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How to Grad School
a practical guide to productivity & happiness
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#16 See opportunity in your coursework
#16 See opportunity in your coursework
For most of us, research is our primary focus during graduate school. We also balance coursework, teaching, and mentoring, to name a few…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 13, 2018
#15 Help your friends succeed
#15 Help your friends succeed
Your friends are your graduate school lifeline. They will enjoy the struggle right along side you. Friends will help you out of the lowest…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 12, 2018
#14 Single task, every time
#14 Single task, every time
We live in a distracted world. We are constantly being distracted by notifications flying in from text messages, email, twitter, or…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 11, 2018
#13 Write with high frequency & low intensity
#13 Write with high frequency & low intensity
Many of us don’t realize that writing is a major part of the scientific profession until we get to graduate school. In fact, scientists…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 10, 2018
# 12 Understand deeply
# 12 Understand deeply
Today, I’m borrowing a tip from Burger and Starbird’s The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking: strive for a rock-solid understanding. As…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 9, 2018
#11 Know the history of your field
#11 Know the history of your field
Graduate school is all about becoming an expert in your chosen field. You are standing on the bleeding edge of your field, looking out at…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 8, 2018
#10 Teach a course in something you aren’t an expert in
#10 Teach a course in something you aren’t an expert in
Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. In preparing to explain a complex concept to your students, you must first teach yourself the…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 7, 2018
#9 Be good at deciding when to stop
#9 Be good at deciding when to stop
Perfectionism plagues graduate students. I struggle with perfectionism in many areas of my life, but especially in my writing. Our writing…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 6, 2018
#8 Fail your graduate school courses
#8 Fail your graduate school courses
Ok, you should probably not fail your courses as your school likely won’t grant credit for failed courses needed to graduate. But you…
Grey Monroe
Jul 5, 2018
#7 Write with friends and strangers
#7 Write with friends and strangers
For a long time I thought of writing as a completely individual experience. A lonely undertaking of wading through the ups and downs of…
Yamina Pressler, PhD
Jul 4, 2018
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