Two academic insiders reveal everything readers need to know about the grad school experience--from applying and financing to the post-degree job hunt.

An essential handbook to the unwritten and often unspoken knowledge and skills you need to succeed in grad school Some of the most important things you need to know in order to succeed in graduate school—like how to choose a good advisor, how to get funding for your work, and whether to celebrate or cry when a journal tells you to revise and resubmit an article—won’t be covered in any class. They are part of a hidden curriculum that you are just expected to know or somehow learn on your own—or else. In this comprehensive survival guide for grad school, Jessica McCrory Calarco walks you through the secret knowledge and skills that are essential for navigating every critical stage of the postgraduate experience, from deciding whether to go to grad school in the first place to finishing your degree and landing a job. An invaluable resource for every prospective and current grad student in any discipline, A Field Guide to Grad School will save you grief—and help you thrive—in school and beyond. Provides invaluable advice about how to: Choose and apply to a graduate program Stay on track in your program Publish and promote your work Get the most out of conferences Navigate the job market Balance teaching, research, service, and life

Despite continued growth in enrollments, graduate program attrition rates are of great concern to academic program coordinators. It is estimated that only 40 to 50 percent of students who begin Ph.D. programs complete their degrees. This book describes programs, initiatives, and interventions that lead to overall student retention and success.Written for graduate school administrators, student affairs professionals, and faculty, this book offers ways to better support today’s graduate student population, addresses the needs of today’s changing student demography and considers the challenges today’s graduate students face inside and outside of the classroom. The opening section highlights the shifting demographics and contextual factors shaping graduate education over the past 20 years, while the second describes institutional practices to develop the requisite academic and professional development necessary to succeed in master’s and doctoral programs. In conclusion, the editors curate a conversation about different ways institutions can support graduate students beyond the classroom.

Written by a former social work admissions director at a top-ranking school of social work, this book helps master of social work (MSW) applicants improve their graduate school applications and decide which school of social work is right for them. With examples of tracking sheets, interviews, and biographical statements, this resource reveals the qualities admissions committees look for in applicants. A listing of schools accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work is included with a checklist of questions to ask when visiting schools. Candid answers from surveys of the admissions staff at social work graduate programs throughout the United States also point out the most common mistakes applicants make. This new edition has been updated to reflect current trends in social work education.

Give the new graduate in your life the gift of wisdom with this practical guide to living with purpose, passion and success. Every new graduate deserves a head start on a successful life. This book imbues young people with hope, inspiration, motivation, and the truth about living life on life's terms. The Graduate’s Handbook offers insight on careers, procrastination, reality-based living, fear, failure, and relationships. The author’s own hard-won lessons are enhanced with wise quotations from successful authors, philosophers, and historical figures. Whether you’re buying for a high school or college graduate, this keepsake will guide and teach them for many years to come!

Cash For Grad School Learn the secrets of experienced scholarship winners! Cynthia and Phillip McKee have created the sourcebook on finding scholarship money that includes more than 2,500 entries representing over $2 billion in scholarships and grants! But this book is more than just a compendium of scholarships. It is also a step-by-step road map through the entire financial application process. The McKees explain how to create a sparkling résumé, write persuasive essays, obtain recommendation letters, negotiate the financial-aid maze, avoid common pitfalls, and learn the useful shortcuts that can pave the way for success. Sample letters, schedules, and charts show you how to prepare your strongest application and stay on top of deadlines. A comprehensive index helps you find all the scholarship opportunities for which you may be eligible.

You’re advising students to help ensure their success—but who’s going to advise you? With university budgets shrinking, graduate advisors find their workloads increasing. A professor emeritus of educational psychology at McGill University with more than forty years of advising experience and several teaching awards, Bruce M. Shore provides a practical guide here that demystifies the advisor-student relationship and helps both parties thrive. Emphasizing the interpersonal relationship at the heart of this important academic partnership, he reveals how advisors can draw on their own strengths to create a rewarding rapport. The Graduate Advisor Handbook moves chronologically through the advising process, from the first knock on the door to the last reference letter. Along the way it covers: transparent communication effective motivation cooperative troubleshooting touchy subjects, including what to do when personal boundaries are crossed and how to deliver difficult news—with sample scripts to help advisors find the right words for even the toughest situations A valuable resource, The Graduate Advisor Handbook has the cool-headed advice and comprehensive coverage that advisors need to make the advising relationship not just effective but also enjoyable.

In Negotiating Opportunities, Jessica McCrory Calarco argues that the middle class has a negotiated advantage in school. Drawing on five years of ethnographic fieldwork, Calarco traces that negotiated advantage from its origins at home to its consequences at school. Through their parents' coaching, working-class students learn to follow rules and work through problems independently. Middle-class students learn to challenge rules and request assistance, accommodations, and attention in excess of what is fair or required. Teachers typically grant those requests, creating advantages for middle-class students. Calarco concludes with recommendations, advocating against deficit-oriented programs that teach middle-class behaviors to working-class students. Those programs ignore the value of working-class students' resourcefulness, respect, and responsibility, and they do little to prevent middle-class families from finding new opportunities to negotiate advantages in school.

Step-by-step graduate school guide and self-help book complete with everything you need to know to succeed at all stages of your PhD from applying to graduate schools to successfully finishing the degree. Includes the FOUR STEPS that you can take for guaranteed and speedy graduation. Success is about knowing what it is going to take and this book will tell you just that. The How to PhD book achieved rank #1 BestSeller in the College Guides category and rank #3 in the Adult & Continuing Education category for Free books on Amazon. What is How to PhD? --Graduate school handbook --Easy to read --To the point --Self-help book --Everything you need to know Includes the below-listed and more: --Sample Statement of Purpose from a successful graduate school application --Sample advisor breakup email (for when you need to switch research groups) --Seven benefits you can leverage as a teaching assistant --Complete steps for passing the "prelim" or candidacy exam --Ten ways to improve your talks --Complete steps for publishing your research in a top journal --The four types of journal papers you can contribute to in graduate school --Reasons why graduating is hard and how to tackle each situation --The four steps for guaranteed and speedy graduation While every PhD is unique, each one is a journey filled with challenge and struggle. How to PhD: The Graduate School Handbook is the first book of a series and also the first of its kind. It is a book filled with everything I wish I had known before starting graduate school. Whether you are considering getting a PhD or have already started, this book is for you as it takes you through all the stages of getting the degree. It is complete with everything from how to get into graduate school to how to actually finish successfully. In between, you will learn about: --the importance of finding a good advisor, --finding a good advisor, --how to pass the candidacy exam or "prelim", --fighting demoralization, --and how to communicate your research, including writing papers. Graduate school handbook Every chapter in this self-help book is meant to tackle a specific problem in your graduate school career. It all culminates in the most important chapter "Endgame" where I spell out how you can successfully wrap up your PhD. The How to PhD book also includes excerpts from my next book, specifically on the following topics: --To postdoc or not to postdoc, that is the tension --Job Search: Why adding value is the best thing to do Good news! You can get the book for free! Scroll to where it says 'Get it free' on the book's website - howtophd.org/ Then, simply type in your email and I will send you instructions on how to get the book for FREE. Doing a PhD can make you feel isolated and lead to mental health problems. This is why How to PhD exists. My goal is to provide community, support, and actionable steps to help students succeed in PhD programs and overcome the challenges of academia. Categories: self-help, college guides, adult and continuing education, PhD handbook, PhD help book, graduate school handbook

A comprehensive, up-to-date guide for students seeking financial support for graduate school in the United States or abroad. "This slim 147-page volume packs the most useful advice on how to apply, why to apply, and where to apply. Beyond practical advice on applications, the book contains valuable career guidance that will help students professionalize."—Communicator