Is grad school better or worse than undergrad

Trauma Columnist · Mar 1, 2007

Hi there. They are two different entities. Undergrad is learning the basics with a whole group. In grad school, you are expected to have an understanding of the basics and the learning is more self-directed. Few grad schools tell you what you need to read/understand. They expect that you have the nursing basics down and don't spoon-feed you info - you are expected to do lit searches and learn much more independently.

carachel2 · Mar 1, 2007

Hmmm...hard to say. A lot of us are just at a different season in life and the balances are for different things. I really don't care about my social life, it is all about time for my family, myself (to keep ME healthy) and school.

A lot of programs allow part-time work and I feel they do allow for more balance. I am putting a LOT more time in my graduate studies than I ever did in undergrad. There is less to memorize and a lot more to LEARN and know how to apply. At my school (and I'm sure most others) they say that 3-6 hours of coursework = about a 20-30 hr workweek. And they aren't kidding.

A fullt-time courseload = about 40-50 hours of work.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 1, 2007

In addition to what traumaRUs said,

There is usually (but not always) a less competitive atmosphere in grad school and there is usually less emphasis on "weeding people out" because all of the students should have already established themselves as safe practicing nurses. That decreases a certain type of tension that is common in undergraduate programs.

However, the performance standards are higher -- or at least they should be. Students at a graduate level are expected to be able to analyze material and make judgments about it at a higher intellectual level than is typical of undergraduate work. For undergraduates, the goal is usually to simply to understand the basics and be able to apply it safely in a clinical situation. At a Master's level, the goal is usually to be able to analyze and evaluate material and make more sophisticated judgements about it. Doctoral level work continues those rising expectations to emphasize more indepth analysis and the generation of new knowledge.

For some students, those higher level expectations -- and the need to be able to work and think more independently -- poses a real challenge. Some students flounder when they are not told what to think, but rather have to figure it out for themselves and then be graded on how well they figured things out. For other students, that change in focus is a welcome relief. Some students thrive on that sort of intellectual challenge. That's how it was for me. I HATED almost every moment of my undergraduate nursing program and LOVED almost every aspect of my Master's and Doctoral programs. I barely made it through my undergraduate program, but was an outstanding graduate student.

nrs06 · Mar 1, 2007

thanks for all the input I guess I really wount know until the time comes but I got a huge heads up from you guys

RN BSN 2009 · Mar 1, 2007

In addition to what traumaRUs said,
There is usually (but not always) a less competitive atmosphere in grad school and there is usually less emphasis on "weeding people out" because all of the students should have already established themselves as safe practicing nurses. That decreases a certain type of tension that is common in undergraduate programs.
However, the performance standards are higher -- or at least they should be. Students at a graduate level are expected to be able to analyze material and make judgments about it at a higher intellectual level than is typical of undergraduate work. For undergraduates, the goal is usually to simply to understand the basics and be able to apply it safely in a clinical situation. At a Master's level, the goal is usually to be able to analyze and evaluate material and make more sophisticated judgements about it. Doctoral level work continues those rising expectations to emphasize more indepth analysis and the generation of new knowledge.
For some students, those higher level expectations -- and the fact that the ability to work and think more independently -- poses a real challenge. Some students flounder when they are not told what to think, but rather have to figure it out for themselves and then be graded on how well they figured things out. For other students, that change in focus is a welcome relief. Some students thrive on that sort of intellectual challenge. That's how it was for me. I HATED almost every moment of my undergraduate nursing program and LOVED almost every aspect of my Master's and Doctoral programs. I barely made it through my undergraduate program, but was an outstanding graduate student.

:smilecoffeecup: