When we asked students about the most useful resources or skills they learned from graduate school, they responded:
Learning to manage time so I could juggle full time employment, raising children, and going to school.
Communication with faculty, asking questions, and taking advantage of school resources (mental health, food pantry, & RSO social events).
Perseverance and resilience. I’m a third year PhD student and for most of that time, we have been experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. As a mother and graduate student, I have learned to persevere through the challenges of constant pandemic related changes for me and my family, relying on the resilience I have previously developed as a mother who has returned to school, a first-generation scholar, and an Indigenous woman in information and technology fields. These experiences have taught me to continually reassess and manage my expectations throughout these constant new challenges, continually adapting as needed.
Graduate research is, at its heart, a community enterprise. As such, success in academia is just as much about finding mechanisms of support and connection as it is about finding opportunities for individual achievement.
For many of us, being prepared and successful in graduate school is contingent on knowing what community structures and campus services are available. This is no easy task, as there are countless academic groups and student support offices. Today we will break down some services that many students have found useful for their research and personal success. These include:
- Research and Data Support
- Writing, Research and Study Skill Centers
- Non-academic resources for Health and Wellness
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