Going back to learning
Alex Alexiades
Why would a person choose to go to graduate school? After all, you’ve already done your time from kindergarten through college, making for 16, or 17 in my case, long years of school. For me, the decision to come back for a master’s degree took a long time to make.
When I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in biology from Montana State University in 2003, I figured I would live out my days in a hedonistic lifestyle of climbing, skiing and travel. I left the United States and spent four years climbing all over the world and teaching English.
I had the time of my life, saw the world, learned new languages and gained new perspectives through experiencing different cultures. For some reason though, there was something missing, so I thought,“What next?”
My passion is the outdoors and I felt compelled to use my energies to conserve and protect the outdoor environments that inspire me so much. I began toying with the notion of going to graduate school to study ecology and conservation biology. The combination of good research possibilities in conservation at the University of Nevada, Reno and the proximity of Reno to great skiing, climbing and other outdoor pursuits made UNR my top choice.
Entering graduate school is not a decision to be taken lightly. Many people go to graduate school because they still don’t know what they want to do or they simply lack direction in their lives. I don’t recommend going to graduate school to just kill time as there are plenty of jobs that are easier and make more money.
The people who really excel in a graduate school environment are those who want to make a difference, want to better themselves through higher education or have a true passion for what they are doing. This makes teaching, taking classes and doing research, all for low pay, worthwhile.
Starting out in graduate school is both frightening and intriguing. After four years of minimal work and maximum play while traveling, I felt like I would be far behind my colleagues in the graduate program. At the same time, it was exciting to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable people and everyone was willing to help me adjust.
The great thing about graduate school is that classes are more like intellectual discussions among peers, rather than listening to a teacher lecture. It’s challenging since professors rarely simply feed you information to learn. Instead, you are expected to seek out the knowledge necessary for your class, project or research and formulate your own opinions on the subject. Your opinions are encouraged even if they disagree with your textbook, journal article or even the professor.
Graduate school can be overwhelming at times, especially as I am a teaching assistant, which can feel like a full time job by itself. As of now, beginning my second year of graduate school, the benefits definitely outweigh the difficulties.
Alex Alexiades is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com
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