Michael Vertolli is a fourth year Cognitive Science Ph.D. student at Carleton University. Prior to starting his Ph.D., Mike obtained his M.Cog.Sc at Carleton, and his BA Honours in Psychology at York University. Read up on his helpful tips for navigating grad school!
How to Succeed in Graduate School
One of the most challenging (and terrifying) aspects of grad school is the minimal structure it imposes upon its students. For example, in the two-year M.Cog.Sc program, one year is entirely devoted to writing a thesis. In the PhD, two or more years are devoted to thesis-writing. In either case, the only academic milestones within these years are the Proposal Defense and the Final Defense of the Project. Every goal and every task that leads to the achievement of these milestones has to originate from the student, with help from their supervisor.
In order to cope with all of this supposed “free time,” graduate students needs to come up with a set of time management techniques. Over the years, I have developed a number of useful time management strategies, three of which I will discuss below:
Structure your time. Students should designate a set amount hours and days to working, as well as to personal time. For example, during the week I work from 9am to 5pm, and after 5pm I stop thinking about work entirely. This structure makes it easier to feel at rest when I am not working, and it keeps me focused when I am working (especially when the project is boring or tedious).
Develop your research program. Each and every project that you work on should contribute to some overarching vision or goal, however vague. Too often students complete various projects during their course work, only to discard them shortly thereafter. This is a waste! Every project that a student is able to use in whole or in part toward another project has returned a profit. Whether that profit is a chunk of content for a new paper, a skill for your thesis, a reference for your CV, a valuable contact, or even more free time, there is nothing more productive than making your work “work” for you.
Make the most of your time in graduate school. Often people ask me what I want to do when I’m done school, but this question is usually too abstract or irrelevant if you are just starting a PhD (the “end” is 4+ years away). What every graduate student should ask themselves each and every day is, “What am I getting out of being a graduate student?” Graduate school should be a very enriching experience. Graduate students are surrounded by some of the most highly educated people in the world. They have access to tools, techniques, and technologies that very few people ever get to think about, never mind work with. They can almost trivially cross borders, work internationally, and get government funding to do what they want (if they can justify it). If all you are getting from that resource is a piece of paper or three-hour lectures a couple times a week, then you are wasting a valuable resource.