grad school advice

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 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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Teaching a Class? Things to Consider When Creating Your College Syllabus

Published: 15 August 2014
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, job advice, syllabus, teaching

If you’re teaching a college class for the first time, making and writing your syllabus is no easy task. Be sure to consider these things before the first day of classes. Formulating Your Syllabus Why take that much time in developing your syllabus when students don’t read it anyway? Why not just copy and paste someone else’s syllabus who taught the class before? The syllabus is a formal statement from…

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6 Ways Grad School Changes Your Life: How To Deal

Published: 15 April 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
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Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, adjusting to grad school, grad school advice, Rene Paulson, sleeping tips, study tips

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of spring and is still pushing forward in their graduate school journey. My next series will be about how to best adjust to various situations in graduate school and is geared for all graduate students: brand new students who are fresh out of undergraduate programs, students who have already been in the graduate program for a few years, students who came back to…

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Burnout – Part Two

Published: 29 August 2013
Written by John
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Categories: blogs
Tags: avoid burnout, grad school advice, graduate school, help, personal connections

So last week I talked a lot about what graduate school burnout is, and some warning signs that you might be experiencing burnout. This week I will be talking about what to do if you are experiencing some of the signs of burnout. Below are some helpful ways to help battle burnout and help you regain your passion for your field, knowledge, and your future career trajectory. Give Yourself…

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Burnout – Part One

Published: 22 August 2013
Written by John
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Categories: blogs
Tags: burnout, depressed, grad school advice, graduate school, help

With these next few posts, I would like to put some of the more glamorous aspects of grad school on hold – yes, there are many glamorous aspects of grad school – and talk about a very serious issue that impacts many graduate students: burnout. In part one of this two-part series, I will be talking about what burnout is, and some of the warning signs that you might be…

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Making Money in Grad School

Published: 13 August 2013
Written by Rene M. Paulson
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Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, graduate school, job advice, money, Rene Paulson, student loans

Now that I’ve told you how to apply for graduate school, you might be wondering how you’re going to pay for it all. If thinking about paying for grad school sends you into a panicked frenzy, then just take a deep breath and read this post to put things into perspective before you change your mind about grad school. Apply Early Applying early has paid off (in more ways…

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Don’t Worry if You Mess Up

Published: 12 July 2013
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: funny, grad school advice, graduate school, teaching

Lots of grad students are afraid of failure. Let me tell you about one of my biggest mess-ups in grad school (and they still let me graduate)! It was the semester I completed my qualifying exam, proposed my dissertation, and started to run Experiment 1. I was the TA for a lower-level course with 80+ students. My reputation around the department was that I’m a pretty conscientious person. I…

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On Babies and Dissertations: Part 3

Published: 30 June 2013
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: dissertation, grad school advice, graduation, research

I recently had the experience of expecting my first baby a month before I graduated. Throughout the process, I accidentally learned several tips to graduating on time with a PhD. Here is the third and final installment of dissertation tips that I learned along the way during my pregnancy. You don’t have to be pregnant to enact these tips, but you can learn from someone who’s been through the dissertation…

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On Babies and Dissertations: Part 2

Published: 14 June 2013
Written by Sara
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Categories: blogs
Tags: dissertation, grad school advice, graduate school, graduation, research

I recently had the experience of expecting my first baby a month before I graduated. Throughout the process, I accidentally learned several tips to graduating on time with a PhD. Check out Part 1 of my tips here. Keep a Journal I downloaded a pregnancy app when I found out I was pregnant, and one of the first things it told me to do was start…

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