Grad school should lack structure

First understand why the fence is put there before you try to take it down.

Grad school is an environment where students are expected to learn how to become members of the scientific community. Sometimes, students come straight from their undergraduate degree where they are likely familiar with a structured curriculum. These students may be used to learning environments that are didactic - where the teacher tells them what to learn, how to learn it, and the teacher verifies their understanding. This creates a tension in grad school as grad students will soon chart a path in a research direction where no other person can be an authority. So if successful researchers are those who drive new paths and bring others along with them, then we need to create a learning environment where students can learn how to trailblaze.

I believe that, to some extent, the lack of structure in grad school is a necessary component to making successful researchers. When students aren’t hand held through the process of learning, space is made for the student to learn how to trailblaze. If given the space, students learn to evaluate for themselves what good scientific methadology looks like while also learning how to control their behaviour toward doing better research. As long as the student stays connected to the scientific community - through peers, mentors, and advisors - they will have the space to learn how to trailblaze their scientific journey.

I’ve come to realize that the lack of structure in grad school is something to be protected. I’ve sometimes wished that I had less space to make mistakes in favour of more progress, and sometimes I see this frustration in others. While I used to see the frustration as a indication of a problem, I’ve learned that this is a sign of the learning environment working. Intervening too early may rob the student of a crucial skill, and by making space for students to develop their ability to learn what to learn, how to learn it, and how to verify their own understanding, I think we can help other students become better researchers.