How to survive in graduate school
From PsychWiki - A Collaborative Psychology Wiki
Learn the tips, tricks, dos, and donts from those who have survived graduate school!
Think of this webpage as a type of professor-to-student and student-to-student mentoring about all of those things we wish someone would have told us when we were in graduate school because this resource could be useful to anyone thinking of going to graduate school or already in graduate school.
We all face the same challenges in graduate school so pass along your hard-won insights about graduate school.
Plus, we have a new section called Who can I talk to if I have a question about graduate school?
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How to contribute
What can you offer? There are two ways to start contributing.
- First, below are some suggestions to get you started. Type anything you can think of into this General Information section:
- what went wrong for you in graduate school and what would you do differently if you could?
- what went right for you, pass it along.
- if you could create the perfect mentor, what characteristics would he/she have?
- how was your TA experience, any advice to those who are just becoming an TA?
- how was your RA experience, any advice to those who are just becoming an RA?
- what are the unspoken rules of conduct in graduate school that you can only learn by living it, what is the culture of graduate school like - pass those along
- how is your first year different from your second year in the program, or your last year in the program?
- if you could go back in time 1 year and tell yourself 1 thing, what would it be?
- who do you see as the most successful student, and what did they do that made them that successful?
- Second, here are some sections already created, do you have something to add to them?
- I have been admitted to the program, now what do I do?
- What is your typical day/week like? Share and compare
- Managing the relationship with your advisor
- Being a TA and RA, what you need to know
- Networking - how to?
- International Students - unique challenges?
- You are not going to believe this story...
AND REMEMBER, THE EASIEST WAY TO ADD CONTENT IS TO CLICK ON THE "edit" LINK ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF EACH SECTION
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General Information
- Graduate school is not like being an undergraduate. The classes are longer and the work is more time intensive so two classes really is full time.
- Research is most important, so when in doubt choose research over more classes or teaching work.
- When working on any research projects always clarify whether or not you will get publication credit.
- Learn to prioritize your time. The work your advisor asks you to do should be higher priority than classwork (unless your advisor teaches that class).
- Break large projects down into small steps to avoid getting overwhelmed with all the work you have to do.
- Take advantage of senior graduate students. They have already gone through everything you will have to go through and they know the best ways to survive it.
- Check with senior graduate students about getting class notes from past semesters.
- Make friends with other incoming graduate students both in and outside your department. Most incoming students are desperate for friends and you will need people to form study groups and for advice on the various projects you will work on.
- Never pass up a free meal - graduate school is expensive and you will be poor for a long time.
- If your advisor doesn't put you on research projects right away, ask! Show initiative.
- Leave time for play in your schedule or you will burn out quickly.
- Be prepared for disappointment. Most papers are rejected the first few times, so don't let it dishearten you.
- Whenever you can, get undergraduate research assistants to help run experiments, as it will free up your time to do more important things like: thinking about research ideas, doing analyses, and writing manuscripts. see more research tips on this page
- It's never too early to begin looking for a fellowship...especially if being a TA or RA is consuming too much of your time. But choose wisely - the right fellowship is one that not only offers a nice stipend, but also provides you with excellent mentoring and networking opportunities.
- There are different sources of financial support available to you, such as fellowships, grants, TA'ships, RA'ships, and etc. so be proactive and find which ones you qualify for ASAP. see a listing of fundings sources on this page.
- In terms of TA'ships, find out who is the person who assigns TA'ships and communicate to them your preferences because its can't hurt to ask.
- Also, there are less TA'ships available over summer so one way to increase your chances of obtaining these TA'ships is by finding which professors are teaching those classes and persuade them to recommend you as their TA for the summer class
- I would suggest working with multiple professors early in the graduate career to get as much experience and mentorship as possible. With this base of experience, you are then better able to choose which path to take and how to narrow your research focus in later years of graduate school.
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I have been admitted to the program, now what do I do?
What was the first thing you did? What would you recommend to someone who just entered the program?
- Introduce yourself to everyone you see in the department because the first few days/weeks are the best time to meet everyone.
- Make sure that you have at least one research project that you will be working on during your first semester. If your advisor doesn't automatically assign you to one. Ask him/her about a senior graduate student who needs some help done on their project.
- Don't overload yourself with classes. Settling into a new school, new apartment, and new department are going to take time and energy from your first semester. You will be in graduate school long enough to take all the classes you need.
- Even before school starts, see if you can get the contact info of a senior graduate student who can guide you through the first semester process.
- Don't be afraid to stalk your advisor. You should have at least weekly contact with him/her either through regularly scheduled meetings or email.
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My typical day/week is like....
What is your typical day like in graduate school? Your typical week? Share this information with each other and see how your experience compares. Plus, maybe learn some tips to making your typical day or week easier.
- I was told some great advice -- write every day for at least 1-2 hours. You may not believe it, but that doubled the amount of manuscripts I could complete in a given semester or year. Also, writing everyday forces you to uncover potential gaps in your thinking, and better ways to approach your research.
- Even when my schedule provides me with an opportunity to work from home, I find it more productive to spend the day at school. There, I am more motivated and less likely to be distracted by daytime television or a nap.
- As a student with a 50% RAship taking two courses, I spend: 20 hours per week working as an RA (e.g. running subjects, analyzing data), 8 hours per week in class, 6 hours per week in meetings (e.g. lab meetings, brownbags, advisor meetings), 4 hours per week reading or doing other course-related work, and 10 hours per week doing additional research tasks (e.g. writing manuscripts, developing ideas, working on existing projects). Grad school is definitely a full-time job.
- I have to walk a lot between my classes, which are just 15 minutes apart. I get tired, during the end of the day. The only thing which motivates me to work on my coursework is my interest in the subject I take. So try to take the subjects in which you have at least some basic interest.
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Managing the relationship with your advisor
The mentor-mentee relationship is crucial to a good working relationship and positive graduate school experience, so learn the dos and don'ts of managing this important relationship in your life...
- Take an active and proactive role in making sure your advisor understands you and that you understand him/her -- including your goals, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
- Especially try to identify your mentor's weaknesses because your advisor does have weaknesses, everyone does, including you, so you need to identify them early and find alternative ways of getting those aspects of mentoring that your mentor might not be as proficient at as you would like.
- You'll come to learn that it's incredibly time-consuming to take on a graduate student and mentor him/her, so try to emphasize with their situation, and cut them some slack, because soon you will be in their shoes and taking on graduate students of your own.
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Networking
You always hear this is one of the most important things to do, but how do you actually do it?
- Be in charge of your department's Brownbag or Speaker series because you have the opportunity (excuse) to contact all those researchers you want to network with.
- A professor once told me to try networking with graduate students, not just faculty. It seemed like strange advice at first, but fellow grad students are more receptive (they are in the same boat as you), and beyond giving you an introduction to their mentor, one day they may be a faculty member and your colleague.
- When attending an academic conference, try to attend as many "social hours" as possible. These are fun opportunities that allow you to establish relationships with potential future employers or collaborators. You never know who you might meet.
- When attending an academic conference, introduce every person you know to every other person you know. If you are generous in this way, others will do the same for you.
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International Students
International students face particular challenges...
- Try not to think of yourself as an international student -- you are an ordinary graduate student like anyone else, so take advantage of all opportunities as anyone else would.
- Acclimate yourself early in the program by spending less time taking classes and more time getting confidants and acculturating into your new situations. Then, after you have developed a comfort level with the new environment, immerse yourself in classes to take full advantage of your new school.
- Learn the culture of your new surroundings by attending many social gatherings and events. Don't be intimated by the cultural boundaries because your colleagues are just as interested in getting to know you as you are in getting to know them.
- Some faculty members may not be sympathetic to the unique situations faced by international students, and others may not be completely aware of all the challenges faced by international students, so its your job to communicate this information so that they ARE aware of your situation.
- Never doubt that you are intelligent - just because your grades or your output level may not be what you expect initially, I have seen a consistent and sharp learning curve among my fellow international students. Once we have adapted to the new environment, we excel, so never doubt yourself.
- Don't lose contact with your contacts from your home country because you have the opportunity to conduct cross-cultural research both in the new country in which you currently reside and also your home country. In fact, your contacts in your home country are a valuable resources that other colleagues will want to utilize. Use this to your advantage.
- I've found that when learning a new language, watching tv is an excellent way to acquire the new language, especially with the "captions" turned on so that you can see the exact word associated with each sound.
- Grad school for international students can be a great adventure! If you have the curiosity and enthusiasm, you will find how exciting being an international student can be.
- Sometimes International students try so hard to blend in, that they forget the main purpose here, to gain knowledge, and sharpen the intelligence. It is easy to get lost in the new society, but keep in mind, the main purpose of your university stay. To master the graduate studies.
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My life as a dog - being a TA and RA
FYI - an "RA" is a Research Assistantship in which you assist with a faculty members research. A "TA" is a Teaching Assistantship in which you assist with the teaching of a course, such as leading discussions in a lab, grading exams, etc.
- Try to be a TA for classes that are relevant to your career or field of interest, and especially try to be a TA for statistics because a solid background in statistics is what potential employers are looking for.
- For every class you TA, that faculty member can now be another person on your "networking" list of people, so stay in contact.
- Good TAs get punished by getting the more challenging and difficult students and/or courses, but being a good TA will also help you when your mentor writes a letter of rec.
- When being a TA, pay attention to how each faculty member teaches the course - such as their teaching style, how they create each presentation, how they create assignments, how they create the syllabus... this will give you both the good and bad examples of what to do and not do when you become a teacher.
- Try not to TA the same classes semester after semester because you want a broad range of TA experiences, not just on your CV, but also make you a better teacher.
- Definitely try to TA courses you'd like to teach in the future. This is the best way to really get immersed in the material and get ideas for examples and in-class demonstrations.
- A good time to TA is the semester after comps, when you need a break from research.
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You are not going to believe this story...
We all have war stories from being in the trenches of graduate school. Sharing your experiences might help others better understand what graduate school is like, and might provide some insight into how to avoid these problems.
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Who can I talk to if I have a question about graduate school?
- APS Student Section (APSSC) has a Mentorship Program designed to help undergraduate students navigate their current research plans and future career goals in the field of psychology. Are you an undergraduate student looking for the inside scoop about all things related to graduate school and research? Join the APSSC Mentorship Program, a program which aims to set you up with a graduate student who has been through the whole process and can help you begin your own. Both graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply.
- Or, do you have just a few questions you would like to ask, but do not feel like you need a peer mentor? Send any graduate school or professional development questions to the Undergraduate Advocate listed on this page, and she will contact graduate students and faculty as needed to find solid answers to your concerns.
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