If you were to tell me when I first started college that I would become a graduate student, I wouldn’t have believed you. I would have even downright laughed at you. Fast forward to present day, and lo’ and behold by the end of this year, I will have my master’s.

Since first starting, I have had plenty of time to reflect upon my graduate student career. One thought that keeps repeating in my mind is how much easier grad school would be if I somehow magically knew everything when I first entered the program. There would certainly have been less hair pulling, and I probably would no longer suffer from a strong caffeine addiction. I always said there should have been a SE 102 class that focused on what people can expect as grad students, just like freshman orientation. Well, until such a class exists, new graduate students might benefit from my experiences and what I learned.

The first thing all potential grad students need to think about is, why do I want to do this? It’s a fair enough question. The hours are long, the work extensive and spending time with friends will take a nice hit. The salaries are greater, but it doesn’t make a difference in paying back the loans it takes to stay in school longer.

If you do not have a concrete answer as to why you wish to get into grad school, it is better to leave college with your bachelor’s. Why? Because it is a long hard road to getting a master’s, but if you do some self-reflection and know for a fact this is an important goal, then years of your life won’t be wasted.

For me, the answer was simple. I wanted a job that would stimulate as well as challenge me. As such, I have no regrets, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life. Your answer may differ from mine, but if it’s to stay in school longer, I think you should reassess your priorities.

The first thing you’ll notice, is that grad school is not like any other level of academia. You won’t enter your night classes thinking it will be just a few hours of lecture along with take-home assignments. A big part of grad school is the work outside of class, working with your peers, communicating with your professors, conducting your own research, participating in conferences and sharing your knowledge by leading discussions or facilitations. Grad school is more of an apprenticeship than simply earning A’s or B’s.

You don’t have to be a genius to be a grad student, but it takes initiative, creativity and tenacity to be able to excel in a grad program. Your professors won’t hold your hand and tell you what to do every step of the way. Yes, they are there to guide you, but they can’t help you unless you’re the one to speak up. You must take the initiative to ask for guidance, not wait around for it to show up.

It’s a real shock from going to 10 page papers in undergrad, to doubling that amount in grad school. No one can tell you what problems to expect while working on your term papers or projects. You have to be tenacious and stick with your projects in order to complete them on time, and complete them well. Don’t wait till you’re feeling productive or your deadline is looming near. Each day, you should devote time to your projects and papers. If you still have research to do, do some everyday. If it’s writing, do some writing everyday. You’ll be one day closer to being finished, and less stressed.

It also takes a lot of creativity in order to survive grad school. You’ll be designing and executing experiments, or writing 30-something page papers. Creativity will help in solving the hard problems that will crop up along the way instead of becoming an unmovable roadblock. This will prove useful in your future careers.

So there you have it, a beginner’s guide to surviving graduate school. While this is not the definitive guide on becoming a grad student, and there are plenty other pieces of advice I could provide, this will help get you started in deciding if you should take the plunge and begin the next level in academia. As for me, my textbooks aren’t going to read themselves.