Maximizing Productivity During Graduate School
By Aixa Alemán-Díaz, PhD
Learning Services Partner: Graduate Student Life
As a graduate student, I did not know that I needed specialized learning support to “get through” my Master's and PhD degrees. For example, my graduate courses required lots of reading and writing. Not only was it important that I learn to review my course syllabus before each class in detail and attend classes regularly but also take additional steps to meet my academic needs and goals.
I took initial steps in meeting with a consultant at the writing center, and I also needed to develop my own combined approach to productivity in grad school. To do so, I went to office hours with different professors to review progress on my essays or projects, prepare for comprehensive exams, and look for more specific learning strategies as required by course subject matters. Although English is my second language (Spanish native speaker, intermediate Portuguese) being born and raised in Puerto Rico, by the time I attended my master’s after taking gap years, I had already completed my double major in English in the United States. Ultimately, as a graduate student, I learned that I needed much more time to study than in my bachelor’s. As a financial aid student, I had to learn how to balance my academics and work-study to be able to pay my way through college.
Finally, a big takeaway is that graduate courses set a higher bar for notetaking, reading comprehension, analysis and/or content/knowledge that best prepares me to become a 21st century professional [1]. Finding resources and events designed specifically for graduate students can be difficult. Graduate school requires additional time and energy to learn new skills and knowledge, and in fact often feels ‘a balancing act’ of multiple adult responsibilities and commitments. In my own experience, I had to learn how to relate to course material and how to self-test whether I understood the subject.
To all graduate students who feel like they are struggling with this balance, Learning Services is here to assist in this next phase of your academic career; we offer resources to help manage a graduate workload. Learning Services is dedicated to helping students achieve academic goals by fostering understanding of academic expectations, exploring your own metacognition (how you learn), and helping you implement self-regulation habits.
Every year, Learning Services joins Graduate Student Life to provide a workshop series, “Maximizing Productivity during Graduate School”. This spring’s virtual workshop series launches on January 29 and extends weekly through March 4th. You can register for the Maximizing Productivity workshops at Mason360.
January 29 3-4:15pm Graduate School Reading Strategies
February 6 3-4:15pm Graduate School Note Taking Strategies
February 11 3-4:15pm Time Management
February 19 3-4:15pm Overcoming Procrastination
February 27 3-4:15pm Understanding the Pitfalls of Perfectionism
March 4 3-4:15pm Motivation and Goal Setting
In addition to these workshops, Learning Services offers graduate students additional support through one-on-one Peer Academic Coaching with Graduate coaches or Learning Specialists using Navigate Mason. You can schedule 3-4 sessions to focus on your goals and find a support system towards your independence.
[1]Mason University Career Services uses NACE competencies for what skills and knowledge graduates possess for jobs.