Why Grad School is like Kindergarten....

enrolling in grad school is a choice and decision not made haphazardly. it is a professional decision made based on previous education, work experience and future career plans (or lack there of). we get an MBA to become more analytical, think more strategically or gain other qualities neccessary in upper level management. most of these people are highly intelligent and very motivated to become better managers or better people in general. however, i'm starting to realize that somewhere along the way, grad school is not at all like the corporate world - grad school is like kindergarten.

as a working professional, my breakfast was a cup of coffee and croissant i picked up on the walk to work. in grad school, i eat cereal or oatmeal and milk. i remember when my parents made my breakfast, and i had cereal and oatmeal... they fed me some line like "you need to have a good breakfast or you'll be hungry before lunch." oddly enough, i find myself saying that! i had applejacks, a banana and milk this morning so that i could make it till lunch... just like mom said.

lunch is also changing. at work, i would either try to squeeze in 10 minutes to eat lunch at anytime between 12pm - 2.30pm... whenever i had a free moment. now, since i ate that balanced breakfast, i can make it to lunch without snacking - but i MUST EAT BY 12:30PM!! if not, i turn into a whiny little 5 year old.... not pretty.

my sleep patterns have also reverted since the beginning of grad school. with my work schedule as a professional, i could go to bed at anytime as long as i woke up in time for work the next day. if i didn't get much sleep, i could make it up the following night. not so in grad school! 8 hours of sleep per day are essential. this is usually accomplished by supplementing the 5 hour average nightly shut eye with an afternoon nap around 2 or 3pm. too bad i don't have one of those blue, folding nap mats like in kindergarten.

in addition to various habits, social interaction also changes. hanging out with coworkers during the week often included having a few drinks and maybe dinner. in grad school, we are more prone to hang out with friends and play games... granted some of these games may include alcohol, they are, nonetheless, group games ... trivia at the bar, beer pong...

i'm sure there are other similarities between grad school and kindergarten, but it is now 12:30 pm, and i need to eat before the whiny 5-year old comes out.... i'll come back to this topic later.