Top 5 Songs That Explain Grad School

By Megan (Weyrauch) Johnson on September 8, 2015

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Well, I did it folks: I survived my first week of graduate school. I never thought I would say this but … it actually went okay!

From what I’ve experienced so far (and trust me, you actually do things the first week of grad school, unlike undergrad), and from what I anticipate throughout the semester, here are 5 songs that will explain what grad school is like.

Image by Corey Blaz via Unsplash

1. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)—R.E.M.

Syllabus day in undergrad meant your prof went over your 3-page class syllabus and dismissed class for the day. My first class in grad school, my professor passed around the syllabus and when I took one, the packet of paper was so thick that I thought I grabbed two by mistake.

The syllabus for class one? Sixteen pages!

So, “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” instantly came to mind. Gone are the days of easy assignments and quizzes and here are the days of 70-minute group project presentations and 12 page papers.

However, though it may feel like your world is crashing down, after you take the time to schedule everything out, you’ll find that you actually do feel fine. Somehow, even though things seem crazy, you know there is a reason you were accepted into your program and everything will turn out okay.

2. One Day Too Late—Skillet

“One Day Too Late” is most basically a song about making the most of your time and trying your hardest. The lead singer of Skillet, John Cooper, said he wrote this song in reference to spending more time with his children and wife rather than concentrating too much on other activities (which definitely relates to how you spend your time with your family/friends during grad school).

As you race against the clock to finish your work and studies, remember you only get this time—this moment. As Cooper warns, “make the most of every moment/stop saving the best for last.”

Grad school requires you to constantly give your absolute best in all that you do, whether in research, in class, in your internship. You are a representative of your grad program and must act accordingly. Don’t wait until you are a few months or semesters into your program to stand up and start making a difference—the time is now!

Grad school is the “chance for a new beginning” where you can truly use what you learn to change the world. No matter what happens during your stint in grad school, don’t make mountains out of molehills (“gonna learn to forgive and forget/cause we don’t have long, gotta make the most of it”) and try your best to be your best.

3. Tossin’ and Turnin’—Bobby Lewis

Okay, this song is a bit of a stretch, but if you substitute the word “you” for “grad school,” it totally works:

“I couldn’t sleep at all last night
Got to thinkin’ of you (*cough* grad school)
Baby things weren’t right
Well I was tossin’ and turnin’
Turnin’ and tossin’
a-tossin’ and turnin’ all night”

Sleep won’t come easy during grad school. Either you don’t have time to sleep or when you do get to try, you find yourself tossing and turning all night with big projects and deadlines on your mind.

Just accept the fact that your sleep schedule is about to get wacky and try to catch quick naps in between classes or during class breaks. If you thought you missed sleep during undergrad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

4. Don’t Forget to Remember Me—Carrie Underwood

Once you get a grip on how much work graduate school requires, you may find your social life starts to slip. With papers, group projects, readings, research, and in some cases a thesis, grad school takes up a lot (and I mean, a LOT) of time.

Slap on an assistantship or fellowship and internships and maybe a job outside of your grad school responsibilities and poof—there goes your social life.

“Don’t Forget to Remember Me” is a reminder to your friends and family that although you may not actually have time to hang out with them, you still want to be invited –it’s the thought that counts.

This song’s lyrics relate to leaving for college for the first time, but are definitely applicable to graduate school as well. It is difficult to have to spend so much time on school and push your social life to the backburner; you don’t want anyone to forget about you just because you can’t hang out all of the time now.

As a side-note, remember that relationships prove extremely important to your mental health and try to pencil in time for your loved ones. You’ll all feel better!

5. Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades—Timbuk3

Grad school opens up numerous doors and opportunities to you. Jobs you never imagined, people you never thought you would meet, experiences that will change your life and more await you on your journey through grad school.

Some of us go off to college right after we graduate high school, either because we want to or because we are expected to by our parents (and society). A lot of the time, we have no idea why we are there or where we want to be in life and our future seems bleak at that point as we try to discover what it is we want to do after graduation.

Not everyone will choose to go to grad school, but more specialized, you can make your grad program what you choose and your experience will help you find your future career. Unlike undergrad, grad school exists for those that are ready to create a bright future; students don’t seem to typically go to grad school just for the sake of going like they might with undergrad.

Thus, truly for you grad students the “Future’s So Bright, [You] Gotta Wear Shades.”