Each year the MSU graduate students association invites a number of faculty to provide advice on surviving graduate school. This list emerged out of that panel.
Websites to bookmark and keep reading
Chronicle of Higher Ed: http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5
– Read articles regularly, and the forums are pretty trustworthy. Not all forums are! Focus on finding real-world mentors.
Vitae (Chronicle of Higher Ed’s Careers site) – Vitae: http://chroniclevitae.com
–> Start with “The No-Fail Secret to Writing a Dissertation”: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/370-the-no-fail-secret-to-writing-a-dissertation
LinguistList: http://www.linguistlist.org
The Professor is In: The Professor Is In | Getting You Through Graduate School, The Job Market and Tenure…
Online Writing Lab at Purdue (the OWL)
APA Format guide: APA Style Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab
Academic Writing in ESL: Understanding Writing Assignments – Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab –> Use links in menu on left of page to find other topics.
OWL’s “Local Introduction” for newcomers to universities in the U.S.: A “Local” Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab
A few books for your nightstand
Here are a few books that you can put on your nightstand for when you can’t stand to read course materials or grade papers anymore:
The Professor is In by Karen Kelsky – lots of advice, whether you stay in academia long term or not – also see website above – The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide To Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job – Karen Kelsky – Google Books
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski – if you have not found effective, sustainable strategies for managing stress by the time you start graduate school, you will discover quickly that you need them – and this book can really help.
+ Article based on the first chapter of the book at ideas.ted.com
Professor Mommy: Finding Work-Family Balance in Academia – focus on the sub-title – it’s not just for mommies or professors – read reviews on http://www.goodreads.com
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – not for everyone, but really important for some –http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015403-the-gifts-of-imperfection?from_search=true&search_version=service
+ TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/speakers/brene_brown
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66354.Flow
+ TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?language=en
Apps to facilitate writing
Citation Management software – yes, you need it, and the sooner the better! EndNote is well supported at MSU: General Information – EndNote & EndNote Online) is well-supported at MSU. Also consider Mendeley. Here is a comparison: Comparing Citation Managers – Mendeley. (Links both go to Library Guides at MSU.)
Gingko (for outlining and writing in chunks): https://gingkoapp.com/
FocusWriter (for writing without desktop distractions): http://lifehacker.com/5652154/focuswriter-is-a-feature-rich-but-distraction-free-word-processor
Microsoft OneNote: Seven Tips and Tricks to Get More Out of OneNote – I used OneNote to organize my comprehensive exam prep and my dissertation research and writing
Back up your work! in multiple places! OneDrive or Google Drive or Dropbox and external hard drive
Desktop Timer – one example: http://download.cnet.com/Free-Desktop-Timer/3000-2350_4-75415517.html
MSU library resources
For grad students in Wells Hall:
MSU Library Guide for SLS and MATESOL: http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/secondlang
MSU Library Guide for MAFLT (same liaison librarian, more extensive guide): http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/maflt
Research manuals are not always assigned in coursework, but are good friends to have when you are designing and conducting research – the MSU library has most of the
Sage HBs online: http://www.sage-ereference.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/), and
many Routledge guides including the HB of SLA (http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=451256&site=bsi-live)
MSU LibGuide to Grants and Related Resources: http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/grants
