Graduate students often feel isolated. On one hand, Professionals treat them as “just students”. On the other, undergraduates look at them as old people. This makes the graduate community feel like it does not belong anywhere but itself.
On several occasions, being someone who has come back to school from the industry, I had friends and former colleagues vocally wonder, in an almost condescending and sarcastic manner, about why I chose to go back to school. I am sure many other graduate students feel the same. Many non-students believe that graduate school is a waste of time, and that graduate students are merely kids who are afraid to grow up and go into the world. When a significant portion of society looks at you that way, you can’t help but feel shunned. This passive aggressive attitude creates a sense of alienation that keeps many graduate students from mingling with non-students.
Similarly, it has been my personal experience that socializing with undergraduates can be as difficult. In addition to the age difference, undergraduates are predominantly US citizens, whereas graduate students are a good mix of nationalities. This makes the undergraduate community extremely American in culture and not easy for graduate students to mesh with. Moreover, the age difference creates a contrast in interests and behavior. Graduate students tend to seek more quality time with a relatively small group of people, whereas undergraduate gatherings and events are usually much larger in scale and louder.
In conclusion, graduate students find themselves in need of creating their own identity in society. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it can be very challenging, especially for people who most likely had to move at least hundreds of miles, if not thousands, and got uprooted from their social support system. Moreover, the life style graduate students lead, for better or worse, allows them little time to socialize and have fun, creating another barrier in integrating them into a community. I believe the graduate school should take a more pronounced role in molding the graduate community with its surroundings, and even within itself.