By DeWitt Scott. Conversations on doctoral pursuits often range from the optimistic (“stay focused, you can do it!”) to dreadful (“There have been lots of costs associated with this process that I did not expect”). Read more...

By Danielle Marias. Like grad school, owning a dog “is a major commitment, which will affect your life profoundly and should not be undertaken lightly.” Opie has brought an incredible amount of joy and happiness to my life, as well as many lessons that I never could have foreseen. Read more...

By Katie Shives. Ah, the phone interview! This is often the first step in the interview process for graduate students looking for careers inside academia or on alternative academic (alt-ac) careers. Read more...

By Wendy Robinson. Even the healthiest backs suffer from the neglect, strain, and stress of graduate school. Not only do our hectic schedules make getting exercise seemingly impossible, but the hunched-over, seated posture required to write, read, type, and attend lecture, decreases flexibility in your lower back and increases stiffness in your shoulders and neck. Over time, this can lead to uneven muscle development and chronic pain. Read more...

By Wendy Robinson. Successfully defending my dissertation was the hoped-for, and even to some extent expected, outcome. Still, it felt surreal to walk across campus knowing that I was essentially done being a student for the rest of my life. Read more...

By Travis Grandy. While it might be easy to base your writing schedule off of the academic calendar (i.e. the flurry of writing seminar papers that happens in the last two to three weeks of the semester in a haze of caffeine and all-nighters), you’re probably also familiar with the burnt-out feeling you get after pushing through a period of intense writing. Read more...

By Anjali Gopal. Email can be one of the most stressful and time-consuming parts of your day if you don’t have a good system for handling it. Read more...