The Politics Of Graduate School

The following is a collection of suggestions for the successful navigation of the graduate school process. For many students, this is an unfamiliar process and perhaps an unfamiliar environment.  As a result, a great deal of confusion and uncertainty often develops. Some students quickly make the necessary adjustments, some get frustrated and respond inappropriately, and some never figure out what's happening. In any case, these pointers are provided to help graduate students anticipate situations and avoid potential problems.

It's All In The Department

Don’t 

• underestimate the importance of the department. Think of yourself not as being enrolled in a university, but as enrolled in a department.
• get caught up in department gossip. Mess is mess.
• volunteer information about your graduate school funding or personal finances to people who have no influence on these funds. Your money is your business.
• leave your advisor in the dark. Keep him or her informed and keep notes of all agreements.
• assume anything. Always check information out and verify it in writing, e.g., policies, requirements, deadlines.

Do

• identify faculty and student advocates to help you, should the need arise. Identify them before a problem arises.
• establish good rapport with the secretaries. Your chairperson is important and so is your advisor, but the secretaries run the show.
• maintain positive relationships with the faculty, especially your advisor. You never know whom you will need.
• create a calendar that clearly plots the steps and self-imposed deadlines required for degree completion. If you don't plan, your chances for success are minimized.
• keep a file of all written correspondence and catalogs. Document everything; you never know what you might have to prove later