Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

Succeeding in Graduate School

Congratulations!

You have made the important decision to pursue a graduate degree. The road ahead will be challenging, but ultimately very rewarding as you take these next steps in your professional lives. Beginning a graduate program can be a daunting prospect, because you have to navigate complex academic and social terrains.

The Stearns Center is here to help! We have compiled some resources focused on fostering success in graduate school. We are also available on a limited basis to meet with you to discuss your teaching responsibilities or your professional development. To schedule an appointment, please call 703-993-6200.

Michigan State University has developed a PREP (Planning, Resilience, Engagement, and Professionalism) Matrix that is designed to help graduate students successfully map out their progress. While the fully interactive matrix requires an MSU account, the overview of the matrix provides some important guidelines and checkpoints.

Other Resources:

Although focused particularly on STEM fields, phds.org offers some very helpful advice applicable for graduate students in all fields.

Some hints from STATtrak for ways to stay motivated in graduate school: http://stattrak.amstat.org/2012/04/01/staying-motivated/ 

A thorough and up-to-date list of websites, articles, and books from Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching: https://lamp.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/physics/bridge/Surviving%20grad%20school%20resources.pdf