As the beginning of a new semester is fast approaching, I am thinking about all of the students who may be entering a graduate counseling program for the first time. In this post, I put together some of my best tips for success in graduate school!
- Start small(ish). Graduate school is significantly more work than undergraduate. It is generally recommended that you take no more than 9 credit hours your first semester. Less, if you are working full-time and maybe 12 if you are working part time.
- Do not ever allow yourself to get behind. Create a plan and a schedule for school work, and work the plan, and stay on track. Trying to catch up after being behind takes significant more mental energy than simply keeping up, or even (preferably) getting ahead. Which, by the way, is almost impossible but a worthy endeavor!
- Don’t neglect your health. You will need to create balance. Actually that term is too gentle. You will need to make your health a priority, even if it means stopping work (temporarily!) on an assignment to go work out, sleep or eat healthy. If you lose your health, you will lose your ability to focus and concentrate, and then you will have ruined your health for nothing.
- Seek support. Nobody is going to understand the pressures you are under like other graduate students or your advisor. It is too easy for us to become insulated and isolated in our own little worlds of online classes and research. Reach out to your co-hort. Share your struggles and successes.
- Don’t neglect long-term projects. Because your long-term projects don’t have immediate and pressing deadlines doesn’t mean they are any less important than the other work you are doing. Block out the most productive times during your day and use them to work on term papers. Place strong boundaries around these time blocks; do not allow friends or family to distract you.
- You are entering a new world. Nobody really understands academia like other academics. You may find your relationships with other people changing because of this; it may be difficult to share this part of yourself with them. You may need to let some relationships go. It’s all part of the growing process of life.
- Enjoy! This is a wonderful and exciting time. Yes, it is stressful. But know that you can and will handle and manage the stress. Do not allow feeling overwhelmed to stop you from pursuing your passion!
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barb LoFrisco
