Mason Grad Insider

Wow graduate and professional patriots, we have really come so close to the end of the Spring 2023 semester and the end of the 2022-2023 academic year! First and foremost, congratulations for coming this far and coming to the end of another year. All of your hard work, time, effort, and perseverance throughout the year has not gone unnoticed and we ask that you please celebrate yourselves and provide yourself some grace as you crush finals season and end the semester strong. We have made a multitude of memories this year, from the kickoff with our annual Gradstravaganza event, to our Graduate Student Spring Picnic to mark the end of another wonderful year! During this busy yet exciting time of the year, there are so many wonders that are taking place. Many of you are graduating and are preparing to take transformative steps in your lives. Rather than it being a time of uncertainty, this should be a time of thrilling growth and development as you make these decisions - this I know is easier said than done. The world is full of endless possibilities and the great things that you will achieve have no bounds.

It’s been several weeks since spring break and we’re in the home stretch of the semester. In mid-March, I recall asking students and colleagues “Did you enjoy spring break?”, “Do you feel recharged?”, “What did you do to take care of yourself during that week?” While I received a variety of answers, most people shared that they relaxed or slept in and ultimately felt about the same several days after returning from the break. Hearing that the joy of a weeklong break dissipated within a few days disheartened me; however, I wasn’t completely surprised. This reminded me of the importance of rest, but also that we should be critical, creative, and strategic about the types of rest we give ourselves.

You get used to the extra free time, the relaxation, the no homework vibes… all that is chill and not school-related. Once you come back, it can feel like it all is coming at you like a runaway train! We’ve all been there, but fear not. Getting back into your school week routine no longer has to be a thing of your nightmares with just a little organization and planning. Although it’s not spring yet, it’s never too early for a little spring cleaning. Get ready for some (almost) spring cleaning folks and learn the best ways to organize your grad school tasks and materials!

We all have individual circumstances that could make this time of year either the best time ever or the most stressful time. Amidst all the holiday chaos, in whatever way that it manifests, my family and I have to find outlets that bring the joy of the season to full fruition. Whether you are traveling, cooking holiday meals, buying presents, and/or just marinating in the season as it feels good to your spirit, here are some tips to stay jolly, bright, and have fun as you approach the holiday season, however you celebrate!

I found myself falling into a cycle of constantly comparing my life and work load to my peers to justify why I may have been a little extra groggy. In all reality, my sleepiness was just what it was and is the case even to this day sometimes… we all just get tired, and that’s okay! Of course you must follow the appropriate steps to debunk potentially more serious factors, otherwise please know that it is okay to recognize and accept that you are tired, even because of the things we cannot always see.

Being a new graduate student, I was quickly reminded that it takes a village to get you through the masses of work and life stressors, which there’s immense beauty in caring for one another through your shared academic journeys. As you begin to develop those new connections in class and form lasting relationships with your peers, take a moment to memorize and apply these three formulas to calculate the most fruitful outcome for academic success and well-being!

As an emerging scholar, academic conferences are some of the ways to connect with people who share similar research interests with you in your field. However, being an introvert in a buzzing conference room with people busy chatting could be scary and intimidating. Networking and building rapport with people you meet for the first time or barely know is the hardest to do as an introvert.

A cohort was originally defined by Merino et al. “as a group of students who begin a program of study together, share the same sequence of classes, faculty members, and instructional activities toward completion of a specific degree or certification,” but “has expanded to include the development of collaborative projects, self-directed goals, and a network of academic and social support.”

Three quick notions to dispel from the get-go: 1) a mentor and an adviser are two different things; 2) your mentor does not have to be found in the realm of academic; and 3) graduate students can have more than one mentor.

As graduate students, we spend a ton of time reading. Whether it’s for homework assignments or finding literature for our own papers, we spend a bulk of our time poring over academic texts, journal articles, and more. Unfortunately, this often means that we end up leaving little time for recreational reading (also known as leisure reading or reading for pleasure).