Being in graduate school presents a student with different challenges that he has to conquer. This is important if the student is to complete the given course. Many students find it hard to juggle their private life and schoolwork during their graduate study years. In most cases, the schoolwork ends up suffering in the event where a student fails to lay down strategies to deal with the challenges in their life. Overall, a well-crafted plan enables a student to complete their graduate program. This plan calls for a student to outline their short and long-term goals. The other prerequisite is that the student must carefully control their time.
This will ensure that they achieve the goals that they had initially set out to accomplish in graduate school. In most cases, students who join graduate school with a clear objective are more likely to succeed than those who had not outlined their goals and aspirations. Although the challenges of going through graduate school are numerous, having a well thought out strategy for success ensures that one completes the program successfully. (Mighty Students, 2008)
Although every graduate student has a different way of dealing with challenges, the challenges are almost identical. One such challenge is on the area of finance. Mostly, graduate students are at a level where they have to pay for their own education. This poses a big challenge especially in the current economic meltdown being experienced by Americans. Again, the cost of graduate education has been on an uphill trend in the last few years. This has become a big challenge especially for students who have to pay for their own fees. This has been compounded by the fact that many students want to live a lifestyle that is beyond their means.
As a graduate student, I would ensure that I only spend money on the basic things in life. This would make me avoid getting in a situation where I cannot pay my tuition fees. In order to avoid the pitfalls brought about by the shortage of finances, I would also ensure that I apply for a loan from my work place. This would ensure that I complete my graduate school without any hiccups brought by lack of finances. (Cunanan, 2009)
The other challenge that most graduate students face is juggling between school and family life. Since most of those undertaking graduate programmes are mature students, it then follows that they have families that depend on them. To many people, this might prove to be a hard nut to crack. In most cases, one area ends up suffering at the expense of the other. It is therefore important for a graduate student to ensure that they balance both roles effectively.
As a graduate student, I would ensure that I put my priorities in order. This would give me enough time to spend with my family and to catch up with class work. Due to the challenge posed by dealing with kids, I would always strive to complete my schoolwork before I head home.
This would ensure that I avoid distractions that would alternatively reduce my concentration and hence attain bad grades in school. This would also ensure that I give maximum attention to my children. In effect, this would make me avoid a situation where the children might feel neglected. The effect that this would bring is that my children would be obedient since I would have the opportunity to note any element of disobedience in their lives and effectively correct it. (Docstoc, 2010)
The other challenge faced by graduate students is in completing the class work. Graduate school demands that a student put up with extra hours especially in writing their thesis. This thesis is the most important part of the graduate course. This therefore calls for maximum concentration and commitment on the part of the student. As a graduate student, I would ensure that I create time to complete my thesis effectively. This would be achieved by taking time off from my work place to give full attention to my school project. This would ensure that I avoid a situation where I fail to graduate because I did not pass the given exam. On top of taking leave from my work place, I would also reduce the time I spend with friends. This would give me more time to concentrate on writing my thesis. (Cunanan, 2009)
Graduate school is one of the hardest programs in the life of a student. The fact that those going through graduate school are often mature students makes the situation trickier. This poses many challenges for the student who has to balance school life with their private one. If not tackled properly, these challenges can bring numerous inconveniences to the student making them not to give their best in their studies. However, these challenges can be overcome if the student lays down the required strategies to counter the challenges. A student should first identify the challenge facing them then lay down a strategy to counter that particular challenge. These strategies ensure that the student’s private life does not collide with their schoolwork.
References List
Cunanan, Y. (2009). Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success. Web.
Docstoc. (2010). Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success. Web.
Mighty Students. (2008). Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success. Web.