Tips (In no particular order, except for number 1, which is the most important...):
- Get to know your cohort and create or find a group of friends from your cohort.
- Your family, close friends and spouse/partner want to help you. But this is an experience that is hard to fathom unless you are actively participating in it. You will need this group of friends!
- Read everything.
- This is not the time to be skimping on the assigned readings.
- Draft your papers in advance.
- Give yourself time to re-write them and edit them a few times before you turn them in.
- Be committed.
- This is a process that could take all of your time. Everyday. You need to give it as much as you can without going nuts. A lot of this program is "guided," no one is spoon-feeding us anymore - your commitment is what will make the difference.
- Advisers are tricky, and every adviser/advisee relationship is unique.
- Some of you will meet your adviser and know that you have made a friend for life. Some of you will not. My goal with my adviser is to make her laugh every time I see her; she looks like she needs it, and I keep thinking that humanity's common ground has to be humor, right?
- This is not a sprint.
- You're a distance runner now. If you get out of the program fast, awesome, if you don't, well, you'll still make a "unique contribution to science" and make it out someday!
- Maintain your life. AKA: Be well-rounded. AKA: Get a hobby!
- Balance was hard for me, but it is so important. One of my cohorters is a competitive bike racer, another is in a community symphony. I am a runner and a traveler; I jog as often as I can and I'm always planning my next trip. Someone else I know in a program across the country writes fanfiction. Learn to knit. I don't care what it is, don't let it get lost! These are things that keep you sane.
- Be kind to yourself.
- I made mistakes, I did things wrong, and this program has been hard on me, my ego, and my heart at times. But, in the end, I'm a great nurse, and this is just me trying to fulfill my full potential. Nobody will live or die based on my PhD experience and I'm already pretty awesome. You are too - don't forget it.
I will be posting during the summer, but the posts will be sporadic. I've added some ways to follow the blog on e-mail, I hope those make it easier for people to know when I've posted something new. I'm hoping to do a research residency and I'm looking for data-sets for my dissertation. I think that those things might be useful to talk about a little as I do them. During the first part of the summer, though, I'll be traveling and my posts will probably be mostly pictures of those travels.
Finally, thanks to everyone who commented, discussed or just read this blog! I have loved your comments and input and I hope that you all keep reading!
