Time Management Isn’t Only About Checking Things Off I always thought that getting your PhD was only about better time management One morning I stood up from my desk around 10 am after spending an hour dutifully answering all the emails in my inbox. Collaborators, students in the class I was teaching, friends, and […]
Productivity and Time Management
How You Can Break Free From Perfectionism and Procrastination As a Graduate Student
Procrastination Isn’t Always a Bad Thing A few summers ago I went to the circus with my family in Hungary. I watched in awe as a group of 5 trapeze artists (3 men and 2 women) in glittering white and gold costumes performed a series of stunts that seemed to defy the laws of physics. […]
The Five Major Challenges of Graduate School and How You Can Overcome The Biggest One
Why are students frustrated in graduate school? As a junior in college I had already researched all the graduate programs that I would apply to. I knew which programs were the best in the country, which professors did the most interesting research, which schools offered fellowships, and what the weather was like at each university. […]
How to Write Your Thesis in a Toxic Academic Environment
Jan was in his last year of graduate school when things turned toxic. Up to that point, Jan’s studies had been drama-free. He only had to finish one series of experiments, and write up two manuscripts as first author. Both of the papers would eventually turn into chapters in his thesis. Jan’s friend, Nick, had […]
3 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Clear Up Thesis Overwhelm
I felt my throat constricting as I read the email from my thesis supervisor. I know I should have felt honored, but all I could feel was the anxiety building up in my body. I had just finished a series of experiments and my thesis committee meeting was in a week. I thought that […]
The Right Thesis Statement Can Save You 12 Months in Graduate School
Your Thesis Statement Can Save (or Cost) You Years in Grad School “Do you have a thesis statement?” I asked Mike during our coaching session. He paused, and then asked hesitantly: “A thesis statement? I am working on my slides, not my thesis draft.” Mike was preparing for his committee meeting to defend his thesis proposal. He […]