Comics is a sanity-saver! For more in-depth discussions, check out the blogs at Scientopia - “Prof-Like Substance” is a biology prof and a great writer, for example. In addition to your fellow graduate students, there are some good web resources for insights on graduate school and science. Remember that you’re not alone fellow graduate students and professors have had these feelings, too. It’s normal to feel that you don’t belong here sometimes, but the things that make you different also help you do science in a way that hasn’t been done before (and that’s the whole point, right?). You are asking questions and doing things that nobody’s ever thought possible. Some days it will seems like graduate school is designed to be rough on you, and your choice to attend school is a crazy one. Having multiple mentors is a great safety net.ģ) Expect to have some struggles in grad school - you’re in good company. Job hunt? Public outreach? Being a scientist with kids? Being out as a GLBTQ scientist? Navigating big conferences? Starting up a lab? Being a mentor yourself? The list is endless. Get up the nerve to talk with faculty about things besides research. There are a lot of aspects to being a professional scientist, and a lot of different good ways to go about it. Student Counseling Services hosts thesis-writing groups and grad-student-specific groups, as well as the typical individual consultations.Ī listing of more graduate-student community organizations and resources can be found online.Ģ) Find mentors in addition to your research advisor. Members have also organized panel discussions on campus, and done outreach (with demos!) to local high schools. QSci hosts brown-bag social lunches and other events throughout the school year to build community and visibility. Minnesota Queer Science is primarily for GLBTQ scientists, engineers, and other STEM folks. They have monthly seminars and networking opportunities. Graduate Women in Science - Xi Chapter is an interdisciplinary society of scientists who encourage and support women to enter and achieve success in science through full participation in their scientific research and its applications in the development and advancement of women in the integration careers, personal goals, and society's needs and by professional networking and mutual inspiration. If you only join one mailing list, this is the one! They host a series of incredible workshops (open to all, regardless of race), with topics ranging from networking skills, to starting a lab, to non-academic career options. Here are a few of our science-specific favorites:Īssociation of Multicultural Scientists specifically focuses on grad students in the biological sciences, no less. Some of it is identity-specific, but some of it is for everyone. Look into things with the “diversity” label - this is a great way to find people who care about supporting the community of scientists. The U of M is a huge place and there’s likely to be a network that fits your needs. There will be plenty of times when you will need someone else to remind you which end is up. Your fellow grad students are a great place to start (they actually do understand what you’re going through!). Not only can support come in many shapes and sizes it can be found in unexpected places. Here are some tips and resources for taking care of yourself in graduate school, for having a life outside of your research, and for doing well at the human aspects of being a scientist, too.ġ) Find - or create - support networks. Being human isn’t a “distraction,” it’s one of your key assets. But everything that makes you a complex, complete human being also makes you a better scientist. There will be times in graduate school where you’ll feel like you should emulate that brain on a stick. Itasca Biological Station and LaboratoriesĬurrent graduate students offer tips and resources for taking care of yourself in graduate school, having a life outside of your research, and doing well at the human aspects of being a scientist, too.Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics.
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