Back to School…Again,  Part 3:

This summer we are sharing a series on our blog – we have asked the students who took some time off between undergraduate and graduate school to answer some questions about what this process was like for them.  In the third installment of “Back to school…Again” students answer the question: How has it felt to be a student again?

Being a student again has definitely made me more empathetic to my previous students!  I think the hardest part has been having to sit still for hours at a time, where I used to be up and about teaching for hours at a time.  I think (and hope!) that I’m doing a better job of being a student this time around.  I am much less shy, which has allowed me to engage more with the professors and get more out of the lectures and office hours than I did my first time around. 

– Sarah Brunker

It’s been both more humbling and more rewarding than I had anticipated. This program is such an immersive experience, and it has taken a lot of reflection to find the right balance. In fact, this is definitely still an ongoing challenge. My time out of school and my professional goals have shaped my perspective such that my coursework feels compelling in a way that my undergraduate career rarely did, as wonderful as it was. I’m learning how to manage feeling pulled in so many directions though, which seems to me like a generally good problem to have. – Caitlin Russell 

My students had a good laugh when I told them I’d be in their seats next year, and if I’m being honest, I’ve laughed at myself a few times since then too.  There have been some rookie mistakes—like choosing the freshman move in day to get my student ID—that have reminded me you will never truly be a professional student.  I think you expect to be better at it the second (or third) time around, but it’s important to remember to have a sense of humor and perspective about your return.  Because we’re human, there will be those times when you have to grab Dunkin for the third time that week because you keep forgetting your lunch or are really struggling to grasp a concept you know will be the main focus of the next exam.  On those days, it’s helpful to remember why you wanted to return and have some humility.  For me, empowering people in their healthcare decisions and having the constant opportunity for new knowledge were two of key reasons I applied.  I was able to remind myself that my struggle would be for my future patients and even the way we navigate our graduate school experience will inform our future practice. For the first month I had the urge to remind myself and others that I wasn’t “starting over.”  It was hard to feel like I hadn’t just walked away from a career and a salary to take on more student loans and be the newbie again.  It takes humility to be honest about the fact that in your previous life you may have been proficient in some things and in this new endeavor you are at the same level as everyone else who is starting the year with you.   Over the last year, I’ve been able to really embrace this semi-new beginning and soak in all that I can from my classmates and professors.  I have really enjoyed the opportunity to analyze and discuss topics I feel so passionately about. – Kelsey Bohnert 

It’s been a challenging and rewarding experience. I feel more immersed in school than I ever did as an undergraduate and I know the effort I’m putting into school will only benefit my professional growth and development. With that being said, it’s also important to find a balance, which I think is something the majority of grad students struggle with finding. I try to reward myself with a night off or something as simple as an early bedtime! – Alyssa Azevedo 

It has definitely been a change from having a 9-5 type job, because as a student you really always have something you should be or can be working on, so learning how to build time into your schedule for yourself can be hard (especially if you have a type A personality). I love to learn, so being a student again really agrees with me. In many ways it has been quite the change, because a full-time student schedule where I’m in class all day is pretty different, but my dog appears to be adjusting to my new schedule. – Natasha Robin Berman

It has been a stimulating and overwhelming experience. Entering the program, I hadn’t been a student for almost seven years- needless to say, I was a little rusty on note-taking and studying. It was an adjustment, but I started to treat it like any other job I’ve had, putting in the time and effort of 40+ hours a week, and it has paid off. Graduate school gives back what you put in, and I feel very strongly that I have gotten as much as I have given. I am a glutton for knowledge, so once I adjusted to school, I have been elated to be back in the classroom, soaking up the wisdom the amazing faculty at Pitt have to offer. – Charlotte Skinner