Tips for Graduate Students
Calling all SLP graduate students. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Learn some helpful tips and tricks to promote success in your graduate program.
Find a Study Group - It is so important to make connections with other students in your cohort. These friends will support you through the stressors of endless assignments and clinical work, you will share memories together that you will look back on and laugh at, and they will eventually become your colleagues that you can collaborate with.
Stay Organized - Students are responsible for meeting a lot of deadlines. Make things easier on yourself by creating a system that prepares you for the chaos. We suggest having a binder for each course, color coding classes in your schedule, and writing due dates before the assignment is actually due. This will prevent procrastination and you won’t be up all night trying to get your work completed last minute.
Ask Questions - Now is the time! You have infinite access to academic and clinical information. The more questions you ask, the more you learn.
Say Yes to Opportunities - You are a sponge. Don’t turn down opportunities that will benefit your future career. Participate in multidisciplinary interactions, research topics that interest you, volunteer, complete CEUs, and take additional electives. Build your resume before you join the workforce so that you stand out.
Meal Prep - You cannot afford to waste time in graduate school. You will have long days and even longer nights. The last thing you want to do when you get home is think about what you’re going to make for dinner or if you even have the specific ingredients to make what you need for dinner. Plan your meals ahead of time. Pick one day during the week to go grocery shopping and meal prep. You will not regret it!
Look and Act Professional - Your professors and clinical supervisors will eventually become your colleagues. You may need to contact them in the near future to establish mutual connections, ask for references, or participate in research opportunities. Always put your best foot forward.
Keep an Open Mind - Students often ‘know’ what setting they want to work in. That is, until they graduate and change their mind. There are so many settings and opportunities for speech language pathologists. Broaden your scope of practice to receive as much experience as you can.
Release Stress - You need to set time aside and take care of yourself to have a healthy mind and body. The truth is you might never feel prepared for that final exam. There is too much to know. Trust that you have put in enough effort studying and spend a little extra time unwinding. Pick activities that you enjoy (e.g., exercising, coloring, watching tv, etc.).
Have Fun - Enjoy the process! You won’t get these two years back. Celebrate wins, explore new cities, and meet new people. I promise, you will look back and realize how quickly it passed by.
With Love,
RM Studio
