Graduate School

More than half of new doctorates enter into nonacademic careers, which academics often often refer to as "Plan B." Unfortunately most graduate programs are slow to recognize this reality. InsideHigherEd's Felicia B. LeClere links to recent dialogues in various publications that explore the reality of including some discussion of, and preparation for, nonacademic careers. As she explains, the "skills learned in graduate school are invaluable, but the traditional approach to teaching them makes it much harder to apply outside the professorial role." What can graduate programs do to help students apply their well-honed skill in nonacademic settings? Should they?

Also see:
Graduate Students Skills Translate to Non-Academic Careers

Students vary in how they end a course. I've seen some dump their notebooks in the trash as they leave the examination room (Really!!). Others save their notes and textbooks. Many students sell their books. Everyone experiences a course in their own way. Students vary in what they learn and ultimately take away from a class. Before you file you notes away, throw out your notes and papers, and/or sell your textbook, spend a little bit of time evaluating what you have learned and what you should do differently next semester. "Close out" the course by doing these three things.

After jumping through the application hoops, taking standardized exams, writing admissions essays, and requesting letters of recommendation, receiving a rejection letter can be devastating. Your first urge may be to wallow in misery. Allow yourself a little bit of time to feel sorry for yourself, then move on. Be productive and approach rejection constructively by consider the various reasons why applicants are rejected for graduate study.

It's the end of admissions season. You received rejections, may have been wait-listed, and hopefully received at least one acceptance letter. Now it's time for summer, right? Stop! Take a moment to visit your professors' offices or email them to fill them in on your application. Writing a letter of recommendation is not easy. It takes time. Most professors who write recommendation letters on behalf of their students care about the outcome. They are invested in the success of their students. In addition to thanking the faculty who write letters of recommendation your behalf, you should let them know the outcome of your application. And if you haven't thanked them, now is the time - regardless of whether you were accepted to graduate school.

The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree can prepare you for a career as a practitioner but also many other policy and nontraditional careers.

Many applicants believe that a PhD in Clinical Psychology is best path to a career working with people as a therapist. However, there are several other paths to a practitioner career that don't entail five to seven years of graduate work plus additional supervised hours and a dissertation based on original empirical research.  If you hope for a career as a therapist, consider these alternatives to the PhD in Clinical Psychology.

I'll admit it: I'm completely overwhelmed with all that I have to do. My guess is that if you're a student you probably also feel at least a little overwhelmed. Many of us let our to-do lists get out of hand. By the end of the semester our to-do lists are not simply unwieldy, they're unhelpful. What do you do to get a handle on all of the many things that you have to do?

1. Make sure that your to-do list is complete.
This may seem counter-intuitive when you have a long list, but the first step in getting the important stuff done is surveying the field to determine what is important.

2. Determine what is most important right now.
Many of the items on your to-do list can wait until later, even after the semester ends. Others have deadlines that set important time constraints on task completion. Organize your list tasks by due date and importance.

3. Make choices.
Once you list all of your critical tasks you may find that you need to make choices about what to complete because it may not be possible to complete it all.

Learn more about simple strategies for managing your time

I find it helpful to engage in a modified version of this process daily. I list all that needs to be done. Then I consider what is essential. I look at how much time I can allot to completing the tasks and I decide which tasks to complete, to put on hold, or to ignore altogether. It's not easy and it requires a bit of self awareness and honesty to compile a realistic to-do list. I'm not always successful but it's a start.

One of my former students is facing a wonderful, but very difficult, decision. She has been awarded admission to 3 doctoral programs in psychology. She wonders where to go - and whether she should choose a PhD or PsyD. Identifying details have been changed, but this student's decision process -- and our conversation - may aid you in making decisions about which graduate program to attend.

We spend a lot of time focusing on gaining admission to graduate school - and certainly that's tough. But successfully navigating the grad school years is challenging and you'll find yourself spending many beautiful days behind a computer screen. Chuck Fidler explains in the Chronicle of Higher Education, What I Learned About Surviving Graduate School. Also check out this general advice on succeeding in school.

Many students who are accepted to graduate school are surprised to find that the hardest part of applying to graduate school comes after acceptance: deciding where to attend. How do you choose a graduate program? How do you decide where to attend graduate school? Follow these tips on how to choose. In addition these suggestions intended for students who are wondering where to apply to graduate school can also help you weigh programs in making decisions on where to attend. The simplest piece of advice is to try to imagine what your life will look like at each place. Visualize your day-to-day life within each program and you may find it easier to choose.