3 Challenges students will face in graduate school and 3 strategies they can use to address the challenges

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success

Graduate Studies present challenges and difficulties for every student Statistics from studies have shown that roughly half of all incoming doctoral students will drop out , two-thirds of whom will do so during their second and third years (Smallwood , 2004

To properly understand the challenges and the strategies that are necessary for an individual 's success in graduate studies , it is first important to understand what graduate studies are and what they entail Graduate school demands a lot of focus and determination because it is a

br focused occupation (Jerrard , 1998 . It is very important for students or individuals who wish to pursue higher education in graduate studies to have a clear idea of just what it is exactly that they want to study While an undergraduate education allows an individual to explore a variety of areas , graduate school delves into the details of a specific . The work load in graduate studies entails that an individual works closely a one major professor and also additional faculty members to properly design the course study (Smallwood , 2004 . In the alternative , graduate studies , depending on the field , may also mean that an individual becomes part of a lab group or research team and must work closely with other students on that team

Graduate Studies also require a lot of time and commitment . There are no scheduled breaks for graduate school unlike in undergraduate studies where there are winter , spring , summer , and fall breaks off . Pursuing graduate studies entails that a student must be able to keep up with the academic load that is required while at the same time be able to deal with the other demands off campus (Smallwood , 2004 . That being said it is time to examine the challenges that students face in graduate studies

There are numerous challenges for students who are pursuing graduate studies . One of the major challenges involves the transition from undergraduate school to graduate school and the academic mentality that is required . The academic mentality problem that most students and individuals who enter graduate studies without any real work experience have is that they fail to make the necessary transition from rote memorization in undergraduate education to creative research in doctoral training (Smallwood , 2004 . Often times in graduate study , a student is required to provide not merely a recitation of the facts and details but an in-depth analysis of the issue and to provide solutions or strategies that can be employed in dealing with the scenario . This is what causes a lot of students to drop out because they are unable to adjust to the demands to graduate school

The strategy for success with regard to this major challenge revolves around the ability of the student or individual to make the proper adjustment in the academic mentality that is required . While these processes certainly take a lot of time , graduate studies do not offer one the luxury of being able to transition over time and in fact often demand instantaneous...