SECOND DEGREE: The adjustment of first-year grad students

Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer For graduate students, it is a new beginning. They come to the University armed with their undergraduate experience ready to pursue another degree. Yet, many graduate students said that when they arrive at the University they are not greeted with open arms. Instead, they find they must face the daunting challenges of adjusting to a new environment and a heavy workload with very little support from the University. · Many graduate students, unused to the rigors of city life, find living in West Philadelphia to be one of the most difficult parts of adjustment. "Worrying about my safety and constantly planning where to walk more than anything else interferes with my happiness at this place," said Jean Silver-Isenstadt, a first-year PhD candidate in History and Sociology of Science. "I'm not used to feeling like a prisoner in my own home after dusk." And since most graduate students live off campus, getting to and from University libraries safely can be a hassle. First-year English PhD candidate Jordana Palmanis said that contending with the dangers of West Philadelphia every day can be frustrating. "I'm not adjusted to this yet. I'm used to being able to go outside whenever I want," Jordanis said. Graduate students said that in addition to adjusting to a new living environment, they must also meet higher academic standards than in their undergraduate careers. Meredith Weiner, first-year Social Work doctoral candidate and a University alum, said she finds her graduate work to be dramatically different and more difficult. "I am consumed every hour with field work, reading, and papers," said Weiner. "There is very little time for a social life." Administrators also said that they believe that graduate students must learn to cope with a heavier workload than they may have ever encountered. "First year of grad school is the busiest academic year of their lives and it's a big adjustment," said Donald Fitts, head of the School of Arts and Sciences' graduate division. On the whole, graduate student life is concentrated in students' individual departments, leaving students without a strong sense of University community. "They become much more concerned with their departments rather than with the central University," Associate Dean Fitts said. First-year PhD students, particularly in SAS, said that they rarely are concerned with anything outside their department. "I think of grad school more like a job than an extension of college," said Persis Berlekamp, a first-year Folklore PhD candidate. "I think more about my department than being a part of the University." The fact that so much of graduate life is concentrated in the departments coupled with the fact that most graduate students live off campus makes meeting people another challenge. "The best welcome I got was from people in my department," said Silver-Isenstadt. "Part of the reason I came here was that it seemed like a real close-knit community. I don't feel identified with the school yet. I have a lot of problems with the Greek flavor of the undergraduate life." Other graduate students choose to live either in the Grad Towers or in undergraduate dormitories. But they said that since they spend so much time in their departments and the library, meeting people is very difficult. · Many of the problems graduate students face come from the fact that they are not forewarned of many of these challenges before they come to the University. And graduate students said that when they arrived here, there was very little orientation to their new life. David Shreiber, a first-year Bioengineering graduate student, said that he was surprised to receive so little information before arriving this semester. "They didn't say anything over the summer about what to expect," Shreiber said. "They were really laid-back about it." Fitts said that the administration leaves the task of orientation to the individual departments since so much of graduate student life is centered there. But many professional school students said that their schools provide more cohesive communities and provide an active and insular set of activities throughout the year. Martha Brizendine, a second-year Wharton PhD candidate, said that support for the incoming students was vastly improved this year, including a PhD lounge set up over this summer. Brizendine helped organize a welcome reception to pull together important information and eliminate extraneous trips all over campus. "We needed to do something," Brizendine said. "The first year is stressful. There is an enormous leap in the type of coursework a PhD has to deal with, and they tend to be more on their own." In addition, Ilene Rosenstein, director of University Counseling Services, said that UCS offers several groups to help with the adjustment to graduate student life such as a graduate women's support group, a strategies for survival group, and a counseling group entitled "My Dissertation." The groups range in size from four to 10 people and are run by UCS staff members. Michael Goldstein, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly chairperson, said he plans to incorporate increased orientation for first-year graduate students into this year's GAPSA goals. "Grad students don't need as much as the undergraduates, but they still require a certain amount of orientation," said Goldstein, a fourth-year Wharton doctoral student. "When I entered, all I was told was the various ways I could be thrown out. There was nothing about Escort Service or tours or anything." This year, GAPSA and the Office of Student Affairs organized a formal welcome ceremony in College Hall 200, much like the traditional freshmen convocation ceremony in Irvine Auditorium. The graduate student handbook was also revamped this year and a month-long calendar of events was scheduled to familiarize students with University and city facilities, including everything from Philadelphia bus tours and job hunting for spouses to a Houston Hall casino night. Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Janice Madden said she agreed there is a need for more orientation for first-year graduate students, but suggested that it begin with the departments. "Since their strongest ties are with their departments, my feeling is that it should start there," Madden said. "Because there is such a diffusion of students, there is a difficulty communicating to students. Director of Student Affairs Terri White said that in the future, programs will be expanded to provide more welcome and support to incoming graduate students.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.