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.
Quick Wins to Boost Motivation
Harnessing Quick Wins to Boost Student Motivation Have you ever noticed how video games and learning apps start ridiculously easy, with quick accomplishments and rewards? Then, as you play, the rewards are spaced further and further apart? It makes sense that the difficulty increases as you build skills, but why do the rewards for achievements get further and further apart? The answer is they are using quick wins to boost your motivation and engagement, so you keep playing. Game designers know A LOT about how to get people interested in a game and motivated to keep playing. They do this…
Easier Editing: 5 Tips
5 Tips for Easier Editing in Microsoft Word Despite the rise of competitors, Microsoft® Word remains one of the most powerful word processing programs in use by graduate school programs. It’s filled with formatting, editing, and collaborative features, many of which you may not know about. Unless you’ve taken a course on Word, there are likely a number of functions you are under-utilizing or completely unaware of simply by not having used them before. I know, when I graduated and started working professionally on a much larger number of reports and journal articles, it was eye-opening to learn of all…
Easier Academic Writing: How To Write Faster
Want to Learn How to Write Faster? Journal manuscripts, 20-page academic papers, a 60-page thesis, a 120-page dissertation…there are a lot of papers in most graduate school programs. Some students love them, some students loathe them, but all students dread the amount of time they take and wish they knew how to write faster. I’m going to be frank with you, academic writing takes time. There’s no getting around that. However, there are things you can do to learn to write faster. In this installment of my Easier Academic Writing series, you’ll find tips and tricks for easier essays and…
Motivational Quotes for Student Success
20 Motivational Quotes for Student Success Graduate school is hard work and it can be difficult to keep your motivation through the long haul. Setbacks, stress, and deadlines are all expected on the road to graduate student success. Maybe you are in the middle of the semester and feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you have just finished a semester and are dizzy with exhaustion. Maybe you’ve had a setback and are trying to get back into the swing of things. Maybe you’re doing ok but have a friend who is struggling with their motivation for student success. Regardless of the circumstances, everyone…
Overcoming Test Anxiety: A Guide for the Panicked
What is Test Anxiety Like? Your stomach tightens, your palms get sweaty, your heart pounds like an animal trapped in your chest, and you start to feel lightheaded and queasy. As you walk into the classroom, you wonder if you’re going to faint on the way to your seat. It’s only 5 feet; you can make it. Then, you can collapse in your chair and pass out quietly so as to not disturb the other students. At least then you won’t have to think about the test anymore. Small mercies for someone with test anxiety. Wait? Graduate Students Get Test…
Time Management Strategies for Graduate Students
Time Management Strategies, Tips, and Tricks Many graduate students come to me because they are experiencing problems with productivity and want to learn some time management strategies. This isn’t a surprise, because time management isn’t something most graduate programs offer classes on. Despite the importance of time management in succeeding in graduate school and in your career, you’re mostly expected to figure them out on your own. If you are lucky, your advisor might be able to give you a few time management tips, but just as often, they will look at you blankly, shrug their shoulders, and say something…
Wishing You the Best in Your Academic Success,
Dr. Cristie Glasheen, Your Graduate Student Success Coach.
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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!
