On The Nature of Grad School

As I prepare to enter grad school, I've been pondering on the nature of the beast that I will soon be jumping into.

I believe that the purpose of graduate study (at least for the science Ph.D.s) is to move the individual from a "student" to a "fully functional independent researcher". That when you get your diploma, you should be able to start your career later that hour. Granted there might be a training period where you will get up to speed on current literature (especially in industry), but other than that you are ready to go.

I think that this is applicable to students pursuing a career in either academia or industry.

Although there are often no formal classes required after a few years, students will still be learning as much as if they were. If your research delves into the depth of some topic that you are unfamiliar with, you are going to have to master it to be able to persevere. Signifying a move from class-oriented learning to self-oriented learning.