<p>How does grad school (esp. Ph. D programs) differ from taking classes as undergraduate? Thx. :)</p>
<p>i don't know how it for other fields but for the biomedical science, there is only one year of real coursework. after your first year, you choose a lab and work there until your dissertation/thesis/defense. it is not like taking classes undergraduate at all. graduate studies should be approached as a full time job.</p>
<p>Yeah, PhD students don't really have classes after the first or second year....although they probably do have to be enrolled in research units (working in a lab, reading, etc.)</p>
<p>Lots more independent study. You are expected to be able to direct your own studies and writing.</p>
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How does grad school (esp. Ph. D programs) differ from taking classes as undergraduate? Thx
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<p>As far as classes go, in addition to what was stated above (of which I agree), another major difference is that performance doesn't matter as much in grad school as it did in undergrad. I have heard it said that class performance (and exam performance) in PhD programs are like personal hygiene - nobody really notices unless it is bad. In other words, getting straight A's as a PhD student isn't going to matter very much. All you want to do is avoid failing (which usually means not getting below a B, as PhD students usually have to maintain a 3.0GPA). But ultimately, what you really want to obtain from your classes is knowledge that will help you on your research.</p>
<p>In other words, the guy who barely passes his PhD classes and his qualification exams but produces cracker-jack research is far more likely to get placed than a guy who aces his classes and his exams, but produces mediocre research. In fact, I have even heard some people emphasizing a high GPA on your CV is actually rather gauche, because it indicates that that's all you have and that you probably don't have good research (because if you did, you would be emphasizing that instead). It's like reading a classified ad for a house that is described as being "cozy" "in a great neighborhood" - it basically means that the house is very small, or that it's not as well maintained as the other houses on the block.</p>
<p>Oh, another question came to mind. How does one finance graduate studies? Are scholarships and grants offered to grads as they are to ug students?</p>
<p>plenty....</p>
<p>start with the "financial" area of the website of the grad program you would like to apply to</p>