feeling overwhelmed by the transition to graduate school :/
hello everyone.
basically title. just feeling a little disheartened about my current level.
i'm currently doing a graduate program in history in my home country in Latin America on a full scholarship after completing an undergraduate degree in history and philosophy in the United States. i knew that the difference between undergrad and graduate school would be clear, but i don't think i was prepared for just how big the jump would feel.
i especially struggle in historiography-focused classes because they constantly remind me of how much i don't know. part of me knows the answer is probably just to keep reading, but when i see how much my professors and classmates know, i sometimes worry that i'll never reach that level. it just seems theyre on a different level.
has anyone else felt this way during graduate school? i know part of the answer is probably to keep reading and trust the process, but i'd be especially interested to hear from people who have completed the coursework portion of a phd or finished a phd altogether. how did you deal with these feelings? did you eventually feel like you caught up? thank you.
ps: do undergrad programs (in the humanities) actually prepare you for graduate school? at least in my experience, the reading loads are extremely different and we barely talked about historiograhy in my program. maybe its just me. interested to hear more.