By Seema Sairam, recent graduate
Pursuing a graduate degree is not for the faint of heart. It requires a great deal of self-discipline, determination, stamina, belief in yourself and a willingness to put yourself out there. Although I knew that all of these qualities would be called upon before starting my MLIS at the iSchool, I had no idea of the level of challenge that it required. I learned some valuable lessons along the way that I would like to share with you in the hopes that you will be able to adapt and use them during your own journey.
Online Learning is Challenging
The convenience and flexibility provided by an online degree program really cannot be beat. But learning in an online environment does pose some practical challenges. It requires you to be much more self-sufficient in terms of organization, time management, trouble-shooting technology mishaps, and understanding your own learning needs. For example, in a single class, your instructor may use multiple digital formats to deliver course content such as videos, PDFs, Word docs, audio files, multimedia files, and links to web sources. And each class you take usually has multiple components that can include assignments, weekly tasks, discussion posts, lectures, and readings. Staying on top of course content and requirements can become quickly overwhelming if you don’t set up some sort of system of organization for yourself. I found it very helpful to create a standard file/folder structure on my computer hard drive for every class and then at the start of each week for a class, I downloaded all the materials into the file folders. I typically divided my top-level folders into three categories – assignments, content, and discussions. I spent time at the beginning of each semester going through my syllabi and adding in color-coded due dates for each of my classes on a master calendar. I also color coded non-school events so that I had a visual depiction of my commitments in one place. Doing this at the beginning of the semester helped me see where I might need to schedule time in to reward myself for getting through a heavy week.
The multi-format nature of online learning may also require you to get out of your comfort zone in how you use technology to retain knowledge. Are you an auditory or visual learner? Do you have to read things many times to understand them? Does reading digitally make it more difficult for you to remember details? Can you retain information better if you talk over difficult concepts with someone? You don’t need to have all the answers, but if you can identify some of your basic learning needs and preferences, you can then figure out where you might need to spend more or less time during your studies each week. This is something I really wish I had spent some time evaluating after my first semester. I think I could have made some slight adjustments to the way I approached reading course content and writing discussion posts that could have saved me a lot of time and stress in later semesters.
Build a Personal Support System
One of the most important things I learned throughout my program was how necessary it is to build a personal support system. Being an online student was at times an isolating experience. While I had opportunities to interact with peers and faculty through discussion posts, group projects, and online class meetings, the frequency of interaction was highly variable between courses and semesters. To bridge the gap, I turned to the iSchool Facebook community, joined professional associations, and reached out to classmates I developed a rapport with to create my own version of campus life, all of which ultimately helped me feel more connected to the work I was doing in school. There are some excellent iSchool Facebook groups out there, and I encourage you all to join. Even if you are just an observer and never post anything, you will feel a sense of camaraderie. Here’s a list of some of the groups out in Facebook land that I became a member of:
- SJSU iSchool Alumni and Students
- SJSU iSchool Students (for students only)
- SJSU e-portfolio group (must be added by a current member)
- 40px (site set up by Raymond Dean, instructor of INFO 240)
- ALA Think Tank (co-founded by former iSchool grad)
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help and let your loved ones pick up the slack with the mundane things in life when school gets hectic. Finally, take care of your physical and mental health, whatever that means for you. I would, however, highly recommend scheduling one day a week where you take a complete break from school. Both your brain and body will thank you.
Take Advantage of SJSU and Other Student Resources
Sure, being a grad student is tough, but there are some perks that can help you survive:
- Research Help – If you need help with research for an assignment, you can contact the iSchool subject liaison, Ann Agee. I found it to be efficient and also anxiety reducing, especially early in my program to seek out advice and assistance when researching term papers.
- KingLibrary Link+/ILL Services – use these services to check out textbooks for the whole semester, if they are available. Distance students will receive books via snail mail, free of charge.
- Free or low cost software through SJSU’s Technology Services – want Adobe Creative Suite or Office 365 for a fraction of retail cost? You can check out the details here.
- SJSU Career Center – once you register online, you gain access to SpartaJobs, a job listing service for SJSU students and alumni, access to career-oriented seminars, and Big Interview, a free online interview practice tool for SJSU students (and alumni).
- iSchool website – a treasure trove of information related to every aspect of student life. I referenced it every single day in one way or another. Some of the sub-pages that I recommend you bookmark and visit frequently include the Current Students, Career Development, and iSchool events
- Amazon Prime Membership at Student Rate – where you can access textbook rentals, discounted pricing on technology, media, and other school-related products. Just be sure to set up and use your free sjsu.edu email address to sign-up.
- Student discounts – check to see if you can get discounts at your local gym or fitness establishment, museums, transportation providers, bookstores, restaurants, etc. I saved nearly 20 percent off my gym membership for three years!
Course Planning
I found course planning each semester to be very challenging mostly due to my varied interests. After my first year in the program, I created a spreadsheet matrix that listed the official course name, topic, core competencies addressed, instructors, semesters offered, and any other notes or relevant information for every class I had taken and those classes I was interested in taking. The matrix helped me to see where I was headed at a glance – in terms of areas of study, professors I liked, missing competencies, and so on and I continued to update the matrix each semester. I also periodically compared my spreadsheet to the iSchool’s Career Pathways Electives Chart to see how my personal preferences were aligning with the charted recommendations. Other resources I relied on frequently included the iSchool’s Career Directions webpage, my academic advisor, student-written reviews on Rate My Professors, other students, and advice from some of my professors. I do wish I had taken advantage of the iSchool Facebook groups more often to get more specific feedback about individual courses.
Find and Follow Industry Resources and Thought Leaders
Whether it’s through class, an internship, Facebook groups, colleagues or some other source, find and follow industry-specific resources and people that inspire and interest you. You can accomplish this in many different ways but one of the easiest is by using Twitter. Some of the industry resources I follow on Twitter include Hack Library School, I Need A Library Job (INALJ), Smithsonian, Stanford Libraries, IFLA, Library Journal, US National Archives, ALA, and The Digital Shift. Doing this helped me stay on top of industry issues/trends, gain different perspectives to issues that I was learning about in class, and kept me motivated to finish my degree.
I hope that some of my shared experiences have provided some perspective for you. As they say, hindsight is 20-20!