GU500 Week 7 Discussion

Reading

Read Benton, T. (2003). The 5 Virtues of Successful Graduate Students. The Chronicles of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/The-5-Virtues-of-Successful/5060/

Read Brown, C.S. (n.d.). Maximizing Success in Your Graduate Training.  http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/44137_2.pdf

Read Hassan El-Ghoroury, N. (2009). How a Graduate Student is Like a Caterpillar. American Psychological association. http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2009/03/matters.aspx

Read Idealist.org (2015). How Grad School is Different from Undergrad. http://www.idealist.org/info/GradEducation/Resources

Self-Management

Self-management is the ability to manage yourself. As a graduate student, expectations of you are set higher than when you were an undergraduate student. Chances are that you are in a different place both personally and professionally now that you are a graduate student. What is important at this point in your life is that you master self-management to promote growth and success. That is, after all, why you decided to become a graduate student. Self-management skills allow an individual to feel more productive when completing their daily routine regardless of the surrounding environment. As a professional, employers look for these skills. As a graduate student, instructors expect you to have these skills too. Having established self-management skills will provide you the tools necessary to successfully communicate with others while staying organized and productive. The ability to reduce stress is one of the most important self-management skills a graduate student can learn. Remember that graduate school means many hours of work alongside your career and personal life. Understanding what it takes to eliminate a stressful situation will be essential throughout your studies. This leads to the importance of having problem-solving skills. Again, you will be faced with obstacles as you journey through your education. How you handle these obstacles will determine your success. Take the time to look at the big picture and develop a plan to solve the problem. Handling the issue immediately rather than waiting it out could prove to be beneficial in the long run. As both a graduate student and a professional, you must have impeccable communication skills. As an online student, you will be faced with the challenge of working in a setting where you do not see your classmates and instructor face-to-face, therefore, email communication becomes your primary communication tool. The moment an issue arises, it is beneficial to reach out to your instructor to establish a solution.

Your graduate instructors are fantastic resources and establishing a relationship from the beginning will benefit you along the way. Because technology has rapidly evolved, it is important that you determine what tools are available for classroom communication. You might find that your instructor uses a live chat function for office hours or a video conference to conduct a question and answer session. Regardless of what is used throughout the classroom, be sure that you choose communication methods that are suitable for your environment.

Time management has been learned in this course already and we come back to it here as this is a critical concept as you proceed in your graduate studies. Most graduate students balance many activities in their lives. Take the time to organize yourself and your time to ensure that you are not rushing to complete your assignments or outside tasks. Use a calendar or planner to organize your time. Set up reminders to help you manage your time and remember important events. You will be glad you did! You are a graduate student and that means that you are going to be held accountable for your actions. Remember that at this level, you will not have someone pressuring you to get your work done or to stay on task. This will be an expectation and it will be up to you to be organized and ready to learn. Be sure to set up a backup plan in case of technology failure or poor time management. Having a plan in place will help to reduce your stress, especially if your technology fails or a hiccup occurs in your schedule. Keep your stress level low, stay organized, and communicate with your instructor for the best graduate school experience possible.