In today’s post, I’m sharing the best tips for surviving your first academic conference as a grad student! As a grad student, it can be overwhelming to attend a conference for the first time. I remember the first conference I attended during my PhD, and I had no idea what I was doing or what the norms were, even though I was with my research group. In my experience, they didn’t really prepare me well for my first conference, which…
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National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application Guide
Read moreEverything You Need to Know About Applying for the NSF GRFP I was awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellowship in 2017 when I graduated undergrad, so I am familiar with the application process! Every year, some details of the application change, but generally, the application materials are the same. In this post, I’m sharing everything I learned while applying for the NSF GRFP and some advice for preparing your application materials. What is the…
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Top Things to Consider When Choosing a Grad School
Read moreTop Things to Consider When Choosing a Grad School Choosing a graduate school for a master’s or Ph.D. program is a massive decision. And it’s probably one of the biggest decisions you’ll make until you apply for jobs. There are many factors to consider when choosing a graduate school or program. Choosing the right graduate school for you will impact the experience you have over the next several years. Graduate programs vary greatly, so you’ll want to choose one that…
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Personal Finance Advice and Budgeting Tips for Ph.D. Students
Read moreDisclosure: I am not a financial professional, advisor, or accountant. The personal finance tips in this post are not financial advice, they are for financial education. This post is written from the perspective of someone living in the United States and a United States citizen. So, some elements of this post will be more relevant to US citizens. Living off a Ph.D. student stipend is HARD. Grad students are underpaid and overworked and don’t have the opportunity to negotiate their…
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Ph.D. Student and Dissertation Planner Notion Template
Read moreAre you looking for a new way to plan and organize your PhD work? In this post, I’m sharing how I use Notion for graduate school! Notion is a notetaking and organization app and the best one I have found for Ph.D. students! Notion allows you to create beautiful and easy work with pages and templates for almost anything! I used Notion to organize my Ph.D., dissertation, and other aspects of graduate school research and life for the past several…
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8 Ways Men Can Support Women in STEM Workplaces
Read moreOver the years, women have been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in promoting diversity and inclusion. We’re making ourselves present and visible. We’re breaking barriers by taking on higher-level roles. We’re taking up more space. We’re negotiating more for higher pay. We’re doing the work, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. More women are getting STEM degrees than ever before! If the STEM workforce wants to see more women at the table, men need to step up and support…
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All-in-One Graduate Student Notion Template for Coursework, Research, and Personal Life
Read moreNotion is one of my favorite tools for keeping myself organized in grad school! I’ve designed an all-in-one grad student notion template to help keep all aspects of graduate school life organized! This Notion template is designed as a “second brain” style Notion template. It is automated and included pre-designed pages and databases, so you don’t have to spend the time designing your own! This Notion template is perfect for graduate students who are looking for a single dashboard to…
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Why Students Should be Using Grammarly: Grammarly for Students Review
Read moreGrammarly is a game changer if you’re a student. As students, you’re writing all the time, and Grammarly helps you catch all of your writing errors and more! I’ve been using Grammarly for over 5-years as a Ph.D. student, and I wish I had it when I was an undergrad too! In this post, I’m going to go over why I love Grammarly and why you should consider getting a subscription! What is Grammarly? Grammarly is a freemium software and…
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Must have Back to School Supplies for Grad Students
Read moreBack-to-school shopping isn’t just for kids going back to school, it’s for graduate students too! Even though school never really stops for grad students, classes start back up again in the fall, which means making sure you have all of your favorite school supplies and your desk restocked for the semester. Back to School Supplies Ph.D. Edition An external hard drive Lab notebook Grammarly subscription New pens and highlighters Agenda– track more than just your school work with this planner!…
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How to Use Notion as a Research Lab Notebook for Ph.D. Research
Read moreThis Notion template is for students who are looking to use Notion as a lab notebook. Download the research lab notebook Notion template!