blogs

Things I Wish I Would’ve Known Before Applying to Grad School

Published: 10 October 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, masters degree, phd, preparing for grad school

Looking back on my time in grad school is a bittersweet feeling. I had a lot of difficulties but I still treasure the hard work and tears (maybe that’s the cognitive dissonance speaking). I thought I’d share with you some wisdom from my time in grad school: the things I wish I would’ve known. If you understand and take seriously some of these things, then maybe you can avoid some…

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10 Questions to Ask Yourself before Deciding to Get a PhD

Published: 26 September 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: career outcomes, graduate school, phd, planning

Before deciding to embark on another 5-10 years of education, know the facts about getting a PhD (see my previous blog on myths of getting a PhD). If you’re still confident a PhD is the right path for you, ask yourself the following: 1. Can I afford it? If you are considering student loans, mean graduate debt was $14,479 according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates (…

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7 Myths About Getting a PhD

Published: 12 September 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, graduate school, masters degree, phd, planning

Should you get a master’s degree or should you go on to get your PhD? If you’re considering getting even more education, be aware of some of these misguided assumptions surrounding the elusive PhD. MYTH #1: Getting a PhD guarantees a job. It is true that people with doctorate degrees have lower unemployment rates on average compared to people with less education ( Bureau of Labor Statistics,…

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Adjusting to Grad School: When You Can’t Do It All

Published: 11 September 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
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Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, adjusting to grad school, depressed, grad school advice, graduate school, Rene Paulson

I recently wrote that the major ways to handle schedule changes in grad school are to set your priorities, budget your time, and know your limits. I also discussed that managing your time, maintaining your relationships, and creating new relationships are ways you can adjust to social changes in grad school. But what if your new schedule and changed social life get to be too much? What if…

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Making the Most of Your Student Discount, Part 4

Published: 9 September 2014
Written by John
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Categories: blogs
Tags: broke graduate student, budget

If you have been enjoying all the student discount savings so far, then you are going to love these last couple of discounts in the finale of my series on student discounts.  In reviewing the remaining discounts on my list, I couldn’t think of any way to logically categorize these remaining items (because you know how we graduate students love to logically categorize things), so I will simply call…

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Making the Most of Your Student Discount, Part 3

Published: 9 September 2014
Written by John
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Categories: blogs
Tags: broke graduate student

Continuing our series on getting the most out of student discounts, this time I will be talking about my favorite area to save money in: CLOTHES!  As someone who moderately used my student discount as an undergrad (albeit mostly on discount movie tickets), I had no idea that this whole time I could have been using my student status to save money on some of my favorite clothing…

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Making the Most of Your Student Discount, Part 2

Published: 9 September 2014
Written by John
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Categories: blogs
Tags: broke graduate student, budget, cheap food, finances

Building on my series of getting the most out of your student discount, this blog will outline some of the best uses of your student discount.  I have previously discussed some great savings you can earn on technology-related purchases and in this part, I will be talking about how you can use your student status to save on entertainment while in graduate school.  It’s hard enough to find…

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Making the Most of Your Student Discount, Part 1

Published: 9 September 2014
Written by John
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Categories: blogs

We all know how costly graduate school is.  We also know how little it pays (if anything) to be in graduate school.  I can certainly say from personal experience, that I know the financial hardships of being in graduate school.   Through these experiences, I have learned a thing or two about the art of being frugal and saving a dime or two.   The internet is filled with ways to…

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Confessions of a Mommy-Professor: How I Handled Parenthood and Job Demands as a College Professor

Published: 29 August 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, family life, job advice, teaching

Working parents (and moms, especially) have muddled through the demands of raising their children and doing work for thousands of years. As a mom and young assistant professor, I have some confessions I’d like to share—the good, the bad, and the ugly.   1. I brought my child to extra-curricular activities. I was asked to be co-advisor for our department’s honor society. So I brought my daughter to various events…

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Making a Syllabus – What Course Policies Should You Include?

Published: 22 August 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, graduate school, syllabus, teaching

In creating your college syllabus, what course policies should you include? These tips may help you write a syllabus that clearly communicates your policies to your students. In my last post, I offered some things to consider when writing your syllabus. Perhaps, you have all the basics down. What about the course policies (aka “student responsibilities,” “instructor pet peeves,” etc.)? Whatever your policies,…

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