Words of Wisdom: Starting Graduate School
“I believe graduate school starts when you enter G2. You are no longer being paid by the MSTP, so you have the pressure to be productive since you're probably being paid off a grant. You no longer have (as much) class as an excuse to hinder your productivity. You also realize that the first year went by quickly and this whole grad school thing will be over before you know it. The best advice I can give young students is to accrue skills during G1 and work hard to produce data during G2. The papers and grants will follow.” – Cam Bermudez (G2)
“The G1 to G2 transition is when (most) students finally shed all classroom responsibilities and begin laboratory work in earnest. Everyone told me that I wouldn't get a lot of research done G1 year – that's true. However, with G2 year encompassing grant writing, qualifying examinations, and increased independence in the lab, I'm finding that getting meaningful data is still pretty rare. Graduate school is a marathon and not a race, but you have to keep trying (and failing) if you ever want to make progress.” – Cody Stothers (G2)