<p>This question is addressed to the people who attended graduate school one way or another, be it an academic graduate program (research MA, MSc, PhD and the like) or a professional school (JD, MD, MBA and the like). We know many parents who went through undergrad (since I am a current graduate student, I don't like calling undergraduate education college anymore) that remember their undergraduate days pretty fondly, but not everyone in the university-educated crowd attended graduate school.</p>
<p>Here's my question, for people who attended graduate school: which one do you remember most fondly, undergrad or graduate school?</p>
<p>I only know one person in my whole Ph.D. program who looks back at the entire experience fondly (of course there are good moments, but I’m talking overall). The program put a lot of us of us in counseling (and a lot of the people who didn’t get counseling should have). When I get to talking with my colleagues at my current institution about graduate school many of them are also explicit about “hating” “loathing” or “despising” their Ph.D. programs. (I have two senior colleagues who refuse to even discuss their experiences–I get the sense that they were both trained by old-school mentors who felt that graduate students only learned by being more or less emotionally and psychologically abused.)</p>
<p>Well, easily undergrad. But I was a night student for my MBA, working full time. Way more fun to live in a dorm or co-op, eat pizza, play cards, watch MTV, play ping pong, etc.</p>
<p>Undergrad easily. Being goofy, tasting independence & growing up as an adult without any pressure. Making new friends, having a carefree life until the time to look for a job. Friendly academic competition, great departmental profs. </p>
<p>After working for a few years went back to grad school which seemed a little somber - worrying about jobs. career and all the mundane things.</p>
<p>Both had different strengths. I made good friends in both programs and the memories are of different points in my life. Grad school circle of friends was more diverse in the sense that some were older, married and some were younger, single, which meant a wider variety of social experiences. Still in touch with people from both eras.</p>
<p>I’m in grad school now and even at my lowest points, I have said that grad school has been better. I’ve made more close friends, discovered more about myself, grown more independent, got married, and got to study things I am really passionate about.</p>
<p>I should add that I’m in my sixth year, so I’ve been through most of the worst. I’m ABD though, so we’ll see how I feel in a year.</p>
<p>Not even close … my undergrad experience was great. One year masters program was fine also however by the time I knew the school, the area, and had friends the year was done. B-school came after I was married and we were expecting/had kids; I liked B-school a lot and made some great friends but this experience was much more transactional than my previous experiences.</p>
<p>Grad school, by far. Earning a PhD was great.</p>
<ol>
<li> Everyone in the program was there because they wanted to be there and were interested in learning.<br></li>
<li> Unlike undergrad, there were no clowns or idiots in the PhD program (at least not in our department; can’t vouch for the whole school).<br></li>
<li> Instead of memorizing facts and theories out of a book or lecture notes I spent most of my time in the lab discovering new facts and developing new theories and publishing them in the journals.<br></li>
<li>I got to meet and interact with a lot of distinguished campus visitors in our field, including several Nobel laureates. </li>
<li>I got supported by a research assistantship out of my professor’s grants - about $7500/year, which back then was enough that I thought I was rich. </li>
<li> On the personal front, by then I was married so I didn’t have to deal with the disappointments and drama of the dating scene.</li>
</ol>
<p>Grad school was perhaps the best four years of my life.</p>
<p>Undergrad. It inspired me and shaped me as a person. It was an intellectual playground. Graduate school was just like a job, extremely focused. It was also stressful and competitive in a way that undergrad was not. I was also married and had a kid toward the end, so I was not exactly leading the “student” life in grad school.</p>
<p>Undergrad by far. I had a higher academic, intellectual, emotional, and maturity growth curve at the undergrad level, and my social life was richer and more interesting. People at the grad school level were more narrowly focused, competitive, and careerist. It shocked me, actually; in the first graduate program I did, I expected people would be serious intellectuals, based on the esoteric nature of the subject matter and the high esteem in which the program was held by academics. But the grad students were mostly interested in grubbing for jobs. It struck me as somewhat tawdry. And it made me miss my undergraduate days.</p>
<p>High school. Perfect fit, friends for life.</p>
<p>Undergrad, pretty good, but I never felt I took advantage of it properly.</p>
<p>Grad school - three miserable years with my boyfriend across the country and the cliquiest class imaginable. I have never been so lonely in all my life. Great education, but except for three friends (and a fourth I’ve lost touch with) totally miserable.</p>
<p>Undergrad- such fond memories. Beautiful campus, great friends, independence, diverse learning.
Ph.D. program - nice memories, but in my case, city campus=commuter students so more difficult to form friendships, worked/interned/taught while in school full-time so no time for the shenanigans of undergrad. Well, maybe a few…</p>
<p>The main reason is that I got to choose where to apply so the fit was a lot better. While the students at grad school 1 were not as high level as students at my undergrad, that was fine. They were enthusiastic, engaging and thoughtful and the environment was collaborative instead of ultra competitive.</p>
<p>Grad school 2 was not as good a fit but it was still a great place. I think I found out that while capable, I didn’t quite “get” the other doctoral students. I found myself drawn to the professional Master students.</p>
<p>Undergrad. I had been set free from a dysfunctional family and a troubled high school and given the opportunity to choose my own academic path in an environment full of fascinating people, some of whom became close friends. And the campus was a fairyland (a really, really cold fairyland most of the time – I went to Cornell – but still, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever lived). </p>
<p>Grad school for me was a dud. I got a master’s degree largely to have something to do while my husband was finishing his doctorate, I did not mesh well with the other people in my program, and I learned that I hated research. I did finish the degree, and having it has served me well, but I didn’t enjoy the experience.</p>
<p>Agree with NJSue that undergrad developed my intellect, opened doors to my own interests and honed critical thinking. But grad school is where I was empowered. Not in career terms (I ended up in something as opposite as can be imagined.) But in the sense of who I became. My best long term friends are from grad school (we were fortunate to live in a grad dorm, at least part of the time) and that’s where I met DH. On the other hand, he felt all his schooling years were a ring of fire and that life began with the first real job.</p>
<p>Grad school. The group of students was more focused and there was a lot of camaraderie. I enjoyed the course work much more. I still keep in touch with some undergrad friends, but my grad school friends and I are still very close.</p>
<p>Grad school by far. Made lifelong friends, got to study exactly what I wanted, paid enough to live on without having to work in a bar, treated with respect by the faculty, became completely independent of my parents and met my husband all the while living in a far different part of the country.</p>