{"id":790,"date":"2015-09-22T09:40:39","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T16:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solesadmissions.wordpress.com\/?p=790"},"modified":"2015-09-22T09:40:39","modified_gmt":"2015-09-22T16:40:39","slug":"tips-for-surviving-graduate-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/solesadmissions\/2015\/09\/22\/tips-for-surviving-graduate-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Surviving Graduate School"},"content":{"rendered":"

A blog post from SOLES Ambassador and MA in Counseling with specialization in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Lara Touckley:<\/em>
\n\"Grad<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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  1. Find\u00a0Your Balance<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It\u2019s hard to believe that pushing yourself academically, socially, as well as at home and at work, can be strenuous! As much as we\u2019d love to finish all readings, assignments, AND do well in other areas in life, at times, it might be difficult to do it all\u00a0(probably when you have 2 midterms, 3 papers and 5 assignments due). It\u2019s important to remember, that although it\u2019s recommended to finish your readings before class; it\u2019s not punishable by death if you don\u2019t! After all, there are only 24 hours per day. So prioritize! Deadlines are, after all, dead<\/u>lines. Read some chapters before class, and leave others for when you have more free time. (But don\u2019t forget to read them eventually; if they\u2019ve been assigned to you then they\u2019re [most probably] important.)<\/p>\n

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    1. Self-Care<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Prioritize yourself! You\u2019re acing everything; you\u2019re on an academic roll- great for you, IF you\u2019re taking care of yourself too. We oftentimes forget about our needs and ourselves. Well newsflash: if you\u2019re not mentally and emotionally okay, then the perfect GPA you\u2019ve worked so hard to achieve will start suffering the consequences. In short, everybody loses! So give studying your all, but give yourself your all too! Remember those things you once enjoyed and performed so often? Oh yeah, hobbies! Remind yourself of what they are and make sure you spoil yourself a little. (Don\u2019t go neglecting school though..)<\/p>\n

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      1. Know How You Work, And Plan Accordingly<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        After years (and years and years) of studying, we all know how we work. If you read slow, give yourself extra time to finish the readings. If you\u2019re a master at writing papers (then you\u2019re in the right place!), then you know that it takes you less time to write an A-paper. Manage your time according to your strengths and not-so-strengths (I like to believe we don\u2019t have weaknesses. Yes, some might call that denial). Do you understand best in class, or do you need to spare some time for office hours with your professor? Do study groups work better for you than studying individually? Ask yourself all these questions and go for it! Try to be as efficient as possible in as little time as possible.<\/p>\n

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        1. Get Involved<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Psht, we heard that a lot right? Well, there\u2019s a reason for that- it\u2019s important! Dig around and find things that might be helpful for you in your professional development, and go for it! Have you already had plenty of experience? Perhaps performing research and reading articles might be helpful. Likewise, if you\u2019ve done a lot of research, then volunteering and getting involved in the community can help!
          \nIt\u2019s as important to do well academically, as it is in the community. As a professor once told us, \u201cyou write your own reference letter<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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          1. Rent Books<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            You can rent books from the library in order to save money, and then buy the book if you really like it! Otherwise, you can just rent your books online! If you enjoy reading off of a screen then that\u2019s even better! Renting (and even buying) e-books are cheaper, and you can access them right away!<\/p>\n

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            1. Ask Away!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n