On Being a Successful
Graduate Student
Researcher
Much of this material is adapted
extensively (and shamelessly) from a
presentation given annually at the
University of British Columbia for
entering graduate students.
Graduate School:
Not just more years of college!
The Undergraduate
The Graduate
• Student
• From apprentice to expert
• Breadth over depth
• Depth over breadth
• Recipient of knowledge
• Analyzer and creator of
knowledge
• Externally directed
• Self-directed
The primary purposes of the Masters program is:
• To understand thoroughly and think critically
about what is known in applied economics and
its theoretical foundations
• To learn how to conduct research in economics
• To begin affiliating with the academic
community of economists
• To master skills (including research /
experimentation) that are necessary for
advanced practice in economics
In addition to the skills mentioned for the MA
program, the primary purposes of Doctoral study are:
• To master the knowledge of a specific academic field
– and become prepared to teach that knowledge at
the university level
• To make an original contribution, through research,
to the knowledge within a specific field (i.e. “create
new knowledge”)
• To establish oneself as an expert and leader within
the academic community of the field
Challenges might graduate students encounter in
finding research topics?
• Different expectations for a grad student
• Lack of direction (e.g., the never-ending thesis)
• Feeling isolated or unsupported
• Difficulties with supervisor, other students, etc.
• Anxiety about getting through successfully
• Funding constraints or financial difficulties
• Unexpected personal problems or conflicting life
commitments
7 Keys to Success in Graduate School
1. Be proactive – take responsibility for your own
grad school experience
•
Think about what you really want from graduate
school, and identify opportunities to attain those goals
•
Continue the mental transition from being told what
to do, to deciding what to do
•
Don’t wait for faculty members to come to find you –
take the initiative to build relationships
2. Establish positive relationships with your
supervisor and members of your committee
•
Schedule regular meetings with your entire supervisory
committee – at least once a year
•
Have a clear purpose for each meeting, and communicate
the agenda in advance to your supervisor / committee
•
Follow up on items discussed in meetings – keep your
supervisor informed of your progress and challenges
•
Act as a “junior colleague” – ask questions, advance ideas,
show interest and support for shared goals
3. Embrace your academic community
•
Seek input and collaboration from faculty members
and your peers – don’t isolate yourself
•
Attend every optional seminar and lecture within and
beyond your interest and field
•
Attend and present at conferences
•
Begin thinking of yourself as a member of your
profession and academic field
4. Know your program requirements and timelines
•
Make sure to meet deadlines
•
Make it your responsibility, don’t rely on reminders
•
Know the Graduate Student Manual intimately
5. Create and follow an annual plan
• Schedule meetings with your supervisor and committee
• Track your specific program requirements (e.g., courses
taken, comprehensives, research, thesis, etc.)
• Attend conferences and make presentations
• Apply for fellowships, scholarships, and research grants
• Take professional development courses
6. Bring a professional approach to your studies and
interactions
•
Key skills: organization, preparedness, collegiality,
budgeting
•
Improve your writing skills by utilizing the Graduate
and Professional Student’s Writing Center
•
Learn about research ethics and scholarly integrity
7. Seek balance and support in your life
• Remember that you have friends and family outside grad
school
• Done right, this will be among the most inspiring and
satisfying times in your life
• And, because your mother isn’t here: “Get enough sleep,
make time for physical exercise, and eat your veggies!”
Recognize that researchers before you have correlated
adequate sleep, exercise, and healthy diets with critical
analysis, innovation, and economy of effort
Some additional advice
• Read, read, read (you will hear me say this throughout
the semester). Read outside your field and specific
interests. This is where you will get your research ideas.
• Work on your writing skills from day 1
– Your advisor is not your copyeditor. You should never turn in a paper that
needs grammatical improvement. Don’t rely on spell checkers. Turn ON
the grammar checker in your software, and pay attention to it.
– Nothing puts an advisor in a worse frame of mind to review your work than
a poorly written first draft. You should never give your advisor a first draft,
it should be a third draft, at least, which you have seriously edited each
time.
• Give your advisor and committee lots of time to review
drafts of your work (at least two weeks)
– Insufficient time also puts advisors in bad moods. They are busy people
and you are not their priority.
Some additional advice, continued
• Form a peer support group of other economics graduate
students who are not necessarily your friends. Look for
complimentary skills.
– Students with weak writing skills need peers with strong
writing.
– Students with weak math skills need peers with strong math.
• Study with your peer support group.
• Get together regularly and informally to talk economics,
maybe over lunch. Many good research ideas come
from such informal discussions.
• As you advance through your program, read your peer’s
papers, and have them read your papers. Get
comments and address them before giving the paper to
your advisor.