The Graduate School Success Blog Archive
Graduate school can feel like a lonely, isolating, and overwhelming place. Did you know that over half of all graduate students report feeling depressed and anxious? It’s pretty common to lose motivation, feel like you aren’t good enough, and worry about succeeding in graduate school. It doesn’t have to stay that way, though! While graduate school is never going to be easy, there are many things you can do to get through graduate school with less stress. If you are ready to learn tips and tricks to help you succeed in graduate school, then grab a beverage, settle in, and decompress with these time management, productivity, and motivational strategies and pieces of wisdom to help you succeed.
How to do things you don’t want to do
How to Do Things You Don’t Want to Do: 3 Quick Tips Motivation is a fickle thing. This is especially true in graduate school, where your deadlines are hazy in the distance and the steps to completing your degree range from tedious to overwhelming. Productivity can be a fight. So, it’s no surprise that you are looking for tips on how to do the things you don’t want to do. Well, don’t worry because we have your back. Here are three tips to get out of your own way and do the things that you don’t want to do. 1.…
4 min read
Overcoming Academic Writer’s Block
Kick Academic Writer’s Block in the Ass Academic writing is hard on a good day and not all days are good. Sometimes you know you need to work on a paper, but you draw a blank every time you sit down to work on it. You spend hours struggling to pull words from your mind and get them on the page. Welcome to writer’s block in academia. It’s frustrating, stressful, and steals time. So, here are three quick tips to help you get past academic writer’s block. Whether you’re starting a new manuscript or stuck in the middle of an…
4 min read
Simple Steps to Instantly Improve Your Academic Writing | Academic Writing Tips
3 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing Instantly Oh! Students These Days! “Students don’t know how to write” is a common refrain of professors worldwide. This lament echoes behind closed office doors even in graduate school. However, as often as these dreaded words are uttered, few professors take the time to teach their students how to improve their academic writing. Apparently, you are supposed to figure out the secrets of excellent academic writing from vague feedback like unexplained crossed-out words and notes about confusing sentences in the margins. Those professors who have time to grouse rarely have time to explain…
4 min read
Better Goal Setting for Graduate Students
Goal Setting for Frustrated Graduate Students Are You Productivity Challenged?Quick Tips for More Effective Goal Setting for Grad Students A lot of graduate students struggle to make progress on long-term projects like theses and dissertations, where the far-away deadlines feel ephemeral, and there are no immediate consequences to procrastinating. They set goals to complete their degree and make timelines with the best of intentions, but each day goes by with little progress. Many grad students end up frustrated and mad with themselves for not meeting the goals they set. As time goes by, the grad student feels stressed and guilty…
4 min read
SCAM ALERT! Grad Students Are Being Targeted
GRADUATE STUDENT SCAM WARNING: You are being targeted. A client of mine was recently targeted for a scam specifically aimed at graduate students. Fortunately, he noticed some warning signs but others at that school were not so fortunate. The attempt is highly tailored to each person, so it’s easy to see why it would be effective and I wanted to warn all of you! The scam starts off with a text message “Hi, STUDENT’S NAME, How are you? I need to know if you are available at the moment. The sign off used HIS ADVISOR’S ACTUAL NAME! The scammer had…
4 min read
Name One Thing with Dr Valerie Hoffman | Job Market Advice for Grad Students and more!
Name One Thing: Advice for graduate students from those who’ve been there. Welcome to Name One Thing the interview series where I ask academics, researchers, postdocs, and other professionals what they wished they’d known when they were in in graduate school. Today’s guest is Dr. Valerie Forman Hoffman, a Psychiatric Epidemiologist and Intervention Scientist, who shares her wisdom with current graduate students on enjoying the time in graduate school, advice on entering the job market and maintaining perspective on graduate school, research, careers, and life in general. About Today’s Guest Name: Dr. Valerie Forman HoffmanDegree: Ph.D., Psychiatric Epidemiology and MPH,…
Wishing You the Best in Your Academic Success,
Dr. Cristie Glasheen, Your Graduate Student Success Coach.
If you’re enjoying this series, sign up to be notified of new posts. Guaranteed never spammy. I hate that crap too.
Want Even More?
Have you read through all of the graduate school success tips here, but are still struggling to implement them in your day-to-day life? We offer one-on-one coaching for a limited number of graduate students. So if you are an aspiring graduate student in need of admissions advisement or a current Master’s or Doctoral student, schedule a free consultation with us today!








