When I decided to go on to grad school, my usual response to people was that I was trying to avoid the “real world” for as long as possible. In some senses, it’s true that going on to graduate school is a form of avoidance. School is what we know. Most of us have been in school since at least the age of five. Although I’ve had a summer job here or there, I’ve never held down a “real job” that entailed a salary, large projects and lots of accountability. But, as I continue on my path toward a Ph.D., I’ve realized that graduate school is a lot more like the “real world” than I expected.

As a graduate student, I’m no longer able to pay a blanket fee at the beginning of the semester that will take care of my housing and food. Nor, as graduate students, do we have access to a weekly list of fun activities at a cheap price or for free. Weekend Highlights never seemed so good. With graduate school comes monthly rent and utilities payments, weekly grocery shopping and daily accountability for my whereabouts. I’m generally expected to be in my office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., show up for meetings and attend all of my classes. For this, I receive a paycheck on the 15th and the 30th of every month.

I do have deadlines and large projects that must be completed in order for me to continue in my program. If I don’t do well on my exams, turn in assignments or successfully complete research goals, I won’t be able to graduate. Also, some of my projects have the potential for a big impact on the world, just as much as someone in a “real job.” My findings may end up influencing health policy. In many respects, graduate school is much more like the “real world” than undergraduate life. While I may not have to worry as much about job security, graduate school also provides real world living conditions and job experience during summers as a researcher. It’s been a much larger step away from the undergraduate life I experienced for the past four years than I expected.