graduate school

Being Sick as a College Student

Published: 3 December 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, adjusting to grad school, cant sleep, grad school eating habits, graduate school, Rene Paulson

We’ve all been there: sick in bed and unsure if it would be good to grin and bear it and carry on about our day, or call in sick to stay at home and rest.  Many graduate students probably end up ignoring their sicknesses and acting like they’re okay, but this isn’t always the best decision.  There are plenty of reasons why you might want to think twice about going to…

Read More

Are You a Super-Parent? Why You Shouldn’t Put So Much Pressure on Yourself

Published: 21 November 2014
Written by Sara
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, family life, graduate school, parenting, social changes

You’ve excelled at everything in your life thus far. You’re a budding expert in your field. You dazzle your peers and faculty with your mad research skills. You’re a superstar in your field. So why would becoming a new parent be any different? According to recent research, feeling pressure to be a “super-parent” can exacerbate mental health conditions in new parents. This research comes from a new study on perinatal…

Read More

3 Ways to Impress at Career Fairs

Published: 18 November 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: academic jobs, career fairs, conferences, grad school advice, graduate school, Rene Paulson

If you look around, many job hunting opportunities are available to us now, including university-sponsored career fairs and job fairs in the community.  Unfortunately for most, career fairs cause anxiety because of the amount of people who attend or because of the pressure people put on themselves to impress employers.  Here are some thoughts to keep in mind while attending career fairs. Types of Career Fairs Be…

Read More

Things I’m Glad I Did in Grad School

Published: 24 October 2014
Written by Sara
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: grad school advice, graduate school, planning, psychology, time

We’ve all had our successes and failures in life, and grad school is no exception. Here are some of the successes I had in grad school. In my last post, I shared with you some regrets I had, but here I’ll share with you my high notes in grad school. If you do some of these things, maybe you can have an easier time in grad school, too. 1.

Read More

What Are the Best Coffee Shops?

Published: 13 October 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: adapt to changes, all-nighter, grad school eating habits, graduate school, Rene Paulson

Do you like having a morning boost to get your day going, or do you enjoy having caffeine to get some work done later in the day and into the night?  However you like to have your caffeine fix, you might be interested to know which popular coffee shops around you have the largest caffeine count.  I’ve picked four of the most popular coffee places in America and compared their…

Read More

10 Questions to Ask Yourself before Deciding to Get a PhD

Published: 26 September 2014
Written by Sara
No comments
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 (…

Read More

7 Myths About Getting a PhD

Published: 12 September 2014
Written by Sara
No comments
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,…

Read More

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

Published: 11 September 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
No comments
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…

Read More

Making a Syllabus – What Course Policies Should You Include?

Published: 22 August 2014
Written by Sara
No comments
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,…

Read More

How Your Schedule Changes In Grad School

Published: 31 July 2014
Written by Rene M. Paulson
No comments
Categories: blogs
Tags: adjusting to grad school, graduate school, planning, Rene Paulson, schedule, time

I hope you’ve all been enjoying this blog series about adjusting to graduate school. Today’s post is about scheduling changes: what you should expect in grad school and how you can transition well. When you become a grad student, you might feel that you’re not able to fit everything you need to do within your week, but here are a few ways that you can alleviate this feeling. Set Your…

Read More