Being a Graduate Student

(updated 9-18-03)

These are my own thoughts on the topic of getting the most our of your graduate student career. Be warned that I am separated from my own graduate student days by the gulf of over a quarter of a century, and that each student's experiences are unique and shaped by their own personality and history. Such cautions aside, on this page you will find some ideas about being a successful graduate student.

Resources:

An interesting book which came into my hands is:

Echterling, L.G., Cowan, E., Evans, W.F., Viere, G., McKee, J.E., Presbury, J., & Steward, A.L. (2002). Thriving! A manual for students in the helping professions. Boston: Lahaska Press, Houghton Mifflin Company.

Lennis Echterling and company from James Madison University have published an interesting book about making the most of your graduate student experience in the helping professions. It seems to reflect a counseling/personal growth model of education and training.

Another book that appears to be worth a look:

Robert Bor & Mary Watts (Eds.) (1999). The Trainee Handbook: A guide for counseling and psychotherapy trainees. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

ch.s on essay writing, writing client case study, writing process report, supervision, getting most out of personal therapy, first session with new client, common questions, psychopharmacology, preparing for a job, and other topics

A few very brief articles I often hand out to new graduate students are:

Hayes, Steven C. (1998). Thirteen rules of success: A message for students. the Behavior Therapist, 21, 47-48, 55.

Moore, E. (2003). Pop Tarts are not a food group and right clicking is not exercise: A practical guide to surviving the transition to graduate school. the Behavior Therapist, 26, 238-239.

Walters, Scott T. (2000). How to publish 6 inches in graduate school. the Behavior Therapist, 23, 228-229.