No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook i WELCOME LETTER Dear English Graduate Students: Welcome to the Texas A&M University- Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii Corpus Christi English graduate program. We hope to answer common questions that have been on the Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii minds of other graduate students. We designed this survival and mentoring guidebook with teaching and Shared Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Teaching as a Graduate Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Non-Teaching English Graduate Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 non-teaching graduate students in mind as well as to support underrepresented students. Higher education is difficult enough for mainstream students; thus, graduate school can prove challenging for students with families, jobs, and diverse backgrounds. Because we had many questions ourselves as we sailed through Graduate School the program, we saw a need for a mentoring Funding and Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 guidebook. In turn, it is our vision to enhance your graduate experience. FAQs about English Graduate School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sincerely, Former English Graduate Students Parting Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 B.T.D.T.H.T.H. (Been There, Done That, Have the Hood) Helpful Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook ii PREFACE No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook iii INTRODUCTION This handbook has been designed to provide you as incoming graduate students at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) with a “Visit your professors often, form bonds with your classmates, get involved, and make sure that you know what you’re getting into.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) complete understanding of what the English program has to offer as you pursue your educational/teaching goals or your pursuit in becoming a professional writer. We understand that not everyone may receive the mentoring or advice needed because of busy schedules. Thus, we encourage you to read this guidebook for mentoring advice. The information gathered is based on personal experiences of former graduate and current students’ experiences. As an undergraduate, you helped to create knowledge; however, your goal now is to build on that knowledge and contribute to the ongoing conversation in the English field of Rhetoric and Composition. We invite you to contribute your voice to enhance this guidebook for future graduates by visiting http://sages.tamucc.edu. Let your enlightening experience and knowledge at this unique university become a welcomed beacon of light for future English graduate students to follow. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi One of the most important aspects of graduate school is finding a mentor. A mentor is someone who helps guide your research as well as someone who contributes to your full understanding of it as you progress throughout your graduate career. Unlike your advisor, who helps you determine what courses you need to take in order to complete your comprehensive exams and graduate, a mentor is someone who is willing to take time out of their own day and provide you with detailed feedback on your research and writing. Finding the right mentor can prove challenging. However, anyone can act as your mentor. For example, as a graduate student, you may want to consult one of the professors you had extensively as an undergraduate and see if they would be interested in mentoring you through your graduate career. Possibly having two mentors, depending on the extent of your research or the content areas your Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook iv No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook v studies cover is something you may want to consider. expected in an English graduate school classroom You may even find that you do not need a mentor here at TAMU-CC. All of this is a part of the right away, but be sure to plan ahead and commit information needed to successfully complete the yourself to checking in with your chosen mentor(s) English graduate program. While a mentor may not whenever possible to make them aware of where you have all of the information and advice, they provide are at in your graduate career. Suggested check-in firsthand knowledge that can prove to be invaluable times should not extend beyond three-week intervals; to the incoming English graduate student. that is, you should at least check-in once a month. Seeking and obtaining a mentor or mentors who will help you through some of the difficulties that will be encountered in graduate school and in particular, in the English graduate program, is an important step in completing your graduate school studies. While the university’s graduate school catalogue provides needed information and advice, a mentor will clarify some of the information that may not be clear to the graduate scholar. A mentor will also draw on their personal experience in the program and use it to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that some students have encountered in graduate school. Other information vital to graduate school, such as understanding theories in rhetoric and composition and intensive and extensive reading writing is also Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 1 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 2 SHARED GOALS present at a conference. Ask the FYP administrator “Be open to each other—you will learn a lot from people you may disagree with. You’ll never learn anything by only talking with people you agree with.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) If funding is not available through the FYP, seek the Proposals and Conferences Throughout your graduate experience, you will be encouraged to present research ideas and papers at local, state, national, or international scholarly conferences. There are three conventional ways of presenting at a conference: poster, panel, or presentation. You must first submit a proposal. If you find yourself at a loss on how to prepare a proposal, ask your mentor or colleagues for assistance. Your mentor or professor can provide you with links to guide you. Refer to “Helpful Links” at the end of this handbook for links on proposals and conferences. Your proposal has been accepted. Fantastic! Will this conference require travel? If so, the administrator for the First-Year Program (FYP) generally allocates funds for graduate students to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi for more information on deadlines and paperwork. English chair. Remember to save all your receipts! Comprehensive Examination The comprehensive examination is given in the fall and the spring. You must register for this examination during the semester you expect to graduate, and make sure you register before the deadline. Anticipate two (2) comprehensive exams—one in Rhetoric and Composition, and the other in an area of your choice. You will be required to discuss various Rhetoric and Composition theorists and theories. For more on comprehensive exams, guidelines, and policies, consult the English Handbook for the Masters Program. Reading Lists You should receive a reading list upon entering the program. We strongly encourage you to begin reading from the exam-reading list as soon as possible. A good strategy for dealing with the book load is that you plan the amount of books you need to read per month before the date of the exam. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 3 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 4 Here’s another strategy: read 30 minutes a day. and be expected to know and regurgitate: rhetoric, Write an abstract for every reading. The abstract will pedagogy, epistemology, paradigm shift, literary help you remember what you read two years ago. criticism and theory, dialectic, composition theory, Once accepted into the English graduate program, textual analysis, facilitations, contextual analysis, etc. begin a search of the books and authors from the You will also hear straightforward terms such as reading list at our Bell Library or in stores such as voice, discourse, and conversation that will take on a our own Barnes & Noble on campus, or online sites new meaning. like Amazon. Network Tools Study Groups You may be required to enter conversations We highly recommend that you study with by posting to one of the following: Wiki, WebCT, others to prepare for the two major exams as soon Moodle, Compile, etc. Don’t despair if you are not as you begin the program. Can you form your own familiar with these tools. Since they are necessary, study group? Yes, you can. Decide whether you solicit prefer to meet with a large or small group. You can helpdesk line or visit the help desk in the also meet with other SAGES members. MicroComputer Lab located on the second floor of assistance from the campus-computer If you are having difficulty finding a group Corpus Christi Hall (CCH). You can also ask a with comparable interests or backgrounds, a classmate or mentor for help, but don’t be afraid to professor or mentor may connect you to someone explore these programs on your own. By the end of compatible. your graduate experience, you may become Terminology knowledgeable with all of these tools and many You will be introduced to numerous terms; more that will be helpful to your future. your knowledge of these terms will enhance your success. Here are some of those terms you will hear Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 5 TEACHING AS A GRADUATE STUDENT “It’s going to be hard at first, and you’ll probably doubt yourself at times, but that’s completely normal. It will get easier. The demands will still be there, but you’ll catch on.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) Many students enter the English Master’s Program because of their desire of teach college English at a community college or at a university. TAMU-CC helps fulfill that goal by allowing students the opportunity to become graduate teaching assistants in a shared learning community called the First-Year Program (FYP). In this section we will (WAC), discuss the Writing-Across-the-Curriculum First-Year-Program, Learning Communities (Triads and Tetrads), and the roles of composition and seminar instructors. Before we describe each of these components that make up the English teaching program, it is important that the vision of the First-Year Program be explicitly stated. No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 6 First Year Program Vision To teach English Composition 1301 and 1302 by understanding the goals and objectives of the First-Year-Program and by using the theories, practices, and research from coursework, seminars, and the Practicum. What is the First-Year Program? The First-Year Program is designed to offer graduate students the opportunity to gain experience working with other graduate students and professors in Learning Communities. Not only does teaching at the college level look great on a resume, but it also teaches Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) to work with others in a professional environment as well as how to manage a classroom and work with students, which is something that textbooks cannot teach. This program is also designed to fulfill the needs of the first year students (undergraduate freshmen) by helping them become better writers in their disciplines as well as helping them become familiar with the kind of writing they will be expected to engage in during the course of their college careers. In order to accomplish this goal, the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 7 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 8 First-Year Program is founded on a pedagogical The Ways Students Benefit from Writing-Across- theory called Writing-Across-the-Curriculum. the-Curriculum What is Writing-Across-the-Curriculum? According to a 2002 article by Professors Glenn Writing-Across-the-Curriculum is a fancy Blalock, Susan Loudermilk-Garza, Diana Cárdenas, term for teaching students to write in the discourse and Joyce Hawthorne titled “Using ‘Community’ of their specific discipline. For instance, students Needs to Promote and Expand WAC,” students in a who are majoring in medicine and want to become a learning community are more likely to succeed in doctor college because: or nurse would enter the Science Triad/Tetrad where they would learn how to write • using various conventions and styles of as well as using formats such as APA, MLA, Chicago, CSE, classroom and the community. • etc. For example, first year students who want to become a psychologist would enter into the • Composition, seminar, and lecture are all connected through Writing-Across-the-Curriculum, however, each of these courses are separate and issue out individual grades. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi They construct a broader definition of learning and knowledge. • writing that is used in their field (i.e. journals, respected magazine articles, case study reports, etc.). They put into practice the knowledge gained in their coursework. Psychology triad/tetrad as to familiarize themselves with the kind of conventions, styles, and formats of They make a connection between the They learn to operate within the expectations of their future workplace. • They model the kinds of writing typical of a particular setting. • They become familiar with various genres of writing and conventions they must follow. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! • • • • A Survivalist Guidebook 9 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 10 They begin to understand the kind of with local profit and non-profit organizations expertise that a workplace demands. outside of the campus, and writing together They identify skills and tools they must collaboratively. “Our students learn about writing possess to become effective and valued not just within the context of rules of form, style, employees. and correctness, but in the context of a decision They gain a sense of the clients served by making process for achieving results. This work the written and oral presentations. crosses curriculums and engages the community” (p. They discover the personal values of individuals who interact with them as they work through the assignments. (Blalock et al. p. 57) In this aspect, community has a three-fold meaning: It means the communities that the students are coming from, the communities that they are entering here on campus, and the communities that they will eventually be entering before and after graduation. Blalock et al. concludes, “Students learn from other students as they collaborate in groups and share details about their projects and the many choices made to get the job done” (p. 58). This idea 58). There are numerous ways in which composition instructors can achieve this goal; logistics play a crucial role in monitoring and assessing students’ participation, motivation, and development in their writing. Triads/Tetrads Triads are Learning Communities that consist of smaller groups of lecture, composition and seminar courses working together. Tetrads are Learning Communities that consist of two or more large lectures, more composition and seminars working together. Learning Communities are identified with a letter such as “Triad K.” of collaboration goes beyond merely putting a PowerPoint together, it means constructing knowledge together collaboratively, collaborating Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 11 More on Learning Communities No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 12 Model of a Learning Community Within There are three courses in a Learning the First Year Program Community: Composition, Seminar, and Lecture. These courses relate back to Writing-Across-theCurriculum because they focus on a specific discipline. For example, the student interested in becoming a psychologist would take a Psychology lecture course, a composition course, and a seminar course. In their lecture course, they would focus on the content of psychology (i.e. Psychology terminology, concepts, theories, etc.). In composition, the student would learn the styles, formats, and conventions of writing within that Figure 3 represents an example of a Learning Community discipline. Seminar supports both large lecture and within the First-Year Program at Texas A&M University— composition by discussing some of the content Corpus Christi, where large lecture, seminar, and from the lecture course in a more group-like composition are connected to each other. The number of atmosphere. As aforementioned, though these three students in each triad or tetrad depends on enrollment, classes connect, they each count for a different semester, and type of lecture (i.e. history, political science, psychology, etc.). grade. A student may pass lecture with an “A,” but can receive a “C” in composition and a “B” in Useful Tips seminar. Below is an example of what a Learning Graduate students who desire to teach Community might look like here at Texas A&M should designate their time around developing their University—Corpus Christi. lesson plans, reading, and researching. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi This will Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 13 No Longer an Undergrad! help them develop and connect their teaching Composition. In addition, graduate students may find it helpful to collaborate with other graduate What has proved to be especially helpful is that a 14 THE NON-TEACHING ENGLISH GRADUATE STUDENT practices with theories in the field of Rhetoric and student teachers with previous teaching experience. A Survivalist Guidebook “Don’t do this unless you are genuinely interested in and passionate about what you do.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) graduate teaching assistant take the initiative in There are fundamental differences in the building an atmosphere where collaborative learning English graduate program for those students who is appreciated and acceptable for all. By building an have decided neither to teach during their time in atmosphere in which teaching goals and values are the shared, the vision for the First-Year Program is difference will be discovered through the focus of strengthened and thus profitable for all. This does what is taught in most English graduate courses. not mean that composition and seminar instructors Many of these courses pertain to teaching and not who have experience should tell new instructors writing, though there will be plenty of writing done what to do or how to do it, but it does suggest that in this graduate program. However, creative writing, experienced teachers help beginning teachers find a literature, and technical writing classes in this major balance in their teaching techniques. do offer writers the opportunity to concentrate on program or following graduation. That various genres of academic writing. Plainly speaking, here’s the skinny: those English graduate students who have opted not to teach will find some of the courses in this program difficult to comprehend without a background or interest in teaching. That is not to say you can never understand the curriculum Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 15 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 16 because if that were true you would not be reading Well for one, learning the process of writing in all of this mentoring guidebook. The same principle of its wide-ranging facets will make you a better writer regimented study in higher education as an and aid in honing your craft. Understanding how undergraduate applies to graduate school, but it is language and writing functions in our educational definitely at an accelerated and demanding pace. Be institutions is an invaluable bank of knowledge that prepared to buckle down and read voluminous a degree in Rhetoric and Composition will certainly amounts of journal articles and textbook chapters, garner. but most important, be prepared to discuss the As we’ve discussed, even if you do not plan assigned reading material in class. Bring an to teach, you will be required to study theories and understanding of the readings to class, but the most pedagogies in teaching Rhetoric and Composition. important thing is that you also bring your Do not panic, but be prepared for the fast pace that interpretation of the assigned material from a non- these classes will present. One week you will be teaching standpoint. Your professors and peers will learning Post Colonial theory and the next it will be always appreciate the different viewpoint that you Cultural Studies pedagogy, but all of these various have to offer because it stimulates interesting theories, pedagogies, and critical approaches are discussions. connected and understanding them early on will give Whatever the difference, non-teaching you an advantage. Cruise the library’s online majors will share many common goals with teachers catalogue. Surf the net and Google theories. Ask while in the program such as understanding questions! Get up to speed on what you will be composition, literary criticism, critical literacy, and studying and we assure you that as a non-teacher in basic writing theories, pedagogies, and paradigms. this program, you will understand the material and it So what does that have to do with a non-teaching will improve your writing. Okay, here are some tract English graduate student at this university? other suggestions offered: Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! • A Survivalist Guidebook 17 Observe other teaching methodologies, No Longer an Undergrad! • A Survivalist Guidebook 18 Lead discussions in workshop settings: You especially from experienced teachers. will be asked to lead a discussion in class on a • Practice collaborative teaching and learn to particular reading or constructively address other be a reliable team member fully engaged in the students’ writing in class, so once again, you will assignment. Many of the people who will start this need to read and understand the assigned material August program with you will be future and projects. classmates, so consider this when group work is • assigned. teaching theories relevant to writing. • Read, Research, and Write extensively on Apply teaching theories while executing class facilitations or during presentations to demonstrate your understanding of the material. • Practice collaborative group learning: Most of your instructors will integrate collaborative coursework along with work on Internet programs such as WebCT, Wiki, and Moodle. It will be necessary to learn how to function in a classroom setting as well as one in cyberspace. • Assess others writing or presentations, especially from second year scholars and mentors. You will be expected to provide constructive criticism by evaluating your peers’ work. Your professor will provide you with instruction to respond tactfully and constructively. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 19 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 20 GRADUATE SCHOOL FUNDING AND CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT failure for those brave souls, who decide to work 40 “As a graduate student the opportunity to earn money is much more available than as an undergraduate that eases the financial burden of education.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate full time, we advise that you take only one or two student) Okay, so this isn’t an easy topic, but it’s one that we’re sure has crossed your mind. We live in a society where money governs our every action— how can it be ignored? So you’ve graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree and you want to further your education…but how can you make the big bucks and support this vice called “education?” Looking at the students in the graduate program, we can share with you the ways in which we balance both our education and our checkbooks. The majority of the students in this particular program both work and attend college. However, many have found that either work or college must be subordinated. We’re not professing Texas A&M University Corpus Christi hours or more a week and take nine hours of graduate school, but we are saying that it is going to be extremely stressful and taxing. If you must work classes per semester. Though you’ll finish school a little later than some of your peers, your finances will be unaltered. If you can afford it and want to hurry and finish with your degree, it might be more beneficial to work only part time and attend graduate school as a full time student. As we already mentioned, doing both college and work full time may be a little too demanding for the average student, but it’s not impossible for those who seriously want to speed through graduate school but who can’t afford the cut in pay. Another reason we advise that you take graduate school slow is that you allow yourself enough time to grasp the concepts that surround the professional community. Students have found that racing through graduate school excludes them from some of the extracurricular activities that might have better prepared them for the pursuit of a PhD or for the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook jobs they took after college. 21 By going through graduate school at a decent pace, you’ll find time to No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 22 remind them of your interest so that when a position turns up, your name comes to mind. attend and speak at conferences, work on your When it comes to important topics such as thesis or independent study, and attempt publishing, money and education, just remember that you come thus strengthening your curriculum vitae (a.k.a. first. If you treat yourself well by creating a positive “CV” or a professional/academic resume). balance between your job and your education, you There are also part time job opportunities available on campus. will hopefully maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you As we already mentioned, overexert yourself, your positive energy can easily there is teaching in the First Year Program. To be convert to bad feelings affecting your job, your eligible to teach Composition, you must first have education, and your family; and performing poorly 18 hours of graduate course work completed. For will be the evidence. Quitting will be the solution. It more specific criteria, please refer to the English doesn’t have to get there if you work with the nihil graduate handbook or university website. nimus “everything in moderation” philosophy in If you’re not in the Master’s program because you want to teach, you can stay out of the mind. Only you know what you need and what you can handle. classroom and work as a Research Assistant (RA). As a research assistant, you may be asked to write grants, help edit documents, or work closely with a professor gathering research for his/her article or book in progress. For information regarding employment opportunities, be sure to always ask your advisor or mentor for position openings. If you are interested in working as an RA, be sure to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 23 No Longer an Undergrad! FAQs IN ENGLISH GRADUATE SCHOOL me A Survivalist Guidebook better and gives 24 students more individual attention. Part of this is due to being a small school and program, and “Allow time for family, friends, and your health.” part is due to the graduate level work and (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) We have compiled some responses from various graduate students who are about to exit the M.A. program. expectations. This support network actually made the transition easy. • How did your life change when you became a graduate student? In these responses, graduate students reveal their feelings towards the program, the ways I had no time for anything else but in which graduate school affected their personal college. If I wasn’t at college, I was lives, and what they plan to do after graduation. We reading or writing something for college. I hope that you not only adhere to the advice that had to focus more on my education more your peers offer, but that you also feel connected in so than when I was an undergraduate some way to other graduate students as they student. generously disclose personal information about their How important have family and friends been to you now that you are a graduate journey through graduate school. • • How would you define being a graduate student? student at TAMUCC? Family and friends are more important to I found it to be a lot more personable than me than they were before because I have to my undergrad school. The students have spend been more responsibilities. I appreciate family and academically focused. The faculty knows friends more now that I do not get to see more tightly knit and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi so much time on school Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! • A Survivalist Guidebook 25 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 26 them as much and now that I need them so 3. I plan to take a break, fort once. I will much more to keep from going crazy. devote my time to being a better teacher, What positions have you held here on and eventually, I plan to write fiction. campus as a graduate student? 4. Go to law school. (Answers are from all students who took survey). Graduate teaching assistant, 5. PhD studies at Indiana University of Senior Secretary at the Women’s Center, Editor for College of Business, Writing Pennsylvania Center tutor, grader, instructor at ESLI, TESOL). (Composition and research assistant, graduate assistant tech writer, • web/print/photographic • What personal advice would you give to coordinator for College of Education. incoming graduate students? What are your plans after graduation? 1. Start studying for the comps now. We 1. I hope to either continue working at the mean it. Bell Library and receive my Master’s in Library Science from the University of 2. Don’t worry, everyone else is still trying North Texas or I hope to move to Fort to get it, too. You’re not the only person Worth and do the same. being overwhelmed by grad school. 2. I plan to continue working at our 3. Find your group. The number one way community college and pursuing a PhD to survive grad school is with the help of from TAMU-CC. your peers. Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 27 No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 28 PARTING WISDOM 4. Be open to each other—you will learn a lot from people you may disagree with. “Always have a back-up plan.” (Anonymous A&M-CC English graduate student) You’ll never learn anything by only talking to people you agree with. We have mentioned a lot of information that may be difficult to take in at once, but trust us, once you sit in your classes, begin reading the assigned material, and engage in class discussions, group projects, or graduate teaching, you will naturally begin to learn and speak the discourse of this particular community. Just be assured that graduate school is like any other community. It has its standards and expectations that must be met before it embraces you or before you feel completely at home. Feelings of doubt and insecurity are almost a guarantee. But the good news is that if you really want to succeed, your human instincts of survival will kick in eventually and you will begin to adjust to your new environment. Here is another secret—you are not alone. Many people we have spoken with have admitted to feelings of inferiority around others who appeared Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Corpus Christi No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook 29 to be much smarter or more knowledgeable in the graduate school community. Even scholars that you will read about have felt the same way. But the important thing is that these people who have felt that way approached their feelings of insecurity with a positive attitude. Always stay positive and offer constructive criticism when appropriate, as well as when receiving it! Your professors’ advice is invaluable and should be cherished. Remember, you are a graduate “student” and are not expected to know everything. However, this does not mean that you must always act as a student, for you are also a teacher. You have something to contribute to this community that no one else can. You have the potential to change it, to transform it, to leave your mark in the two or more years that you are at the university. Yes, it is a rigorous enterprise, that is also costly and strenuous, but once you leave, you will no longer be a student, but a scholar, and as your degree will state, a “master” in the field. No Longer an Undergrad! A Survivalist Guidebook HELPFUL LINKS Conferences & Proposals http://www.ncte.org/cccc/ http://www.cgu.edu/pages/795.asp http://www.ncte.org/ GRE Testing Website http://www.ets.org/ SAGES http://sages.tamucc.edu Sigma Tau Delta http://kestrel.tamucc.edu/~enghonor/ Graduate Student Association http://gsa.tamucc.edu/ MLA, APA, and Chicago Style Formatting http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/0 1/ http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html Dictionaries http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=static http://www.yourdictionary.com/ http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es/ “Nihil Nimus. Everything in moderation.” Robert Boice Texas A&M University Corpus Christi 30 Texas A&M University Corpus Christi This English 5395 Capstone Project Was produced and published by: Adam Webb Melissa Peña Patricia Alonzo Adolfo Butch Cárdenas Spring 2007 Texas A&M University Corpus Christi The Island University A Hispanic Serving Institution