Succeeding in Graduate School

Deciding to attend graduate school is a major decision and there is a lot more to it than courses, research, and teaching. It begins with carefully choosing an advisor and includes attending conferences, giving talks, preparing papers for publication, and serving on departmental/university committees – all of which contributes to your graduate education and prepares you for the work force.
How to be a good graduate student
A graduate school survival guide

1. Know your field

Getting to know your field of research involves familiarizing yourself with the current debates, the leading researchers, attending and presenting at conferences, and keeping up with relevant journals. However, it is also important to keep an open mind and not get tunnel vision as you start your research project(s). Talking with professors and fellow graduate students is a good way to find out much of this information and to begin networking.

2. Network, network, network…

Networking should begin the moment you enter graduate school. It is an invaluable way to meet people, establish collaborations, and learn about research, the field, and employment opportunities. Take advantage of gatherings within the department – don’t be intimidated by peers and professors – use these opportunities as practice at explaining your research.
Networking with Notre Dame alumni

3. Choose your advisor wisely

Your advisor is the person who will be with you throughout your graduate school career and will probably play a major role in where you go afterwards, using their contacts and writing letters of recommendation. It is important to choose an advisor that is well respected in their field and is willing to put time into helping you develop your skills throughout your time in graduate school.

There are a number of questions that you can ask yourself when choosing an advisor:

• Do his/her research interests relate to what I want to do?
• What are the methodologies used and how do they fit with what I want to do?
• What is the ongoing research in the lab? Is the advisor still at the bench or administrative?
• What is the advisor’s reputation, both within the department and within the research field?
• Will this advisor be around to mentor, or barely in the office?
• Is this advisor “hands on” or “hands off”? Talk to former and current students.
• Do students working for this advisor complete their studies quickly or generally take longer?
• Does the advisor have funding or will I have to TA for my whole graduate career?
• Where did former students end up, academia/non-academic jobs, leaving the field?

Choosing the right advisor, by Richard M. Reis
Questions to consider in selecting a dissertation advisor, by Kit Ayres
Suggestions on choosing a dissertation advisor, by Kit Ayres
An insider’s guide to choosing a graduate advisor, by Marshall Lev Dermer

4. Seek outside funding

General Links
Notre Dame funding and list of databases
Notre Dame Fellowships
Federal financial aid
MSU’s list of graduate scholarships, fellowships and loans

Humanities and Social Sciences
Funding sources for humanities at the Doreen B. Townsend Centre for the Humanities
Funding lists for humanities and social science
Social science research council fellowships

Science and Engineering
National Science Foundation funding
Funding for science and biomedical research

5. Attend conferences & present your research

Going to conferences and presenting your work, in poster, paper, or oral format is the first step towards putting your thesis work into the public domain. It can be a bit daunting at first, but conferences serve as an invaluable way to meet people, learn more about the work in your field as well as related areas of research and to become confident presenting, which is important later in your career when job hunting.

Poster printing facilities available at Notre Dame:
Science Department
Engineering Department

Helpful information on giving talks and preparing posters:
Conference paper guide for humanities, Claremont Graduate University
Tips from a fellow grad student on attending conferences from Doc-talk
Research posters 101 by Lorrie Faith Cranor

6. Make the most out of TAing

For many graduate students, teaching takes a major place in their graduate career at Notre Dame and there are a number of resources available to aid students become the best teacher they can be.
Notre Dame teaching resources at the Kaneb Center
How to get all important teaching experience, by Richard Reis

7. Writing your thesis

After you’ve completed your research, reading, and hard work, comes the writing of your dissertation. This can be quite a long, unpleasant process as well as daunting, but remember the reward at the end and take solace in the fact that others have done it and so can you!
Dissertation and thesis requirements/formatting
Discussion and support groups for people who can’t seem to finish