Great Graduate Guidelines: Advice from Jennifer and Richard

GREAT GRADUATE GUIDELINES: ADVICE FROM THE OTHER SIDE!!!
Jen Powers and Richard Emch are here to help!

Preparation:

• GO SHOPPING. You’re going to need a LOT of three ring binders, and I suggest a combo of 1” and 3” + binders for various purposes.

• BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR PROSPECTUS. Know the classes that are coming up for you, so that you can begin to plan out your binders by TOPIC and CONTENT, rather than by CLASS. Some examples of binders for sorting articles and papers include:
*MY WRITTEN WORK
*METHODOLOGY STUFF (divide into Quant and Qual and Mixed)
*CURRICULUM
*AREA OF RESEARCH INTEREST
*AREA OF SPECIALTY

• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. Chances are, you will want to purchase the majority of books you use for your classes, but get them from the library FIRST; that will allow you to see if it’s a book that you like and will use. You can always buy the book later if you need to. REMEMBER THAT ANY BOOKS YOU PURCHASE CAN BE WRITTEN OFF YOUR TAXES! It’s especially easy if you buy from Amazon.com, because they keep a record of all your purchases, and it’s easily documented.

• TALK TO STUDENTS WHO ARE AHEAD OF YOU IN THE PROGRAM. Talk about the WHEN of taking classes (especially summer session vs. rest of the year) and WHO is teaching those classes. This will help you plan for a positive experience.

• FIND OTHER STUDENTS WHOSE RESEARCH INTERESTS ARE SIMILAR TO YOUR OWN. You can help each other with reading and writing geared toward the preparation of your dissertation proposal. Make it a habit to get together and read, share your writing, blow off steam, and generally support each other in this endeavor.

During:

• As you are taking classes, STAY ORGANIZED. Read the articles given to you in your classes and immediately SORT THEM into the appropriate folder for future reference.

• BEGIN COMPILING BOOK NOTES: On your computer, begin taking notes on books, particularly QUOTES THAT YOU THINK WILL BE USEFUL. Create a different document for each book AND THEN organized the documents into TOPIC FOLDERS.

• START FOCUSING ON YOUR DISSERTATION TOPIC. The sooner you can do this, the better. YOUR GOAL: Everything you write for your classes should be geared toward this research topic in some way.

• TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS. Float your research/dissertation interest to them and ask for advice and guidance. TAKE NOTES.

• PUBLISH SOMETHING. Go ahead—it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. Ask your advisors to suggest some journals.

• KEEP CLEAR TRACK OF ALL PROFESSIONAL WORK YOU DO. This includes attending/presenting at conferences, giving workshops, co-authoring or authoring papers, etc. CREATE YOUR CURRICULUM VITA AS YOU GO: it will save time when you’re finished and looking for a job. It’s also very easy to forget dates and places, so keep good records of what you do and where/when you do it!

• APPLY FOR MONEY WHEREVER YOU CAN. Your department, the Graduate Student Senate—use these resources!!!!

• PLAN AHEAD. Be clear about when classes are offered, what you will take when, and when you plan to finish. This will help you when it comes time for the job hunt.