Recommendation letters can be used in a number of different ways. For instance, grad schools and many employers require recommendation letters from trustworthy references who know you well. Also, many types of people are qualified to write a recommendation letter. Employers, professors, and advisors are great resources that can recommend you for a job or grad school. Here are some pointers about whom and how to ask for recommendation letters.

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So as I mentioned before, I have been taking part in bi-weekly pedagogical training as part of my IRACDA postdoctoral fellowship.  This week we’ve been working on the science of teaching, that is, applying data from scientific research on the education process to improve the learning process.  The first speaker was Dr. Russ Nehm, who has both a doctorate in Biology from UC Berkley as well as a Ed.M from columbia,…

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I recently wrote a series that described the whole application process for graduate school. If you didn’t catch the series, you can read the introduction to the series here. In that series, I wrote a little about the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and how you need to earn the best score possible on this test to get into your desired grad program. Whether you are an…

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The government shutdown has been affecting a lot of people, including graduate students. Student Loans? One of the biggest questions for students of higher education is “Will this shutdown affect my student loans?”  The short answer is no. According to the Department of Education, there should be “limited impact” on the FAFSA process. But if the shutdown continues into November or December, colleges and…

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I recently wrote about the whole process of applying for graduate school. If you didn’t get a chance to read it yet, you can read the introduction to the series here. In that series, I wrote a little bit about the essays that may be required for applying to graduate school. Depending on the type of grad program you’re interested in, or the school you want…

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Welcome to my newest series of blog posts about procrastination. If you’ve read the other 2 posts before this one, you’ve now found out if you classify as a procrastinator, and you’ve received tips from me about avoiding procrastination. If you didn’t catch the previous posts, there are links to them at the bottom of this blog entry. This part of the procrastination series has to do with deciphering when…

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  Decided academia is right for you? Here are 3 rules to guide you in your job search. Not all universities are created equal; tailor your applications accordingly. Universities differ widely. Generally there are: research institutions, teaching institutions, and a blend of both. There are also different levels of each. Some research institutions have a heavy emphasis on getting grants, whereas others do not place such a…

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Some people procrastinate more than others do, but everyone could really use some help in the procrastination area. Procrastination is not prejudiced, and people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders struggle with this issue. In the first post in this series, you learned if you are classified as a procrastinator and you learned about the symptoms of procrastination that you possess. After reading this post, I hope you walk away…

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As part of the training provided by my IRACDA fellowship, we have been taking a number of workshops to make us better teachers and professionals.  So far, we’ve had workshops on how to write a teaching statement, course design and assessment, and even an improv workshop, but we just finished a fascinating discussion on how to effectively communicate our science from Elizabeth Bath in the Alan Alda Center for Communicating…

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Procrastination can be a serious issue, especially for PhD students. If you avoid writing your dissertation or even starting on your dissertation, then you might end up not doing your best work towards the end of your journey because you’ll rush through the rest of it. This series is about identifying and avoiding procrastination. The first step to ending procrastination is examining yourself and identifying the symptoms you possess. Here…

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