships, your mental/physical/emotional health, and how you even perceive the world. It's not necessarily a bad thing... as a matter of fact, I believe if you want to get an MA/MS/MFA/MUD/etc. you should go for it. It was the hardest thing I did, but was also the best thing I have ever done for myself so far in my life.

Below are 10 Things I Learned in Graduate School. Once I realized each one (in its own time) I was able to embrace and enjoy grad school much more. Let's jump in! 

1. You can only plan so much.

People come to grad school with a plan, as did I. I thought I would have a set schedule, a routine, a certain job, I would fly back home every break, and so on and so forth. All of that went out the window almost immediately! My first three months (my school was on a quarter system) were spent not sleeping, not eating properly, taking on too much, and the learning curve was DRASTIC. I never expected getting back into school was going to be that difficult. I was determined to make good grades, so I pulled many all-nighters while also working part-time at a coffee shop. It was rough. After that quarter, I decided to be a little bit loose with my planning, and I just did what I could when I could do it. I didn't have a routine day by day, but made a schedule for each day when I woke up that morning. It was the best I could do, and it worked for me.

2. You're going to make sacrifices.

Grad school, as I've stated multiple times, is hard. It's exhausting. I made many sacrifices in grad school, including ending a long-term relationship with someone, so I could focus on my studies. I didn't go out much, I stopped baking (a passion of mine), I stopped dressing nicely and wearing makeup, I stopped playing video games... all of these things I loved and had to put to the side for school. It was just what I needed to do during school so I could make the best grades possible. But this leads me to my next point!

3. Take care of yourself.

As many sacrifices as we make in grad school, we have to take care of ourselves. While I had to put some of my hobbies aside, I continued to do small things to take care of my physical, mental, and emotional health. I would run when I had a bit of spare time and needed to release some stress, I started cooking a bit more and made hot meals for myself when I could, in the evenings I would take time to reflect on my day and write out a gratitude list, and I continued to go to therapy (something I've been doing for over 10 years) so I could keep working on being the best version of me. Side Note: Therapy is not a bad thing nor does it make you seem weak. It helps to talk with someone outside of yourself, especially when times are incredibly difficult, so you can get an unbiased perspective on your life.

4. Connect and network as much as possible.

I hated this more than anything, but it has paid off so much. Talk to your advisors and your professors! Get to know them, find out who they worked for and what connections they have. Share your interests and find people who are interested in the same. Go to events, go up and introduce yourself to speakers and panelists, connect with them on LinkedIn (with a message!). These connections are so incredibly helpful, especially if you have a degree that needs networking, which most do!

5. Do things outside of your comfort zone.

This is a two-sided topic for me. One is about doing fun things even when your exhaustion and anxiety may not want you to. The other is about learning how to stand up for yourself. For me, these are both outside of my comfort zone, but grad school has taught me so much more about myself than I ever knew. 

    When it comes to fun things: This is one of those things that sometimes I don't want to do, but I always am glad I did it! If you're invited to a party or an event, show up! Make friends! Ask classmates out to lunch! It always made me nervous doing these things, but I ended up making friends I never thought I would make.

    When it comes to standing up for yourself: As a woman, it can be easy to be talked over. In the design industry, women are a minority. I was usually 1 of 2 women in my Industrial Design classes. Sometimes, there were 4 of us! It didn't take long for me to realize that I was sometimes not taken seriously or my opinions were overlooked or disregarded. It also didn't take me long to start standing up for myself and my fellow women, when we were interrupted or something derogatory was said. I learned a lot about confidence, and how no one would believe in me if I didn't believe in me. I had some professors give me sage advice about that, and I took it seriously and worked on myself and how to come across confident and unfaltering (even when I didn't feel like it!). It truly paid off.

6. Say "Yes" to things you don't think you can do.

I took a lot of courses that I thought were out of my field experience. I took fashion classes that were out of my league, I participated in design sprints (competitions) that I didn't think I would do well in, and I even applied for design awards that I never thought I'd win. These were some of the best experiences I had in school, because they taught me things I didn't know I needed to know. Like how to think quickly and with an open mind. Or how to apply what I know in other design fields. Plus, all of these events put me in networks with new people!

7. Keep an open mind.

Keeping an open mind was crucial for me. Grad school is meant to enhance what you know through research and development, learning new skills, and most likely learning how to be a leader. Most people getting their master's want to be a team lead of some sort. In order to be a great leader, you MUST be open-minded and willing to even change how you approach a problem. Be willing to work with people you don't know super well, to try new methods, and just be willing to listen to other people's opinions. You won't always be right about things, and your opinions and perspectives may even be wrong. That's part of being human. 

8. Find what you love, and it may not be what you're studying!

This came to a bit of a shock to me about 6 months in to the program, however, I realized that I was not 100% in love with my degree field. It was a bit of a struggle at first, trying to decided if I wanted to delay my progress and switch to another degree or just stay where I was. After another quarter of classes, I realized I could do what I loved within my degree by approaching my projects from a different perspective, and that's exactly what I did. However, even if you're in the right degree field, find what you love! In Industrial Design, it can be many topics, including outdoors/nature, first aid, kitchen/food/restaurants, housewares, commercial wares, tools... the options are endless. Whatever it is, just know you won't be happy until you're doing something you have a passion for. Then your job won't feel like a job, it will feel like a calling.  

9. Grad school changes you.

Change is good. Change is weird. Change is... change. Grad school made me a different woman. I left the comfort of the city I lived in for 16 years to move 1,000 miles away from all of my friends and family. I was terrified. I became single for the first time in 8 years. I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of achieving. I became more strong-willed, more confident, more courageous.

10. Embrace the changes.

Last but certainly not least. Embrace the changes! Embrace grad school! See every situation you go through as an opportunity for personal growth! If something tries to stop you, push back. Don't give up on something you love. Accept where you're at and who you are, and then push yourself to grow and evolve. You won't regret it. 

Looking back on the last two years, I can see the most pivotal points in my grad school career. I know exactly when something in my heart and mind shifted. It allowed me to learn who I am, to push towards the good in me, and to find my passions in my career. Was it hard? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Absolutely.