When you pursue your masters programs

• Be prepared for a brand new level of competition – while being involved in group projects and group discussions and learning
  
  

  People talking about masters programs

  to work with others can be an important part of graduate school, competition can still be quite intense. Don’t let that keep you from making connections while completing your masters programs. The people you’re in classes with now may be your best resources later on in your career.

• They say that undergraduate school is about proving that you can follow through and succeed. In the same way, graduate school is about making connections and building networks. Get to know not only your peers but also the students ahead of you in the masters programs and your instructors. They are invaluable resources to help you succeed, both now and in the future.
• In graduate school, intelligence is significant, but it isn’t the only key thing. It’s important for you to be persistent, self-assured, and communicate well too.
• Being clever and communicating well will get you through a lot of your schooling and many situations in life, but when you get to graduate school, you need different skills. You need diligence, networking skills, tenacity, and the ability to work well with others.
• Soft skills become surprisingly important in graduate school, a lesson that some people have difficulty learning, and have trouble learning even into the working world, to their own detriment.
• Skills such as poise, decisiveness, persistence, and determination will get you farther than you might expect. I say skills because they are something that you need to cultivate. You may or may not have some of these things as natural traits, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from getting where you want to go in the business world. They can open doors for you, and once you have your foot in the door, your other skills such as your intelligence can take over and wow them!
• Do new things. Engage in as many extracurricular activities as you can fit in without jeopardizing your studies and family time. Well-rounded people are more interesting people. Step outside your comfort zone and try new things . You might find you really enjoy them and they may serve as a jumping off point in a conversation with a new business relationship someday.
• We’re not saying you can’t enjoy a decent place to live and good food if you can afford it, but keeping your lifestyle neat, portable, and minimal in your masters programs will serve you later when the student loan bills start coming in.
• masters programs provide an opportunity to explore, seek out new specialties or areas that you want to make your own. Undergraduate school is broad and meant to give you a taste of everything, like a smorgasbord. Graduate school, on the other hand, is focused and intense. You will delve deeply into very specific topics that relate to your chosen field. It is more like a fine restaurant where you get a small bite of intense flavor, carefully crafted to give you the most robust experience possible in a short period of time.
• Also, keep your textbooks. In undergraduate school, we usually can’t wait to unload those overpriced tomes to the next poor student, but in grad school the books are often highly specific and they’re often the definitive text on their particular subject. You may find yourself reaching for them to find that bit of elusive information that you can’t find anywhere else.