The central theme of this volume is the graduate student experience. It has been assumed that because graduate students have completed undergraduate degrees, they have developed to the point where they can handle the new responsibilities of graduate study on their own. Moreover, because graduate study is characterized as trial by fire, systems of support are seen as unnecessary. Although there have always been those who have been alert to the attention these students need, it has often been left to chance. This book brings together in one place a discussion of issues and needs from the points of view of both graduate education and student affairs. Drawing on the research and practical experiences of leading scholars, the book leads off with excerpts from a graduate student's diary and then reviews the current landscape of graduate education. The challenge to graduate education and student affairs concludes the volume. This is the 72nd issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Student Services.