Minority Mentor
Program
Quick Reference:

Stay focused on
why

Hone your
organization
skills

Surround
yourself with the
right people

Learn the
terminology in
your field
The Navigator
Navigator
The
Your Guide to Graduate School Life
Motivation in Graduate School: How do you maintain your focus, juggle
your papers, finances and all of that…
Stay focused on the why. Why are you doing this? Why are you going into debt for
graduate school? What was the reason that brought you here in the first place? It is easy to lose
sight of this on a daily basis. Is it having the diploma on your wall? Having your dream career/job?
Making your family proud? Being an example to your kids, spouse, etc.? There are likely several key
reasons why you decided to attend graduate school, try your best to keep those goals at the fore front
of your mind to help you stay focused.
Hone Your Organizational Skills - This can be an entire workshop! But for the basics: check in with
your program/faculty advisors often regarding your requirements. Be clear in your mind about what
courses will be offered in the coming semesters (confirm this since the information can change from
one semester to the next). Set realistic goals. It will only serve to frustrate you if you are not honest with
yourself and the goals you set. Your time, as well as your finances, are finite. Work within these
parameters in order to gradually but consistently achieve your goals.
Visual reminders are often excellent cues to assist in
organization and efficiency. If you do not have an
organizational system, take some time to develop one early in
the semester. Use your electronic devises or an even more
basic system like a bulletin/white board to keep track of
important assignments and deadlines can be very beneficial,
especially since you see it every day if you have this in your
living/work space.
Surround Yourself with the Right People - Surround yourself with people who motivate, encourage
and support your academic career. Graduate school can be very demanding and you will need all of the
support you can get from friends, family & significant others. If you have individuals in your life who
consistently distract you and do not recognize the focus and commitment that your graduate education
requires, then you may need to have a serious talk with them about the priorities you have and the
need for their support. If this doesn’t help then you may need to seriously consider minimizing any
negative impact that these individuals bring. In the same vein, when you have friends and colleagues
that are excited and passionate about similar research, then this can be highly motivating and you may
even be able to work on projects together and create a symbiotic relationship.
Life Balance - Find time for yourself – every day – even just 15 minutes to breathe. Taking time to enjoy
life is extremely important to your overall goals in graduate school and especially to avoid burnout. You
can work so hard that you won’t realize when you are close to burn out. To avoid this try to set aside a
specific time every week at least one day a week to take a break from your studies. Use this time to
connect with friends and family. Enjoy a day out in nature, go for a hike, or attend an event with
friends, do things that will give your brain a break and will allow you to decompress from the week.
Even though you may think this is time wasted that you could be studying – research has shown that
our brains need to time to recuperate and that often with a little time away you can return to difficult
material and find that your brain can handle the subject matter better after a complete break.
Minority Mentor Program ▪ Claremont Graduate University ▪ 1257 Dartmouth Ave. ▪ Claremont, CA 91711 ▪ 909.607.0789 ▪ mmp@cgu.edu