Often, I ponder about how my grad school (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani) moulded me for facing the real world.
Here's a quick list of areas I observed, appreciated and learnt at grad school. Hope this helps you too!
1. Making your own timetable:
Most challenges/activities in life don't come planned but for all those scenarios where you have the time and need to be organized, this definitely helps. You need to know what your areas of focus are, how you are going to approach and who you are going to consult. The registration system corners you to think and do this.
2. Freedom to choose your mentor:
Just because you are registered in a class doesn't necessarily mean you are bound to attend the professor's lectures. You can hear from friends, try out others as well and start gaining momentum with a mentor/professor of your choice.
3. Relative grading:
In an absolute grading system, you only know how you perform. Relative grades tell you how your class performed. In a way, that is like simulating the real world. The problems you are solving today may not be unique. That's why you always have competition and you need to know where you stand against your competition. Relative grading prepares you for it. You cannot be satisfied with only your scores anymore!
4. Composable Curriculum:
What you want to specialize in may not be clear to you when you set off on the graduation journey. It is like travelling on a foggy road. You know things ahead of you only when you get to a point. Having that flexibility to pick what you want at a later point in your study can go a long way in keeping you open-minded and keep watching for avenues to explore. Imagine you have an option to switch streams after an year or so. Or may be you have an option to bundle your masters along with your bachelors? Cool, isn't it?
5. Theory, Practice and Industry Exposure:
What you study, learn and solve on paper has to show results during the exhaustive practical lab sessions. And this is how you fabricate a chip or deploy an application on production servers. Just because you made sure all the data-points, simulations and observations are correct doesn't mean your product is error-free. You can ask any production engineer to share their experience. I bet you get to hear their bitter-sweet experiences.
6. Network, Research and Placement Opportunities:
If not the admission or job offer for your next adventure, grad school gives you friends who pull you along, offer you a shoulder and celebrate with you when you succeed. Needless to say, you will be at a much better footing for making a job in your favourite company or pursue higher education further or explore a new career path.
7. Uncomprimising evaluation:
When you miss classes because of bad health, you need to have options to avail a second chance. If you are not satisfied with the evaluation, you need to have ways to request a re-consideration. These aspects establish trust and confidence in the evaluation system.
8. Student empowerment:
When you are in the driving seat, you see the road ahead. When you manage your day, your money, your time, your emotions and your resources, you take charge of your direction. Inclusive activities, collaboration, debate and decision-making become part of you. Starting from food, hostel, external meets, conferences and sports, you engage in the activities. These are the activities which empower you to become someone beyond being 'mere you'.
9. Art-oriented:
Music, literature, dance, painting, photography, poetry and other forms of art inspire your thinking. You will find hobbyists sharing your interests and form buddy groups which grow beyond grad school days.
10. Original-thinking:
The buddy-group and faculty condone plagiarism of any kind. They encourage understanding and thinking through your mind. Knowing what we know and what we don't helps us collaborate in meaningful ways. We also grow stronger as individuals who can ask relevant questions and gather necessary data for accomplishing what we set out to do.
Here's a quick list of areas I observed, appreciated and learnt at grad school. Hope this helps you too!
1. Making your own timetable:
Most challenges/activities in life don't come planned but for all those scenarios where you have the time and need to be organized, this definitely helps. You need to know what your areas of focus are, how you are going to approach and who you are going to consult. The registration system corners you to think and do this.
2. Freedom to choose your mentor:
Just because you are registered in a class doesn't necessarily mean you are bound to attend the professor's lectures. You can hear from friends, try out others as well and start gaining momentum with a mentor/professor of your choice.
3. Relative grading:
In an absolute grading system, you only know how you perform. Relative grades tell you how your class performed. In a way, that is like simulating the real world. The problems you are solving today may not be unique. That's why you always have competition and you need to know where you stand against your competition. Relative grading prepares you for it. You cannot be satisfied with only your scores anymore!
4. Composable Curriculum:
What you want to specialize in may not be clear to you when you set off on the graduation journey. It is like travelling on a foggy road. You know things ahead of you only when you get to a point. Having that flexibility to pick what you want at a later point in your study can go a long way in keeping you open-minded and keep watching for avenues to explore. Imagine you have an option to switch streams after an year or so. Or may be you have an option to bundle your masters along with your bachelors? Cool, isn't it?
5. Theory, Practice and Industry Exposure:
What you study, learn and solve on paper has to show results during the exhaustive practical lab sessions. And this is how you fabricate a chip or deploy an application on production servers. Just because you made sure all the data-points, simulations and observations are correct doesn't mean your product is error-free. You can ask any production engineer to share their experience. I bet you get to hear their bitter-sweet experiences.
6. Network, Research and Placement Opportunities:
If not the admission or job offer for your next adventure, grad school gives you friends who pull you along, offer you a shoulder and celebrate with you when you succeed. Needless to say, you will be at a much better footing for making a job in your favourite company or pursue higher education further or explore a new career path.
7. Uncomprimising evaluation:
When you miss classes because of bad health, you need to have options to avail a second chance. If you are not satisfied with the evaluation, you need to have ways to request a re-consideration. These aspects establish trust and confidence in the evaluation system.
8. Student empowerment:
When you are in the driving seat, you see the road ahead. When you manage your day, your money, your time, your emotions and your resources, you take charge of your direction. Inclusive activities, collaboration, debate and decision-making become part of you. Starting from food, hostel, external meets, conferences and sports, you engage in the activities. These are the activities which empower you to become someone beyond being 'mere you'.
9. Art-oriented:
Music, literature, dance, painting, photography, poetry and other forms of art inspire your thinking. You will find hobbyists sharing your interests and form buddy groups which grow beyond grad school days.
10. Original-thinking:
The buddy-group and faculty condone plagiarism of any kind. They encourage understanding and thinking through your mind. Knowing what we know and what we don't helps us collaborate in meaningful ways. We also grow stronger as individuals who can ask relevant questions and gather necessary data for accomplishing what we set out to do.
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