Graduate School Newsblog

Whether you’re going to your first conference, or fiftieth, there are some great tips in this article from Tomorrow’s Professor to help you get the most out of the experience. A few tips on how to spend your time well at a conference, according to Christopher (2011) include:

• Attend talks that will strengthen your specific research topics.
• Attend talks that will broaden and enhance your research.
• Learn how to have fun at the conference venue.
• Interact with peers from other universities and organizations. Networking with your peers pays huge dividends. Peers today,
• leaders tomorrow!
• Finally, set aside some time to talk to potential mentors and some of the icons of the field. Most senior researchers enjoy interacting with graduate students.

Being successful in graduate school isn’t always about finishing your degree and finding a tenure-track position in academics.  This essay, by Susan Ferber (executive editor for American and world history at Oxford University Press USA) shows how following her instincts and leaving her graduate program was the best decision for her.

Engineering.com has some great tips for how to energize a technical presentation. Presentations are an important part of earning a graduate degree, and interviewing for your first position.

Learn some do’s and don’ts and let your next presentation show your technical and communication skills in the best way possible.

It’s easy while you’re in graduate school to forget that there is a goal at the end – to get a job.  It’s wise to start planning your career before you even begin graduate school so you can stay on track to beginning your career.  This article from the Chronicle describes the three stages of career planning for graduate students:

• Before you begin graduate school,
• Early time in graduate school, and
• Final time in graduate school.

Find great advice to help you achieve your career goals.

Note: Some articles in the Chronicle require a subscription for full access. Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff will have full access when they are logged into the Michigan Tech network.

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.