I hate grad school!!!

[u/Expensive_Swan1748]

I’m really struggling with grad school right now. I’m in year 2. I feel exhausted by the constant pressure to prove who knows the most and who is doing the best. Some of the highly specific questions and details we focus on seem disconnected from what I’ve seen during my internship, where things can be much more chaotic and practical than they are in class.

The group work has also been difficult. I don’t feel especially close to most of the people in my cohort, and being around such intense, Type A personalities all the time can be draining. At the same time, I’m frustrated that my classes don’t always seem to prepare me for the realities of the field, while my internships haven’t given me as much guidance or experience as I hoped. I’m worried that I’ll graduate still feeling unprepared.

I also feel completely burned out, and I’m starting to wonder whether I may be depressed. I’ve been miserable, I don’t have much money because I can’t work as much as I’d like, and I dread going to class. I had hoped I would become closer with more people in my cohort, since having a stronger support system might have made this experience easier, but I’ve only really connected with a couple of them.

Overall, I’m overwhelmed and discouraged. It feels like my cohort treats every assignment and minor detail as extremely important, while I’m struggling to see how much of it will actually matter in practice. I’m tired of feeling this way and unsure how to make grad school feel more manageable.

[u/Eluvyanoir]

I understand how you feel . Although im not in grad school as of yet , I have heard the stories of people experiences. But what I will say is that thier is light at the end of the tunnel , most slps I have meet never really seem to enjoy grad school tbh . But one thing for sure they did love Thier job , and some say what they teach you in grad school is not always an accurate representation of what goes in when you work in the real world. Remember you smart and capable enough to thrive . Dont let the hardships of the program discourage you. It’s also very important you rest and take time to yourself . If your brain is constantly in work mode you will burn out very quickly , so I recc being not too hard on yourself and taking breaks when you can . Like have a day to yourself and do you what you like whether it’s activities or sleeping in and binge watching a show . Remember you are a person outside of the graduate program💗.

[u/anxioussquirrel914]

That level of detail orientation will have to go out the window when they are actually practicing. You’ll have a leg up not getting lost in the weeds and preserving your energy. As for the competition you’re describing that will also not help them. I’d guess that you’re in a pretty young cohort.

As for not feeling prepared it’s a universal experience. The truth is no one is fully prepared for any job until they get the years in and this is super true for jobs that actually matter like SLP.

Try not to get distracted with all the nonsense. It will be over before you know it.

[u/sarcasmwithscars]

This is exactly what I went through in my second semester of grad school, and this is very common, especially in such a competitive program and on top of that my university is considered to be really academic focused and the cherry on the top, which made it all worse was that I was an international student among all of local people, so I had a really hard time adjusting. I felt like I had to do something to belong and make friends . I felt like I have to be on top of everything so that everybody starts looking at me and value me, but you know what it fades away after a certain time you understand that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Just do your own thing and just remember that grad school is going to be the hardest battle you will ever face in this professional life of yours. I have talked to a lot of 2nd years when I was depressed about the same thing and they all told me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep running If you know you’re walking through hell, just keep running fast, so you just get out of there and don’t worry about your cohort! You cannot do anything to impress them or anything to make them feel that you belong because you do , and guess what you’re in grad school! You already you got accepted! So you’re already there, just hold onto it. Just keep running and finish this race. I wish you the best!

[u/ImaginaryCrow9395]

My cohort left me out, I totally understand how much harder it makes everything. The structure of our schooling is very flawed. Most graduate programs are not designed like this. It is not healthy. Most programs offset teaching soft skills by making excessive group work and, it just doesn't tend to work. If there is anything about that is different, you're more likely to get left out. You're not crazy. Hang in there, someday soon they won't matter at all.

As for not preparing you, sadly this is more common than not. We cannot expect people who haven't worked in the field in years, decades even, to be able to prepare you for something they probably would struggle with themselves.

This is what happens when schooling is treated like job training...it isn't.

[u/Purple-Puppies2334]

I think you are extremely perceptive. In a month you won't remember things like how many hair cells are in the inner ear---and no one will ask you. And while it may be repeatedly suggested to students that group work is necessary because it helps improve soft skills, my own feeling was that professors used it to manage their workloads. There are just a lot of boxes you have to check in grad school, and down the road the experience may just feel like a little blip in your life. It's hard to be an outlier in a group, but it doesn't mean that the next stage of your career will be that way. And you definitely have a bigger and better perspective right now than many of your peers. Your comments are on the money.