The life of a graduate student is a challenging one, filled with hard work and sacrifice. But for those who are truly dedicated, it has many rewards as well. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest academic unit on the Indiana University Bloomington campus, and it enrolls and employs the most graduate students. Several of these young men and women—all doctoral students in the College—offer their perspectives on the graduate experience, including a common concern: how to pay for it.
Valery Benton is articulating why graduate students are important. "An undergraduate degree is very general," the biochemistry PhD student explains. "Graduate school is where you begin to develop expertise.
"You wouldn’t want a doctor operating on you if he or she went into practice straight out of college," she continues. "For a lot of professions, graduate school is where you hone your skills."
Society depends on those whose graduate degrees give them specific skills, yet many people consider graduate school to be optional, a luxury. While it is true that many careers require no advanced degree, a great many do.
Benton should know. She is on track to complete dual doctorates in biochemistry and neuroscience. Her passion is science, and she is very good at it. But without those degrees, she could not compete in either academia or industry.
Another IU student, political scientist Brent Hierman, points out, "Graduate students are researchers; we’re the next generation. Our professors share what they have done, and we build on that. The professors did the same when they were grads. It’s how the profession advances."
However, the graduate experience isn’t just about students pursuing their goals. It’s a two-way street. IU relies on these up-and-coming experts to share teaching with the faculty, especially introductory classes. Associate instructors (AIs) teach a third of all undergraduate courses. The faculty also rely on grad students to help conduct research. Hierman puts it bluntly: "Research universities couldn’t exist without graduate students. We’re the lifeblood."
It is this dual responsibility that defines grad school for most students. Anthony Nussmeier, in the Italian language program, describes it this way: "We’re here to study, learn, and eventually enter the professoriate, so our first priority is to the classes we take. But we’re also teachers, often the ones students have the closest relationship with. So we have a huge responsibility to be purveyors of knowledge."
Like most AIs, Nussmeier takes his teaching very seriously indeed. "People should not make the mistake of thinking that an AI is somehow second-rate. Graduate students are extremely knowledgeable and energetic. You don’t get into a place like IU unless you’re already good at what you do. This is our career, after all. We have something to prove.
"Graduate school is an apprenticeship," he observes. "You’re teaching, absorbing, learning the methodologies that work best, keeping up with your field. You’re also teaching three or four classes a year, holding office hours, helping students with extracurricular activities. Teaching isn’t something we dabble in on the side—it’s what we do, and we’re invested in doing it well."
Anthropologist Fileve Palmer expands on that idea: "As an AI, you’re building bridges between undergraduates and faculty. You’re guided by the professors, but you’re also connecting with the students and mentoring them. You even connect with the surrounding community, through volunteer work, for instance. When you live and work here, you become part of the community."
While their programs and individual experiences vary, all these grad students agree that juggling courses, research, and teaching is hard work. Add spouses and children into the mix, and the demands can seem overwhelming.
Then there is the ever-present issue of funding. Most graduate students cobble together money from several sources: part-time jobs, grants, loans, AI-ships, national fellowships, research assistantships—and, crucially, from IU fellowships provided by donors.
Susan Eckelmann holds a Louise McNutt Graduate Fellowship in history. "I absolutely would not be here without it. History is my passion: teaching it, engaging my students, inspiring the next generation of historians. The McNutt Fellowship makes that possible."
Eckelmann serves in the Graduate and Professional Students Organization, so she has insight into the role of benefactors. "Private donors are essential," she insists. "That’s where most of the money comes from. They enable us to develop and advance as professionals.
"A lot of people have been very generous, and we, my whole department, are grateful. Other departments have not been as fortunate. I know what a lot of my friends go through. Graduate life should not be miserable." 
