How to stretch yourself in graduate school

Graduate school is never a time to get grade-conscious. While it remains performance-driven (yes, you need to deliver), you need not show off nor become overly competitive. Surely, your classmates have their own share of expertise and do many things much better than you. But don't get intimidated either. You are there to share your own skill set to hopefully produce a meaningful output. So here are some tips to get the most out of this experience:

1. Apprentice under the most experienced faculty (and possibly collaborate on a project together). Yes, it is possible to tap on the most experienced faculty for an adviser. Even if he/she may be drowning in teaching load/admin work, he/she will find time for you, so long as you're sincere to learn. In my case, I was lucky to have been a mentee of one of our department's senior professors. And at 32, I only have one first-author publication with him as my co-author, but the experience of putting the work together was something I never thought I could do, yet proved attainable.

2. Volunteer to edit group papers. Writing is an indispensable skill in graduate school. For many times during my masteral, I drove myself to thread together pieces of written work from co-students. Through this, I became more familiar with the language used in their respective industries, and it was an enriching experience.

3. Learn things you have zero base knowledge on. This is an opportune time to upgrade your skill set. If the programme offers a coding module, and you are the least teach-savvy student in the cohort, don't be afraid to sign up for the course (so long as you meet the pre-requirements). Professors would openly say what prior skill sets are required. But in many cases, professors are using graduate school to popularise niche areas so they make the modules as universally welcoming as possible.

4. Engage and initiate exchanges with your co-students. I have talked about the importance of forging vertical relations in point 1, but do not easily forego the chance to build lateral relations with your classmates. As mentioned above, many of your co-students have so much to offer. They may be company department heads or managers, or influencers in their respective fields. Learn as much as you can from them. I would say that nearly half of your takeaway from post-graduate schooling would come from informal and outside-classroom exchanges with your co-learners. And who knows? This may bring forth positive partnerships for long-term collaborations.