Succeeding in Graduate School B

Succeeding in Graduate School
By Barbara Ainsworth, Ph.D., M.P.H., FACSM
(Excerpt from ACSM Fellows Offer Advice to Students available online at www.acsm.org)

There are many ways one can succeed in graduate school. The first is in selecting a university. One way to select a university is to identify an area of the country you want to live in, find a school that has a program in your area, and submit an application. This is probably the most limiting way of selecting a graduate school, as you end up with whatever is available. The best way is to select a graduate school that fits with what you want to do and the level of rigor you want in a graduate program. Read the literature in your chosen area and identify the leaders in your field and where they teach. When you have narrowed down the universities to a first choice, arrange to have an interview with the professors and visit the campus. This allows you to see if the program is a good fit for you in terms of academic rigor and your ability to interact with the graduate faculty, if graduate assistantships are available, and if you are comfortable with the size of the program. A site visit will also allow you to see if the city is affordable on a graduate student’s budget.

Once you have selected and have been accepted into a graduate program, try to get a graduate assistantship. Employment at this level will get you involved with the faculty and other graduate students in ways that foster peer support. A key to career advancement is “being where the action is.” If your goals for research involvement are high and/or you seek a career in research, secure a graduate assistantship working on your advisor’s research grant or in the exercise laboratory. If your career goals are employment in a teaching college, then get a teaching assistantship with which you teach classes and assist professors with their classes.

I strongly believe that being in graduate school is a job where the task is going to school. On a regular basis your professors and peers are evaluating your abilities as a future professional. To that end, how you dress, what you say, and how you interact with others matters. Since higher education exists in a small world, your reputation begins while you are in graduate school. If you are a team player, one who is willing to help others and one who works as long as it takes to get the job done, you will have a successful career. Through your daily actions and your work ethic, you will show your professors that you are capable of being the type of professional that he or she would recommend for employment elsewhere.

Here are some behaviors I have observed in graduate students that identify success:

Establish a peer support group. Graduate school, and especially doctoral programs, can be ego deflating. This is a time when your previous ways of thinking are taken apart and you are taught to look at everything with a critical eye. Your thinking and writing are challenged in order to expand your horizon and sharpen your skills. If your graduate program is high quality, you will be taught how to write to meet a scientific standard. To this end, it is important to have a fellow graduate student cohort who can provide friendship and social support through the highs and lows of the graduate school experience.
Do not shy away from hard work. Put in extra time in the evenings and weekends as needed to make sure tasks are done right. Be willing to revise papers or projects as many times as needed.
Get involved professionally. Become involved in research projects that allow you to give presentations at local, state, regional, and national conferences. Attend professional conferences even if you have to pay for it out of pocket. At the conference, go to lectures to hear the experts in your field. Stay around after the talk to meet the leaders.
Open yourself for new and interesting opportunities. Have an open mind and be willing to explore new ways of thinking. Do not shy away from making paradigm shifts in your ways of thinking and doing things.
Do not rush your graduate program. Nothing is worse than a graduate student who just wants to get through the program so they can get a job. Graduate study is where one matures professionally. Those who rush through a program rarely stand still long enough to mature or learn new ideas. The journey in graduate school may seem endless. However, in the long run the journey will be rewarded with a rich and productive professional life. Do not worry if your program takes four years instead of three or five years instead of four. Taking one or two more years to develop a solid research and educational foundation is worth its weight in gold in opening opportunities for a rewarding and stimulating career.
Do not leave campus until your dissertation is completed. There are too many people out there who are “all but dissertation (ABD)” status in their graduate programs because they took a full-time job before they completed their degree.
Seek a postdoctoral position if time, money, family, and your professional ambitions allow this experience. A postdoctoral experience gives you opportunities to write articles, learn new skills, and expand your training beyond your doctoral degree experiences. Not everyone who is successful has had a postdoctoral position, but most people hiring faculty in research universities will expect that you have had one in this day and age.