{"id":723,"date":"2020-05-13T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T17:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/?p=723"},"modified":"2019-08-27T12:27:25","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T17:27:25","slug":"what-to-do-the-summer-before-you-start-grad-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/2020\/05\/13\/what-to-do-the-summer-before-you-start-grad-school\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do the Summer Before You Start Grad School"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Starting graduate school this fall? Like most soon-to-be grad students you\u2019re probably both excited and anxious for classes to begin. What should you do between now and the beginning of your first semester as a\u00a0graduate student<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Relax<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Although you may be tempted to read ahead and get an early start on your studies, you should make time to relax. You\u2019ve spent years working to get through college and make it into graduate school. You\u2019re about to spend more years in\u00a0graduate school<\/a>\u00a0and face\u00a0more challenges and higher expectations than you encountered in college<\/a>. Avoid burnout before the semester even begins. Take time off to relax or you may find yourself fried by October.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Try Not to Work<\/span><\/h3>\n
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This may not be possible for most students, but remember that is the last summer that you will be free from academic responsibilities.\u00a0Graduate students<\/a> work during the summer. They do research, work with their advisor, and perhaps teach summer classes. If you can, take the summer off from work. Or at least cut back on your hours. If you must work, make as much downtime as you can. Consider leaving your job, or if you plan to continue working during the school year, consider taking a vacation two to three weeks before the semester starts. Do whatever is necessary to begin the semester refreshed rather than burned out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read for Fun<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Come fall, you\u2019ll have little to no time to read for pleasure. When you have some time off, you\u2019ll probably find that you don\u2019t want to read as that\u2019s how you\u2019ll spend large chunks of your time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Get to Know Your New City<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you are moving to attend grad school, consider moving earlier in the summer. Give yourself time to learn about your new home. Discover grocery stores, banks, places to eat, study, and where to grab coffee. Get comfortable in your new home before the whirlwind start of the semester. Something as simple as having all of your belongings stored away and being able to easily find them will reduce your stress and make it easier to start fresh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Get to Know Your Classmates<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Most incoming cohorts of graduate students have some means of getting in contact with each other, whether through an email list, Facebook group, LinkedIn group, or some other means. Take advantages of these opportunities, should they arise. Interactions with your classmates are an important part of your grad school experience. You\u2019ll study together, collaborate on research, and eventually be professional contacts after graduation. These personal and professional relationships can last your entire career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Clean up Your Social Profiles<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you haven\u2019t done so prior to applying to graduate school, make some time to review your social media profiles. Are they set to Private? Do they present you in a positive, professional light? Ditch the college partying pics and posts with profanity. Clean up your Twitter profile and tweets as well. Anyone who works with you is likely to Google you. Don\u2019t let them find material that makes them question your judgment.<\/p>\n

Keep Your Mind Agile: Prep a Little<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The key word is\u00a0little<\/em>. Read a few of your advisor\u2019s papers\u2014not everything. If you haven\u2019t been matched with an advisor, read a bit about faculty members whose work interests you. Do not burn yourself out. Read a little simply to keep your mind active. Do not study. Also, keep an eye out for topics that interest you. Note a stimulating newspaper article or website. Don\u2019t try to come up with a thesis, but simply note topics and ideas that intrigue you. Once the semester starts and you make contact with an advisor, you can sort through your ideas. Over the summer your goal should simply be to remain an active thinker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Overall, consider the summer before graduate school as a time to recharge and rest. Emotionally and mentally prepare yourself for the amazing experience to come. There will be plenty of time to work and you\u2019ll face many responsibilities and expectations once graduate school begins. Take as much time off as you can\u2014and have fun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Starting graduate school this fall? Like most soon-to-be grad students you\u2019re probably both excited and anxious for classes to begin. What should you do between now and the beginning of your first semester as a\u00a0graduate student? Relax Although you may be tempted to read ahead and get an early start on your studies, you should […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice","8":"category-general-post","9":"category-life-of-a-grad-student"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/summerbeforegraduateschool-460x307.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":725,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions\/725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}