Starting Graduate School in the Middle of a Pandemic (April 2020)
I officially started my Master’s program in April 2020.
To be honest, the details are a bit blurry now since I’m writing this in 2025.
But there is one thing I will never forget: COVID-19 had just been declared a global pandemic.
Because the virus was beginning to spread, the entrance ceremony was canceled, and all campus activities moved online.
You could say my start as a graduate student was quite unique—very different from most students’ experiences.
🎓 Planning My Course Strategy
The very first thing I had to do after becoming an official student was, of course, to register for classes.
In my program — the Master’s Program in Applied Physics — we were required to complete 30 credits within the two-year study period.
From the beginning, I had one big strategy:
👉 Finish all my credits in the first year, so I could focus fully on research in the second year.
🧭 Understanding the Course System: Core, Sub-core, and Electives
At that time, the course registration system felt quite confusing.
There were three types of courses I needed to understand:
- University-required courses
- Department-required courses
- Elective courses, which came with various additional conditions
It took some time to understand how the system worked, especially since I was still adapting to a new campus and new environment.
Once I finally got the structure, I began creating my study plan and semester schedule.
🖥️ Online Classes: Real-time vs On-demand
Due to the pandemic, almost all classes were conducted online. Interestingly, there were two formats:
- 🕒 Real-time: live classes held at specific times
- 📝 On-demand: pre-recorded lectures that students could watch anytime
Most of the courses I took happened to be on-demand.
This was extremely helpful because it allowed me to organize my day like this:
- Morning to evening: focus on research in the lab
- Night: watch lecture videos and finish assignments
With this system, I felt I had much more time flexibility compared to regular in-person classes.
✍️ My Course Selection Strategy
Early on, I realized that my academic writing skills were not that strong.
For that reason, I preferred courses that were graded through written exams rather than long reports.
The reason was simple: I felt more comfortable doing exam problems than writing free-form reports.
And the result?
- ✅ Courses with written exams: mostly A’s
- 🟡 Courses with reports: my grades were generally lower
But it wasn’t a big deal. I knew from the start that GPA wasn’t everything (though it’s nice to have a high one).
What mattered more to me was doing research.
🧪 Research-Focused Second Year
By completing all my credits in the first year, I was able to dedicate my entire second year to research
(although I was already doing research during my first year as well).
This decision helped a lot because:
- Experiments often take a long time and don’t always go smoothly
- Data processing can be time-consuming
- Balancing research and coursework can be exhausting
(especially with assignments)
If you’re planning to pursue a Master’s degree, taking most of your courses early can be a very effective strategy. (Depend on the university)
🌿 Final Thoughts: Lessons from a Pandemic Year
My first year of graduate school was probably very different from most people’s experiences—no entrance ceremony, all classes online, and a quiet campus.
But from that, I learned:
📌 Flexibility is essential
🧠 Good early planning can make research much easier later
☕ Focus on what matters most—in this case, research
If you also studied during the pandemic, or if you’re planning to study in Japan, I hope this story gives you some insight and practical tips.
And if you’ve had a similar experience, feel free to share it in the comments 👇