An average 22-year-old in the United States has spent over 3,000 days in school, comprising nearly 78% of in her or his life. Choosing to go to graduate school prolongs your life as a student, but as I’ve come to learn, grad school is significantly different from any previous educational experience, including undergraduate studies.

Most undergraduate programs require some general courses in varying areas of study, such as mathematics, humanities, biology and physical sciences. There is no equivalent to this in graduate school. Most programs have some required core coursework, but they are all directly focused toward your area of study. This is an inherent quality of graduate studies: you are no longer seeking a broad education, but are instead narrowing your focus and specializing in a specific subject. In many ways, this is a positive thing, as honing your skills provides you with a unique set of abilities and knowledge, which individuates you in the workplace. On the other hand, narrowing your studies occasionally causes an inadvertent bubble effect; after a few months within your program, Russian history or biostatistics becomes your entire worldview. European Union political conflicts fade to the back of your radar, and just forget about any celebrity news (Ariana who?). But isn’t that what life truly is: a hodgepodge of philosophical thoughts, episodes of culinary disasters and tales of accidental adventures? Life is wonderfully varied, and it seems a shame for your experience to be limited by the confines of a single subject or skill. I am not suggesting that specializing is necessarily limiting, but I think it is important to always try to place your field of study within a broader scope.

Graduate classes also differ from undergraduate courses in many regards (depending on the institution, of course). There are no large lectures in grad school, and many classes are structured as seminars in which the students are expected to contribute as much as the professors. This means that students must be well-read and entirely prepared for class — no more light skimming of assigned readings and passive, half-conscious lecture attendances. If you were one of those constantly prepared students, you will be in fine shape in graduate school.

Although the amount of work per class is about the same, the amount of time spent working is greater. Professors expect a lot more from grad students, which translates into grad students spending a great deal of time perfecting every paper and thoroughly reading every assigned article. However, important to note is that you choose grad school and you choose your courses, so going into such depth in a subject you love is quite interesting and rewarding.

Extracurricular activities are another contrasting aspect of graduate school. In undergrad, you are encouraged to join a plethora of clubs and organizations, ranging from a cappella groups to fraternities to club sports. This diversification helps to form friendships that might never occur in class, as well as to provide an outlet to express other aspects of your personality and showcase unique talents. In graduate school, you are encouraged not to join a dance group, but rather to do individual research, publish original work and have professional internships that all relate to your academic program. This heralds back to the discussion of focusing almost exclusively on one specific subject. Although this is important to develop professionally, I do miss the ability to engage in activities outside of the classroom.

Possibly the greatest difference between undergrad and graduate school is that grad school is a choice. Many, if not most, high school graduates are college-bound upon graduation. So many, in fact, that it seems like the only step forward. There are very few well-paying jobs that do not require at least a bachelor’s degree, and as such, it is only natural for most people to go to college. However, graduate school is not such a necessity. Those who choose to enroll in grad school either require the degree for their chosen profession, such as in the case of medical or law students, or are so interested by a particular area of study that they desire learning as much as they can about it through formal education. On top of this, undergraduate degrees often seem to be funded through collegiate institutions or parental bank funds, whereas only some graduate programs are funded (mostly PhD programs). Therefore, not only are grad students choosing to unnecessarily put themselves through the pain of graduate school, but they are often paying large sums of money for this experience. It is essentially like paying somebody to punch you in the stomach every day for two years. Well, perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Yet despite all of these differences, there are some similarities between undergraduate and graduate school. Late nights are a regular thing. Caffeine becomes its own food group. You learn really interesting things that may or may not be of importance in the “real world.” 7 a.m. seems impossibly early, and Natty Light is an acceptable beverage. Free food is a real reason to attend any event — no matter how boring or strange. Textbooks are way too expensive. Some of the best friends you will ever have are made, and some of the best times of your life occur during these wonderful years.

Rebecca Childress is a master’s candidate in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Gradually Getting There appears every other Friday.