Graduate students tend to be a desperate lot. We crave advice on a range of issues and seemingly devour any guidance the web has to offer. Thankfully, there is an ample supply of "to-do" lists produced by fellow graduate students and wise professors. Wondering how to make your summer productive? There's a list for that. Thinking about items to pack for an on-campus interview? There's a list for that. Looking to actually graduate without completely losing touch with reality? There's a list for that. Increasingly, there are consultants you can pay for advice, if simply reading a list won't calm your nerves.
I have found several advice columns for graduate students helpful, especially when navigating the ridiculously complex academic job market. Nevertheless, I find many lists vague or common sense. The ones that I have read effectively boil down to four points: figure out what you are doing, get your shit organized, do the work, and don't forget to take care of yourself. As far as it goes, this isn't advice so much as a description of life. So, I thought I would pass along some specific tidbits that I have learned along the way in the form of a "don't do" list. This wisdom has developed over my seven years as an on-again, off-again graduate student. Since I just officially ended my graduate student era last Friday, this feels like an appropriate closure.
1. Don't spend too much personal money on conferences.
There is enormous pressure to present at academic conferences when you are in graduate school. Your advisers likely travel to several conferences per year, and they encourage you to attend as well. This can be a great way to get feedback on your research, meet other graduate students, and network. If your department is willing to pay for a good chunk of the conference, or if the personal costs would be minimal, by all means attend and make the most of it. However, if you department provides little to no funding, I would not waste your own money. Depending on the conference, you could be looking at several thousand dollars in airfare, lodging, and food. Conference presentations don't have the same currency as publications or teaching experience when you are job searching. And, let's be real, academic conferences can completely consume your intellectual soul. Every graduate student can attest to this. On some days, conferences can lift your spirits and remind you of the reasons you are pursuing this degree. Most of the time, I found conferences to be remarkably awkward, devoid of true engagement, and tailored to the specifications of senior academics whose research is given top priority. This is my just my experience, of course, and I have a Holden Caulfield-like response to perceived phoniness.
2. Don't take the debates too seriously.
There ares surely a handful of big debates happening in your field right now. People get heated about these things, and for understandable reasons. If you dedicate your life's work to an idea, you will likely strive to defend/promote it. I have learned over time to observe these debates from the sidelines, entering only when it seems appropriate or necessary. Anytime I participate in big intellectual debates in my field, I don't feel a sense of accomplishment. The debates continue, minds remain unchanged, and I spend the next two weeks in an existential tailspin. It can be emotionally draining, and your energy can be better directed. Instead of spending hours in a message board with some anonymous academic, work on research that sustains you or grab coffee with a friend who doesn't give a damn about the debate du jour. The reality is that many issues that are all the rage in our fields are fleeting. Give yourself over to the things that are more lasting and make you happy. Avoid the quicksands of futile battles.
3. Don't expect the world from your adviser.
In some fields, you apply to work with a particular adviser and not a program. For these fields, you perhaps have a good idea of whom your adviser will be and what to expect from them. In all other cases, go in with an open mind. Remember that your adviser is almost assuredly overworked and cannot possibly provide all of the support you need to survive this grind. More than anything, be prepared to build a roster of advisers who help you in different ways. My assigned adviser was wonderful, and we had a great relationship that propelled me to the finish line. However, I developed close relationships with two other faculty members because they were better suited to assisting me through the job search or some other challenge. This network approach, I would guess, is far more common than having one person that embodies everything you could possibly desire in an adviser. And it means you have more people familiar with you, ready to help you overcome difficulties, and prepared to pass along opportunities or write a recommendation.
4. Don't do "throw away" course work.
In all of my courses, there was some culminating project at the end of the semester, usually a 20-25 page paper. I almost always stopped reading for the course about 2/3 of the way through the semester and focused entirely on this paper. I basically treated each of these as an opportunity to write a paper that I could present at a conference or submit to a journal. If nothing else, think about how papers for courses can be used down the road in the literature review or conceptual framework for your dissertation. When I did attend soul-sucking conferences, I presented final course papers. My journal publications as I went on the job market came from final course papers. I wasn't able to use many of these papers in my dissertation because I radically changed topics, but I think the idea is useful. Basically, course assignments do not need to sit in your Dropbox folders collecting virtual dust. Don't simply do the work to finish the course. Use the course to build the foundations of your future career, whatever it may be.
5. Don't forget to put your field in a broader context.
There are some major issues in academe today--issues that absolutely affect your career prospects and post-graduate future. We have a tendency to get so bogged down in the minutiae of making progress in our programs that we fail to see how broader trends in higher education shape our lives. There is a good chance that your university, field, and department will change during your time as a graduate student. Pay attention to the winds of change and be prepared to adapt accordingly.
6. Don't read too many of these lists.
My final piece of advice is to not get enveloped in a blanket of advice from people who don't know you. You know yourself best. One of my advisers is a no-bullshit Basque who told me right before an interview to be myself and trust my instincts. I still think it's fantastic wisdom by which to live. Graduate school is a personal decision, and you will ultimately be the master of your own destiny. Embrace it and ignore all the noise out there.
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