Mason Grad Insider Blog

Networking — the dreaded topic Career Services loves to tout as uber–important – cannot possibly continue in these socially distanced times, can it?  Yes.  Networking is alive and well.  And, similar to social events, K-12 education, and even political debates, to be safe and effective, a bit of change is required.

So self-care has become a bit of a buzzword recently. But what does self-care actually mean? What does self-care look like for you?

One of the keys to remaining resilient is knowing when to ask for help and when to take time to – as one of my colleagues reminds me – “Take care of you.” You might be thinking this is a somewhat selfish approach, but in the end, if you cannot take care of yourself, you are less likely to be at your best to attend to your studies and take care of others.

Oftentimes, as graduate students, we feel the need to continue as if everything is fine, or that taking time to destress will take away from time that we could spend completing another assignment. In actuality, not being aware and recognizing that you need and deserve a break could negatively influence both your health and academic studies.

Interpersonal skills can be described as those that allow you to successfully interact with and convey information to other people. Regardless of our program or degree level, all graduate students can benefit from improving these skills, especially those of us preparing to enter the career world soon.

Procrastinating can also be looked at as a habitual stress relief that can be done inadvertently, hindering one’s success. It is no surprise that having the habit of procrastination affects productivity and the ability to plan ahead to achieve short-term and long-term goals.

As a result of this large and dynamic community, it can be somewhat challenging to connect with others. You may wonder how to find connections and build relationships with those around you. I was one of those people, lost in the hustle and bustle of grad life.

I was held accountable, got to have mental moments of well-being with friends, at times explained what I was working on and teaching it to the architects and being taught in turn. Their questions taught me to dive deeper and find how to explain what I was reading to an audience outside my discipline, which in turn made me a better teacher of Gender Studies and History.

Here in the DMV, we are lucky because we do get to see the leaves change and for someone who grew up down in the low country of Georgia’s coast line, this has been an amazing sight to behold. My favorite time to hike through the many national and state parks we have in the region is the fall, and I bet you can guess why: the fall foliage!

Whether you are just starting your graduate career or preparing to finish, as graduate students, we are all focused on preparing for our career after graduation. For many who are going to graduate school to break into a new field, this task can be more daunting than our studies, as it takes time and effort to find the perfect job, especially when each listing requires or strongly recommends 1-2 years of experience. To make sure that everyone is equipped to take the career world by storm, I am going to share tips that can help you gain experience in your field of study/industry and land your dream job.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers identified professionalism/work ethic as one of the 8 career readiness skills most valued by employers. Your ability to effectively demonstrate this skill is vital in your transition from an undergraduate to graduate student. So, what does professionalism mean?

We need to nap, too! During graduate school, when we are trying to balance the multiple demands of school, work, and personal lives, it can be tempting to think of sleep as an optional activity (instead of an essential biological function), just to squeeze a little more reading, writing, or lab work in. In actuality, consistent, sound sleep can be a key to success in grad school.