PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
No one ever tells you how to "be" a sharp academic. These are the skills that get you to maximize your program and get the job.
All that stuff they don't teach you about how to own it in grad school

HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT GRADUATE STUDENT
Graduate School requires a different kind of 'student.' If you are just taking your classes you are doing it wrong. We focus on the professional skills needed to:
Stay on top of your classes & use them effectively
Develop & write your dissertation as you go
Identify and build the skills needed to get the job you want
SET THE COURSE: DISSERTATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE WAY
Plan out your battle strategy for your graduate career. We focus on long-term, high-leverage plans to maximize your time here, focusing on 3 strands:
Course & Credit Selection
Dissertation Progress
Professional Skills & CV development
Be smart and make it count.
TASK MANAGEMENT: GET IT DONE
Now that you've got the plan, knock out the tasks. We present a task management system so you're cool as a cucumber while getting it all done.
THE SMART DISSERTATION 1: WORKFLOW
Dissertation as Workflow. Management techniques to tackle your dissertation efficiently and accurately.
Backwards Map Thinking
QMER Workflow Method (Iterations/Branch/Post)
Coursework Integration
Time Management
THE SMART DISSERTATION 2: WORK IN PROGRESS (WIP)
Bring your half-baked ideas and lets troubleshoot them, so you don't have to look stupid in front of your advisor. We'll also cover
Possible Data Sources
Other strategies (e.g., Zotero)
Roundtable on Dissertation strategies
CONFERENCE CONFIDENCE:
STANDOUT PROPOSALS
Techniques to write and submit proposals for maximum impact. We'll cover:
Identifying conferences by interest
Discuss Division/SIG selection & submission
Always have results (other strategies)
What reviewers look for/reading the Call
CONFERENCE CONFIDENCE: PRESENTATION STRATEGIES
A good presentation goes a long way. Here's how to look like a pro
BUILD YOUR RESUME/CV
How to build your CV to market the right stuff. And that all important cover letter. Yikes.
FINDING FUNDING AS A GRAD STUDENT
We cover the all-important topic of funding opportunities for graduate students, with our own Outreach Director, Natale Neugebauer
UNIVERSITY RESOURCES FOR GRAD STUDENTS
There is more support here than you may know. We cover university resources including those from the College of Education, the Graduate School, the Library, and your department. Don't do extra work when someone else can help you.
UNDERSTANDING PUBLICATIONS
Let's knock some out. Here are some strategies we'll cover:
Publication Workflow
Identifying Journals
Deconstructing a paper
Outlining your paper
Quant Example w/Statistical demonstration
APPLYING FOR POLICY & NONPROFIT JOBS W/DR. JEREMY ANDERSON
Don't want to be an academic? There are a ton of options that are often not discussed. Dr. Jeremy Anderson, Policy Analyst for the California School Boards Association discusses about how to navigate a nonacademic pathway, including:
Policy Analysis
Government
NGO/Non-Profit
BIG PROJECT WORKFLOW
In collaboration with the RBD Library, we cover how to execute big projects (like that dissertation) so that they are faster and more accurate.
WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
Working on a literature review? We cover how to do effective searches, how to structure your argument, and how to keep on topic