You got accepted into graduate school and now you may be asking yourself, “how am I going to crush my first semester of graduate school?”
Starting your first semester of graduate school may have you feeling excited for the new experiences and environment, but it may also have you feeling a bit nervous.
Here I layout how to get the best out of the first semester of your graduate school program.
Trust me when I say you will want to do your best in your first semester so that you are able to build on that success throughout your program.
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Essential Tip: If you are in graduate school, you will NEED to be using a reference management software.
Reference management software will save you so much time and help you when having to do those 5-20 page research papers in your classes. I recommend Zotero, but they are other software such as EndNote or Mendeley.
If you are now beginning your graduate school, congratulations on this accomplishment. Now begins the time to put in the work and grow into that person you want to become.
Be on Time
When I say be on time what I really mean is that you should be reaching to you classes a little early every day if possible.
Not only is this a new environment, but you have so many new people that you are going to want to interact with and learn from.
Being early for class allows you the benefit of:
- Not having to worry about being late
- Allows you to mingle with classmates
- Allows you to talk to the professor or TA
- Gives you time to finish homework
- May get you insights on what’s going on the exam or quiz
You should always be on time for class or at least try to be, this can mean the difference from being on the good side of a professor or not.
And it’s never a and idea to stay back after class to ask questions to the professor one on one, this can assist in building early relationships and connections.
Take good notes
I will say it here and I will say it again: GOOD note taking is essential for success in graduate school and in life in general.
Check out my article on: 9 Keys for Success in Graduate School.
Your brain never remembers all of what it is going on. And during graduate school there is going to be loads of information being thrown at you.
Not only may this information be relevant to your future career, but it may just be on your exams too.
Take notes. That could be with paper and pencil, on your laptop (some professors won’t allow it. Yes, I know this makes your millennial brain frustrated), voice recorded notes or even video with the professor and TA’s permission.
Notes could be shared. Think google drive or dropbox which can help in studying together later on.
(If you want an environmentally friendly way to hand write your notes, check out this endlessly reusable digital notebook called the Rocketbook.)
Read before class
Trust me the last thing you want to be doing during graduate school is falling behind in the assigned readings.
By reading before class you will be prepared for the classroom lecture by being able to answer questions the professors throws at you or by engaging in deeper level discussion on the topic.
Your first semester of graduate school is usually going to be a mix of foundational knowledge in your area of study.
So it is essential that you are able to develop a deep understanding of these foundational concepts are so that you can build on this knowledge throughout your graduate program.
Just read the assigned readings – it will help you immensely. Reading more than what assigned to you though time-consuming can help you develop a deeper understanding of the material.
Do your assignments
When the professor gives you assignments, just do them.
Do all your assignments. Even when the professor assigns problems at the back of the textbook. Make sure that you are doing them or at least attempting these problems.
Doing the back of the book problems/assignments will personally benefit you by letting you know if you truly understand what is going on in the class.
And if you are doing the problems and are getting trouble, then this is the perfect time to ask for help either from another student, the TA, or your professor.
It is essential you learn and understand each new concepts as they come up. Because in graduate school you are going to be learning many complex concepts in each of your classes.
Make sure not to fall behind on learning new concepts, even if you are sick. The onus is on you to ensure you can display that you have mastered the new concepts in exams, quizzes, discussion and presentations.
Practice is the best way to learn, so do those problems over and over again until you can apply it in any other context.
Mark down the due dates and times for assignments and ALWAYS submit them on time.
Get to know your TA’s
TA’s or Teacher Assistants, are usually PhD students in your college of study or a similar area.
Take advantage of TA’s as a resource.
Remember that TA’s most likely took this course before and has also assisted in this course many times. Additionally, it goes without saying that your TA will know how your professors assignments and exams are going to be. So it helps to be on their good side.
And most of the time TA’s are the ones that will be grading the exams and quizzes. So it is in your best interest to get to know your TA and build a relationship where you feel comfortable going to them for help or guidance when you get stuck.
Feeling stuck on a research paper or another assignment, ask your TA, I bet they will have tips to help you.
Lastly, TA’s are usually really intelligent and very knowledgeable about what is going on in your field. So don’t forget to talk to them to get a better understanding of the field or of what their career interest are.
Figure out potential internship sites
In my opinion, the transition into graduate school can be a tough one to adjust to for many people.
This is why I suggest you not intern in your first semester, or at least not until you have gotten all of school and life settled.
BUT this should be a time for you to get to know the potential internship sites you would want to intern at in your coming semesters.
Don’t know what kind of internship you should take? Take a look at my article on 4 Steps to Secure a Job After Graduate School.
To find internship sites, talk to your graduate school’s internship coordinator, ask persons in the cohort before you, talk to professors or do your own research.
Manage your time
There is going to be a lot of time management in your first semester of graduate school, this usually comes since you are going to have multiple assignments co-existing.
You are going to have plan for tackling all that is happening in your life and just ensure that you are updating your calendar, so you know what obligations you have.
Time management could be the difference between you having time to enjoy and you being stressed and feeling overwhelmed with everything.
Breaking assignments into smaller parts can help you stay motivated and keep on top of several different assignments at the same time. This mentally allows you to process the smaller parts easier than coming at the entire project all at once.
Be Curious
The only person certain to be losing something when they don’t ask a question is yourself. Don’t worry about the what if and just ask that question.
Graduate school is a time for you to be curious about EVERYTHING.
You should be aiming to grow your understanding of your area of study. During graduate school you want to aspire to be an expert in different topics of interest.
Make sure that you are opening doors and not closing them in your first semester of graduate school. Consider yourself a blank slate and allow the opportunities to sculpt you into the professional you want to be when you graduate.
What you should be doing:
- Asking all the questions
- Doing research (for class and personally)
- Learn how to present
- Take part in case competitions
- Attend and/or present at conferences
- Network with students and mentors
Overall focus your energy on understanding what you want from your graduate program in your first semester. Find out who are the people that can best help you accomplish the goals you have set out. And reach out to them to learn more.
Have fun and relax
These are going to be some of the best times of your life.
The working world is a completely new world, so enjoy your time being a student.
And your time in graduate school is going to fly by so make sure that you are making time to enjoy all the new things life has to offer during this period of your life.
Take up that new hobby. Join that club. Go to that concert. Enjoy going out with new friends in a new (or old) scene. And most importantly, discover your passion whether it be personally or professionally.
Having fun and relaxing is essential for your health and overall growth. So ensure that you are putting aside time to enjoy the little (or grand) things in life.
Do ALL extra credit
Lastly, I do not care who you are or who you think you are. Not doing extra credit is like throwing away free money. You should never do it!
So if it’s going to take 30 minutes out of your sleep one night to do an extra credit assignment, you should absolutely do it.
Extra credit can be crucial for when you get busier at the end of the semester and aren’t able to give your all to your assignments. It can help keep you grades from suffering if something comes up in life.
Just do the extra credit.
Well I guess if you think you don’t need it, then that’s fine? Just don’t say that I didn’t tell you to do it if your grade isn’t what you thought it would be.
Conclusion
Congratulation on making it to graduate school. Now it is important that you step up and take advantage of your first semester.
This new time in your life should be devoted to learning and growing so that you can achieve all the things the universe wants for you. Remember you made it this far, now the only place to go is up.
Your first semester is a vital time for you to create a foundation for success throughout your graduate program. By using this simple guide, you can create actionable steps for you to succeed in your in your first semester of graduate school and onwards.
What are you most excited about in graduate school?
