The Secret to Finishing your Dissertation in Under a Year
The following was written by Dr. Jayme Cisco: How many horror stories have you heard about PhD students getting lost in the dissertation stage for years? This might even describe your experience if you are currently ABD. I found myself in this position after blazing...
How to Come up With Research Ideas for Your Thesis and Dissertation: Capturing Research Seeds
So, how do I come up with a good research idea for my thesis/dissertation? This is one of the most common questions we hear when working with graduate students. Typically around 1 year into a graduate program, budding academics realize that in the very near future, he...
5 Tips to Surviving Graduate School while Parenting
(Written by Jayme Cisco, PhD) All kids are different, all programs are different, so my experience may be very different from your own. However, if you are currently a parent or may become one while in school, here are some tips for surviving and (hopefully thriving)...
Academic Hazing
Ah, Academic Hazing. Few graduate students escape the ivory tower without it, though the degree of hazing varies considerably by department and university. I certainly experienced my share, but I was extremely fortunate compared to most of my peers; many encountered...
The 6 Books Every Graduate Student Should Own
I remember receiving my first acceptance letter into graduate school. I thought, "Okay, I got this. I'm going to get prepared!" So I did what any nerd would do: I Googled all variants of "How to Succeed in Graduate School." I purchased the countless books on theses...
My Conquest of Reading and Writing in Graduate School
I sought my doctorate because it was the closest thing to being a Jedi in real life. When I started, I didn’t care what my PhD was in, provided that I could wear a robe one day a year, be called doctor (preferably in a British accent), and perhaps carry a light saber....
The Writing Process I Developed in Graduate School
Do a Google search on some variant of "How to write in graduate school" and you'll find sources galore, typically sources that discuss how difficult it is, how to grind your teeth, and push through. I've always been turned off by this advice, mainly because all of it...
5 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Graduate School
My first semester of graduate school was by far the most difficult. Through naive planning on my part, I began my semester with two heavy-reading courses in Political Science -- American Politics and Comparative Politics-- paired with everyone's favorite: ...
How to Avoid Being a Praise Junky in Graduate School
"Jonathan, this is wonderfully written. You have a real future as a scholar and thinker!" Oh, how those 15 words quickly scribbled on my final paper felt. I nearly skipped to my car, feeling on top of the world as I whistled during the drive home. My advisor's praise...
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