How Not to Waste Your Grad School Tuition

(photo credit: Unhindered by Talent)

Patrick Mayne commented on last week's post, and asked me to write about "Now that you've gotten into grad school, how to make sure you're not wasting $40,000 and a year of your life." It's a great question. I identified four things you can do to make the most of your grad school experience:

1. Work while you're in school. People, even your university administration, will tell you not to do this. Ignore them. Mind you, I don't mean working in the library, the cafeteria, or even the computer lab. Being a grad student is an instant credential for jobs in your field. Take the chance to start building your resume. Paid or unpaid doesn't really matter; you're not going to make enough to defray school costs anyway. Pick a job with a decent sounding title, at an organization where you can learn something.

2. Connect with your professors. Make a point of going to office hours, and make sure your professors know who you are. If you would like to work with them on research, or co-author papers, let them know. It's okay to just tell them; this is not the time to be shy. Professors love to see motivated students. Do not sit around waiting to be noticed - reach out. If you're too shy to tell everyone, at least tell your advisor and see if she can help you.

3. This is your chance to form your base of ideas. You will never again have this much time to think about the concepts that underpin global health. Take the opportunity to do your reading and arrive at some conclusions. Some people come at global health from a social justice perspective. Others focus on technological innovation, health systems, or cost recovery. Do you think private health care is the answer, or public financing? Do you think health is a human right? What do you think are the major issues affecting global health? Would you rather see funding go to maternal health initiatives or vaccination programs? Bottom up or top down? There are a lot of big questions out there, and knowing where you stand on them will help you shape your career and make choices you can stand by.

4. Take your academics seriously. If you chose your school properly, these will be the hardest classes you've ever taken. Grad school professors expect more from you than undergraduate professors. Your papers have to have genuinely original ideas. You need to consistently do your best work. Do all your reading. Attend all your classes. Take notes and review them. Yes, I shouldn't have to say this, but I saw far too many classmates not giving graduate school the effort it deserved. Those are the people who wasted their money. None of the other things on this list work if you don't bring your A game to the coursework.