When you were an undergraduate, you were probably one of the most motivated and engaged students in all of your classes and had no problem balancing work and life. You probably received the highest grades and were chosen by your professors for leadership opportunities both inside and outside class. Your sense of responsibility, accountability, and perfectionism undoubtedly motivated your decision to pursue graduate studies and try your hand at balancing…

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As undergraduates, students most often interact with professors at a distance during classroom lectures; if professors and undergraduates do interact one on one outside classrooms, they typically do so in brief office visits or elevator conversations. Unlike undergraduate students, graduate students interact with professors much more often. Ideally, graduate students will develop close academic relationships with mentor professors, who can use their higher academic rank and knowledge to help students…

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Everyone in graduate school is stressed, and everyone in graduate school is competing for something. The stress and competition of graduate school inevitably leads to conflicts among professors, students, and those who support professors and students. Conflicts in graduate school have negative consequences for everyone: conflicts can damage mentor relationships between professors and students and can increase problems among peers. Although conflicts are bound to happen, you can learn how…

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