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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

Image by Pawel Czerwinski

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: 

  1. Stay on top of your classes & use them effectively 

  2. Develop & write your dissertation as you go

  3. 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:

  1. Course & Credit Selection

  2. Dissertation Progress

  3. 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.

  1.  Backwards Map Thinking

  2.  QMER Workflow Method (Iterations/Branch/Post)

  3.  Coursework Integration

  4. Time Management

Session Slides​

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

  1. Possible Data Sources

  2. Other strategies (e.g., Zotero)

  3. Roundtable on Dissertation strategies

​​

Session Slides | Data Handout

CONFERENCE CONFIDENCE:
STANDOUT PROPOSALS

Techniques to write and submit proposals for maximum impact. We'll cover:

  1. Identifying conferences by interest

  2. Discuss Division/SIG selection & submission

  3. Always have results (other strategies)

  4. 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:

  1. Publication Workflow

  2. Identifying Journals

  3. Deconstructing a paper

  4. Outlining your paper

  5. 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

THE DISSERTATION DEFENSE: WHAT TO EXPECT

Nothing scarier than a defense. We discuss what to expect when the door closes, and how to prepare yourself.

GETTING READY FOR THE ACADEMIC JOB MARKET

If you are dissertating, it's time to get ready to go on the market.

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