Time - Simply put, graduate students are expected to do a great many tasks in a small amount of time. They often have to read, teach, research, learn complicated new concepts, and write papers-simultaneously. What you may have been given a week to do as an undergraduate, might only amount to a one or two day assignment as a graduate student. The ability to multitask and create realistic priorities is essential. More on time management in graduate school .
Classes are usually large and sometimes impersonal.
The professor spends a good deal of class time lecturing to the students, who record notes and demonstrate their retention of material on tests. The professor may use a curve or point system to allocate grade assignments. Graduate courses are conversely smaller and more interactive. Students are expected to read vast amounts of theoretical text or research, contribute new ideas regarding the subject matter, and become dynamic participants in classroom discussions. In graduate school students are assigned a single major advisor.