Getting admitted into a graduate program is so exciting and something you should feel very proud of! However, students can often feel overwhelmed with the demands of courseload, research, and work once they begin. Our goal is to provide you with as many tools and resources to help you succeed in the MAPR program and in life.
Create a Schedule: Stay organized and prioritized
- Using a calendar, whether digital or physical, is a great way to keep track of assignments, meetings, tasks, etc. while highlighting major papers and exams.
- Experiment with different schedules to find what works best for you!
- Maintaining a weekly and a daily “To Do List” – prioritizing tasks by importance and/or due date.
- Learn to schedule tasks for specific times and work on those tasks during the scheduled time. Forming this habit in graduate school not only ensures that your assignments and tasks get worked on/ completed in a timely manner but also builds you up for future success.
- Prioritize a study block
Limit Distractions:
- The word Nomophobia is defined as “the fear of, or anxiety caused by, not having a working mobile phone”. Studies have shown there to be a high prevalence of moderate to severe nomophobia in college students.
- Since electronics, social media, streaming services, etc. have never been more easily accessible than they are today, it is imperative that you adopt habits (that work best for you) to prioritize your studies.
- For many, this is creating a schedule, like the examples from above.
Self-care & self-compassion:
- Close the textbook.
- Learn to recognize when you need a mental break. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many times you read or re-read something, if your brain is mentally drained or working overtime, you’re not actually learning anything.
- Go for a walk and work on putting your focus on your senses. Take in the sights and sounds of Texas State University. Try the “5-4-3-2-1 Technique”
What are 5 things you see?
What are 4 things you can touch?
What are 3 things you can hear?
What are 2 things you can smell?
What is one thing you can taste?
*The physical act of moving, paired with focusing on your senses, can be grounding and help calm any stress.
Learn to say “No”:
- Although self-care is important and necessary, it’s also important to learn to say “no” when needed. For example, if you are GIA/GTA/GRA and your assigned faculty member/students have exams or other works that need grading, it is probably best not to spend the weekend on bikini hill. Instead, get the work done first and then go have some fun! Or, if able, dedicate a certain amount of time for work, and then a certain amount of time for a break, until the work is complete (and done so in a reasonable amount of time).
Don’t forget to explore San Marcos, float the river, and enjoy our university!
Resources:
- https://www.txst.edu/slac/online-tools/study-skills.html
- https://www.distancelearning.txst.edu/students/tips-for-success.html
- https://hlsamp.cose.txst.edu/collaborative-learning-center/learning-resources/ideas-techniques/time-management.html
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9932304/
- https://www.massgeneral.org/news/article/digital-distraction-and-its-impact-on-your-health
- https://counseling.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-11/timemanagementtipsforgradstudents.pdf
- https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/03/hours
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-to-do-academia/202210/supporting-graduate-students-with-imposter-syndrome
- https://wp.mun.ca/studentblog/how-to-survive-grad-school-while-feeling-like-an-imposter/
- https://graduate.rice.edu/news/current-news/conquering-impostor-syndrome-graduate-school-0
https://graduate.rice.edu/news/grad-school-101-what-expect-during-year-one