How to thrive in graduate school

Courtesy of the GPSO

[Being a graduate student is like being an Olympic athlete]

I. To thrive, it is helpful to understand and appreciate the mythology of graduate school:

  1. There will be times when you think everyone else is smarter or more confident than you are. Don't you believe it. You were clever enough to get in. Getting through graduate school is more about persistence than about being a genius.

  2. And there will be times when you think everyone else has a better advisor, better ideas or more money than you do. Don't feel discouraged. Graduate school is a struggle to balance work and school, research and teaching, etc.. it takes everyone time to adjust. Get to know the different hats you are being asked to wear (student, peer, teacher, friend, researcher) and take time to understand the boundaries of each role.

  3. Stay professional. The faculty and students you interact with will someday be your colleagues. Don’t let yourself get caught up in “departmental politics."

  4. You can't read it all. This might be difficult for those of you who were super students in undergrad, but in many programs, you will be asked to read and understand more material than it's possible to read. Learn to figure out what is being asked. You may need to know details in one article, but only the general concepts in another.

II. A positive graduate school experience is like a good relay team:

  1. Relationships at grad school can truly be the lifeblood of your experience – you may have to exert a little initial energy to develop the relationships. Believe us, it is worth it. The academic and emotional support that comes from these relationships can’t be measured.

    i. Peers and colleagues
    ii. Supportive faculty - don't be afraid to find a mentor other than your assigned advisor/mentor. The graduate school experience is in part what you make of it. If your mentor is serving more as an advisor, that's okay, but find someone who you can talk to about your career path, current struggles and your future.
    iii. Departmental secretaries - these folks often understand the system better than anyone else in the department. Get to know them and give them respect.
    iv. Fellow AI’s and research assistants
    v. The GPSO - being faculty is not just about being a researcher and teacher, but also about service. The GPSO is not only a way to be connected to graduate student issues on campus and to meet other graduate students, but to learn how universities work on all levels.

  2. Find a friend. Even just one will do.. someone to jump the hurdles with.

    Tip: Sometimes it helps to find a friend outside of your department, because you might want to take a little time off from graduate school when you're being social. When you hang out with other graduate students in your department, you'll find that the discussions always revert to "talking shop."

III. Like winning the all-around, a successful graduate school experience requires sticking the landing – in other words, keep yourself grounded:

  1. Graduate school is not the end all or be all – never forget this.

  2. Don’t allow the pressures of graduate school to rob you of the things that you know keep you balanced – family, friends, spirituality, volunteering.

  3. Graduate school could take every minute of your day and sometimes our failure to acknowledge the mythology of graduate school propels us down an unhealthy course. But, you will be successful if you remember to stay grounded and to self-evaluate your own balance.

The fact you are here means you can succeed. Shoot for success as defined in your own terms, invest in the community around you, and hold onto those anchors in life that ground you.

Best of luck and congratulations,

The Graduate and Professional Student Organization