Academic Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Graduate Education at Penn

By Graduate Student Center

Many of us enter graduate school not knowing what to expect or how different it is from our undergraduate experiences. This is totally understandable - less than 10% of the world's population has a graduate or professional degree. So the odds of all of us knowing someone who went to graduate school are already small and even smaller if we look at how many people have these degrees in our specific field. While it is true that professional degree and PhD students are slightly more likely to have parents with these degrees, parental education actually plays a small role in who goes to graduate school.

What is the Hidden Curriculum

There is a well-known saying 'You don't know what you don't know.' But a lot of incoming and advanced graduate students often feel like they are navigating things for the first time in their program while their peers have it all figured out. It can seem like everyone knows something you don't or has access to inside information. Well, we're here to tell you that those feelings are valid and there is a Hidden Curriculum in graduate school.

Dr. Jessica Calarco, G'12 defines the hidden curriculum as "the knowledge and skills that matter for student success but aren’t explicitly taught." Imagine a path starting when you arrive on campus to begin your graduate career. This path twists and winds over various landscapes that lead to your degree. Everyone's path will have a slightly different starting point and the endpoints will cluster together depending on your earned degree. Throughout the landscape, there are treasure chests scattered about with different tools inside. Many chests have tools that are field-specific, meaning that it's something only people who are scholars in that particular field would need. Then there are a few chests with tools that are beneficial to most if not all graduate students at an institution. Part of your graduate journey is navigating the landscape to find these chests and use the tools inside to make it to the end (your degree).

This is where the journey becomes overwhelming but remember, there are people who made a similar journey ahead of you and experts that you will meet along the way who can point you toward the chests you need. More advanced graduate students and mentors in your program can help point out the field-specific treasure chests. In comparison, places like the Graduate Student Center and the Weingarten Center can unlock those chests that are beneficial to all graduate students and help you find support at any point in your journey. 

Whenever you encounter or uncover one of these hidden tools, instead of feeling bad for not knowing about it sooner, remember this quote from Maya Angelou, "Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it." Ask questions. Look up things you don't recognize. Remember you are here to become an expert in your field and learn from more experienced scholars. 

Examples

Some examples of general hidden knowledge that we've heard from graduate students:

  • PhD candidate refers to a student that is ‘all but dissertation’ (ABD). They are done with coursework and have successfully passed their thesis proposal.

  • No single human can provide all the support necessary for success. You need mentors, plural, that can speak to: your topic/area, the methods used in your field, feedback on writing, professional and/or life advice ...

Some examples of field-specific hidden knowledge:

  • You may be asked to write a literature review. Your instructor probably wants “you to use the literature to make an argument about what we do and don't know about a given topic.“

  • Your program may have expectations for attendance and presentation experience at flagship conferences in your field. Reach out to advanced graduate students to learn about these expectations.

Advice from grad students at Penn

  • Have a team of mentors who can help you with specific aspects of your graduate career. 

  • If it’s your first time doing something (presenting, writing, etc.) follow up with your adviser or one of your mentors to go over the expectations.  

  • Make yourself aware of the many channels and resources available at the University; look beyond your department. 

  • Reach out to places like the Graduate Student Center when you need help advocating for yourself.  

  • Advocating for yourself can be time-consuming; be persistent and remind others. 

  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions! 

  • Try to find places where your research interests overlap with your coursework to save you some time and help you come at your research from new angles. 

  • Don’t be afraid to push for your research interests if they are outside what your adviser or department studies. Make sure you are planning and have a mentor who can help you (maybe outside your department). 

  • Your network includes other students and faculty in your department. Talk with them about their experiences and how they navigate certain milestones in your program. 

  • When asking for feedback, clarification, or more information from a faculty member, try to frame your approach as coming from a place of curiosity and enthusiasm to learn more.  

Other resources: 

  1. Examples in Humanities/Social Sciences: https://scatter.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/guest-post-grad-schools-hidden-curriculum/ 

  1. Examples in Sociology: https://twitter.com/thehauer/status/1021179403680862218?s=20 

  1. Academic resources and support: https://gsc.upenn.edu/academic-programs/academic-resources-and-support 

  1. Dissertation resources and support: https://gsc.upenn.edu/academic-programs/thesis-and-dissertation-support  

  2. Advising & Mentoring PhD Students: https://bit.ly/AMPD

  3. General resources for graduate students: https://gsc.upenn.edu/resources