Tips and Strategies for Success
As you begin your graduate studies, we’d like to share some tips and strategies that can help set you up for success (your success).
Don’t forget, you belong here.
Some of you are the first in your families to earn a bachelor’s degree, and now you are going even further by pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees. Some of you have moved hundreds, or even thousands, of miles away from your families and communities to attend graduate school. A sense of belonging while you are in graduate school can greatly reduce both isolation and feelings of inadequacy.
We encourage you to reach out and find your community – across and off-campus – as this is vital to your success. It can be particularly helpful to find students, staff, and faculty with whom you have similar life experiences based on race, gender, ability, sexuality, economic background, or nationality (Check out the module on Health and Well Being to learn more about ways to find your community at Penn State).
Connecting with the community can also include making time in your schedule to maintain your relationships with family and friends, especially if you moved to Pennsylvania for graduate school from another state or country. Connecting can also mean things like volunteering with local organizations and social movements in your surrounding community, as many of us care deeply about issues of equity and social justice.
When You're Overwhelmed (0:54 seconds)
Take It One Day at a Time
Think about what you need to thrive each day. This can include making time for exercise, getting enough sleep, setting a few minutes aside to talk to a family member or sit down for a cup of coffee with a friend, along with making sure you have enough time to get your work done. Take a look at your daily calendar and plan blocks of time where you can accomplish things from your priority lists and to-do lists, even while sustaining yourself. You might have bigger projects you want to (or need to) accomplish. Break those down into manageable and realistic tasks and do just a little bit on the project each day. Before you know it, you will have made progress.
Know What You Want to Accomplish (0:26 seconds)
Take Control of Your Schedule
This may feel challenging when you have many demands on your time – perhaps classes, research obligations, work responsibilities, family life, etc. And yet, your calendar is your own. Make note of the essential elements in each day and then look for the spaces between other obligations. Even with a 15- or 30-minute time block, you can make progress on something important to you. Perhaps that is marking off one of the bite-sized tasks from your priority list (it can be energizing just to cross something off!), stretching or going for a walk, or just resetting with some needed downtime. When time feels out of our control, it adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Take it back – time is yours.
Your Degree is in Time Management (1:41 seconds)
Time Management Tips
Graduate school provides opportunities to learn the skills needed to become an innovative thinker or professional in your field. These skills may be acquired through coursework, research, teaching, or internships. New graduate students are often amazed at how much work needs to be completed each day, finding that there is always more to do. As you attempt to balance several roles throughout each week (or even each day), it is important to incorporate strategies to manage your time effectively.
Create a calendar system and prioritize.
Utilize a monthly schedule that captures major papers, assignments, exams, readings, and meetings. Use a weekly schedule to plan which tasks you will complete on what days and during which hours. Learn to prioritize the most important tasks instrumental to your growth and success!
Protect the time you are most alert.
You may have days that are 8–12 hours long, even before you are able to complete papers or readings. These days may leave you feeling tired and unable to start doing work. Use these nights to spend time with family or friends. On days that are shorter or you feel most alert, try to use this time to complete work.
Learn how to say “No.”
In graduate school, you have so many opportunities to make contributions. Learn to turn down certain opportunities in order to perform well on the tasks most important to you and your long-term goals.
Choosing What's Important (0:40 seconds)
Learn how to read efficiently.
Skim chapters by taking notes in the margins, writing four-word phrases that capture the main point of the paragraph(s). Take notes on global points of the readings and write down controversial concepts or questions to bring for discussion in class.
Engage in self-care and self-compassion!
You may not be able to get complete as much as you’d like to on some days. Try not to be hard on yourself or get caught in disappointment. Schedule time for self-care activities and socializing each week to prevent yourself from feeling burnt out.
Revised from “Time Management Tips for Graduate Students,” Learning Assistance Service as the Counseling Center, Division of Student Affairs, University of Maryland.