Category: Succeeding in Graduate School

Is this fall your first time applying for an academic position?  Check out the Chronicle’s “First time on the Market” section for a collection of helpful articles and advice.

Note: A subscription to the Chronicle is needed to read the full text of some articles.  Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff will have access when they are logged into the Michigan Tech network.

This article from the Chronicle discusses five of the biggest mistakes candidates make when presenting a job talk at a university.  You’ll learn:

• Why identifying your audience is important,
• What committees are looking for when they evaluate your talk,
• How to tailor your topic to your audience,
• How you can demonstrate your teaching ability while giving a research talk, and
• How to deal with the unexpected.

This article will also be helpful for students working on a seminar for their department or defense.  These are great opportunities to practice your speaking skills and get feedback from your peers.

Note: A subscription to the Chronicle is needed to read the full text of the article.  Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff will have access when they are logged into the Michigan Tech network.

This article from the Chronicle raises some interesting questions about how advisors and committee members can work together to help a student write a dissertation.

• How often should the committee meet?
• What type of advice should they give a student?
• What happens if there is an impasse?

Although written for advisors, students will learn from this overview of different models. The article talks about all fields and the differences between them as well.

Note: A subscription to the Chronicle is required to read the full text of this article. Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff will have access to the articles if they are logged into the Michigan Tech network.