Comments on: How to be a successful grad. student

By: Corey Hudgins

Corey Hudgins — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:32:43 +0000

Clear points really hit home. This is true for both grad school and professional life as well.
I am sending this to my daughter and several of her friend who are seriously considering grad school. It is very clear and direct about the experience.
Thanks

By: Stephen Woodall

Stephen Woodall — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:59:18 +0000

Ginevra, I wouldn’t be in graduate school right now if it were not for my club/organization connections made during my undergraduate studies. I agree with your comment, and also would suggest to any reading to continue that experience through graduate school. College universities are unique and create experiences different to each individual. Most of my networks and jobs were through the university, and in some cases, they still are.

Bryan, you make a valuable point with the self-motivation. A person is only as successful in grad school as the work they put into it. As long as you don’t get distracted, as Mihaela stated, it is simply a matter of the word, “self-motivation.”

I visualize a tight-rope walker on a piece of fishing wire in some cases… ouch.

By: How to be a successful grad student « Tech621

How to be a successful grad student « Tech621 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:27:18 +0000

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By: Mihaela

Mihaela — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:21:39 +0000

Ginevra, yes, that’s a good point. I founded the Romanian Student Association, was president of the Communication Graduate Students’ Association, and those experiences were very fulfilling – I think I got involved later on, not the first year. It took me a while to get my bearings

Bryan, I totally understand and sympathize. I don’t necessarily think it’s right that we force thought into a specific writing style, but it does happen, and if you want to succeed, you pay attention to that and adapt.

I forgot one point: Stay focused on your goal. You’re here to get a degree. Let that always be your priority. Work, teaching, and other obligations suck a lot of time and attention, but many times they are distractions. I always tended to spend a lot of time on my teaching – my adviser kept reminding me to stay focused on progress towards my degree.

By: Bryan Howland

Bryan Howland — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:21:58 +0000

I really enjoyed your post. Having graduated with my master’s in PR last May, I was interested in hearing what a professor’s opinion was on this subject.

I couldn’t agree with you more about being self-motivated. I was a very average undergrad – doing enough to get by – but going back to school on my own dime made a huge difference. I graduated with a 3.98 GPA and thoroughly enjoyed my experience.

I also agree that you can do good work and not succeed in academia, which is one issue I did have with getting my master’s. I would have preferred less emphasis on the academia side of things and more on the “real world” applications. While I can now put together a 5-page, error free, reference page in APA format, I would have preffered spending more time on how to put together business or PR documents.

By: Ginevra Adamoli

Ginevra Adamoli — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:54:02 +0000

Hi there,

I am a graduate student at Florida State University in Mass Communication. I agree with all the tips provided above.
Another tip I would like to suggest is the following.

It is not enough to be studious and be the perfect “student”. Being a graduate student means going beyond classes. Get involved with your community, join organizations (Film society, Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable City Association, etc), become a member of the board, or just a volunteer. You will be surprised how many connections you make outside academia that are indirectly related to your future career. It is all to your advantage.

Also you can get involved with activities/organizations at your university. It helps meeting other scholars, professors not just from your department.

Hope this helps.