Graduate school is a stressful and mystifying time for most — if not all — students. Yet we don’t need to reinvent the wheel because there are keys that will enable your success in graduate school.
What are the keys to success in graduate school?
I posed this question to a number of leaders and professors in U.S. higher education. The answers are drawn from notable luminaries, representing cognate disciplines that include health, education, psychology, history, economics, law, and religion. The diversity of the contributors matches the diversity of the chosen disciplines. Through their answers, the reader will get a sneak peek into the collective consciousness of some of the most successful scholars and leaders of our day.
Julio Frenk, the current president of the University of Miami (my alma mater) and former dean at Harvard School of Public Health, recommended three keys: (1) “select a mentor who inspires you and takes personal interest in your learning process,” (2) “use the opportunity to develop a broad view of your field, but narrow the subject area of possible dissertation topics early” and (3) “set a hard deadline to finish the dissertation. Remember that it is one more requirement of the program, and resist the temptation to make a definitive contribution since you will have time to continue refining your ideas after you graduate.”
Daniel A. Wagner, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania and the UNESCO chair in Learning and Literacy, answered with a pithy one-liner: “As you might expect, I’d say: Follow your passion, and be persistent!”
George Gopen, professor emeritus of the practice of rhetoric at Duke University and the creator of the groundbreaking writing pedagogy known as the Reader Expectation Approach, provided a really good answer: “While obviously intellectual curiosity, disciplined work methods and a hunger for knowledge are all essential, I would nominate an understanding of self-professionalization as the key ingredient lacking in far too many graduate students. The PhD should not be considered another chance to shine as a student in a classroom; and the PhD thesis should not be considered the candidate’s magnum opus, a piece of exhaustive intellectual self-expression. You are there to learn as much of and about your field as you can in the time allotted; and the thesis should be considered a large piece of work done well enough to gain entrance for you into the professional society you wish to join. Very few PhD theses should be published. Most people outgrow their thesis in 10 years.”
A prolific author of OpEd, an estimable American historian of education and a strong advocate of freedom of speech in academia, Jonathon Zimmerman provided what may seem like “pedestrian” advice: “The key to success in grad school is focus. So my advice, as pedestrian as it sounds, is to turn off all of your devices when you’re reading and writing.”
Joseph E. Lowry, an associate professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, generously provided two pieces of advice: “I would say that you have to both love (or care deeply about) and be extraordinarily curious about the subject you study — those two qualities (yes, sorry, two — but they function together) will help you succeed.”
Donovan Schaefer, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, warned against the danger of “burning out” and how that complicates the “creativity” mindset: “If I had one piece of advice, it would be to strike a balance between pushing yourself to work hard at your research, while also giving yourself room to unwind, relax and play. There are health benefits, of course, which are important, but I also think that the creative mindset necessary for academic work requires that you feel a sense of joy in the work that you do, which becomes impossible when you’re burned out.”
I hope the quotes above will demystify parts of the graduate school journey. Remember: we don’t get any extra credits by reinventing the wheel. Like any worthwhile human activity and achievement, novice students should always learn from the masters.
Abdulrahman Bindamnan is PhD Student at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development.