Grad school study/organization tips!

[JockNerd]

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SO! I was thinking that we all might share some of the best tips we each have learned about studying or surviving graduate school. I think this would be helpful for me--I mean, all the members and especially people who'll be entering their programs in the coming year--the wise learn from their mistakes, but geniuses learn from others'!

I'll kick us off....

I keep an annotated bibliography of EVERYTHING I read. It's one big word file (backed up, of course). The APA reference starts each entry off, so that my reference lists are nothing but copy-and-pasting. I write a short note about the study, just enough to jog my memory about what it was. I've just started including special keywords to search the document for, and the location of the hard copy in my folders. HUGE time-saver. 🙂

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

GREAT idea!!

Mine would look very random though.....I think I'm a bit late in the game for this, but I love the idea.

-t

 

[Ollie123]

JN - Any particular reason you don't use Endnote? Its what I've been using to do essentially the same thing you described.

I'll post my plans tomorrow, I need sleep first.

 

[JockNerd]

JN - Any particular reason you don't use Endnote? Its what I've been using to do essentially the same thing you described.

I'll post my plans tomorrow, I need sleep first.

I just had two annoying experiences with endnote and one annoying experience with refworks, and stopped using either.

 

[psychanon]

I just had two annoying experiences with endnote and one annoying experience with refworks, and stopped using either.

I was going to say the same thing as Ollie. Seriously, EndNote (or another program like it) is the way to go. My library has every article I've ever cited in every paper I've written in the past 2 or 3 years, and it's SO useful to have on hand-- and I love not having to write a reference section, or remember if I've cited a multi-author source earlier in the paper and need to use "et al.", etc.

EndNotes does have lots of kinks, yes. I have had many hairpulling nights because of them. But after several exchanges with the EndNote support staff, I think I've got it down. By the way, one problem that drove me crazy and took forever to find out is that unlike the previous version, the most recent version of EndNote (X) requires you to put a "`" before any semicolons in the prefix or suffix: "we used the Jones Anxiety Inventory (JAI; Jones, 1999)" would need to have "JAI`;" as the prefix in the citation manager. Otherwise nothing will work (just in case there's anyone out there who has been driven crazy by this problem).

 

[blindblonde]

You know, my advisor just did a time management session the other day with all the first years that was quite helpful. When I get to the office tomorrow, I'll type up the notes (it's like a page of handwritten notes). Just as a warning, he is a bit anal-retentive about time management, so bear that in mind when I post it tomorrow.

Great thread btw! 😎

 

[Ollie123]

I think the best advice I have so far is to make as many things digital as you are comfortable with (of course, backing up all the time goes along with this).

I've never been an organized person in my life, so keeping everything on my laptop makes it a LOT easier to find things than having 300000 papers lying around. If only life came with a search function😉

Also, talk with your classmates. There are programs out there where everyone is very antisocial and does their own thing, don't let your class be like that.

Classes are a LOT easier when you have someone to compare notes with, share ideas with, and try and explain the concepts that one or the other didn't understand to eachother.

Oh, and if anyone says you don't have to worry about something yet, don't listen to them. Getting ahead of the game is better than getting behind😉

PS - Can I ask what those annoying experiences with EndNote were? I ask so I can hopefully avoid them myself...

 

[JockNerd]

endnote: you know, my experience was really a few years ago as an RA, and I bet it was probably an older version of endnote. Reference lists were coming out wrong and stuff like that--really just minor stuff that added up to hassle. Plus my UG school had an online version (called Refworks or something) that was integrated well with the online databases, so most people used that instead anyway. That system then failed miserably in my last year in UG. I like my word file.

 

[psychwanabe]

I second Ollie's post about leaning on classmates. I am fortunate to be in a class in which we are sharing the burden of reading. Each student takes a chapter, does an outline, and emails it to the others. We all share in the reading workload (which everyone knows by now that we can't each do...there aren't enough hours in a week for an in-depth reading of each assignment). When it comes time for exams, our plan is to get together, and each person in charge of a chapter will "teach" the others.

I am also a big fan of keeping everything automated. I am not using a laptop, but I bought a palm and I sync up my schedule and task list every day. I take my palm with me to school, add any new tasks, etc. and sync again when I get home. I also copy emails into tasks (e.g., an undergrads schedule for meeting with me for an assessment) so that i have it at school when I am scheduling lab time. The laptop accomplishes the same thing, of course, without needing to sync. I just couldn't afford a laptop! I couldn't get through a day w/o keeping track of my schedule and tasks on my palm.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I actually need to get my PDA up and running again...might as well do it tonight! (staying in, since I took tomorrow off to go to a concert. 😀 )

Anyone else use a PDA? I'm using a Dell X50v, and I love it.

-t

 

[Ollie123]

Don't necessarily think a PDA is a more man's laptop psychanon, I'm actually thinking of getting a PDA myself to go along with the laptop. Its a pain in the ass to pull out a laptop, fire it up, open up outlook, etc. when I just want to check my schedule. I keep finding myself writing in my appointment book instead, and then forgetting to update my laptop later. Plus I can't very well yank out a laptop in the middle of seeing a client to schedule another appointment.

If I can find a decent deal on a small, PDA that I could fit in my pocket or something, I might suck it up and buy one.

 

[psychanon]

I have a PDA but lately I haven't been using it. It ran out of charge and I sort of forgot about it. I probably should use it more, but considering that I don't, I probably won't replace it when it dies. It's actually getting hard to find PDAs these days-- they've pretty much been replaced by blackberries and the like.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you are looking at PDAs now, I'd strongly advise people to do research. There is a convergence in the area (Treo's and the like), so PDAs may not be around much longer.

I prefer my PDA + laptop option, though I have a <4lb dell (get a mac). My PDA is for scheduling, catching up on e-mail on the run, etc. My laptop is for the majority of my work and research.

-t

 

[Ollie123]

Whoops, screwed up the usernames, sorry for the confusion.

My last post was directed at psychwanabe😉

 

[psychwanabe]

Whoops, screwed up the usernames, sorry for the confusion.

My last post was directed at psychwanabe😉

...I read what you meant!😛

I am sure that pda's will go the way of the dinosaur before too many more years pass, but for now I am holding onto it for dear life.

I couldn't keep up with the paper/pencil calendar anymore. I had too many balls in the air. Last year I bought the smallest/cheapest palm they sell (Z22) to give it a try and see if I would really use it or not. I love the damn thing. I would like to upgrade and get one that I can check email with too, but honestly there are enough computers in my buildings that it's not that big of a deal. My only problem is remembering to put it back in my bag after I sync it up every night so I have it with me at all times! Otherwise I don't even know which class comes next yet!

 

[Ollie123]

Thought of something else that came up in conversation. Not exactly class-related but figured I'd throw it out there anyways.

Biggest thing for me so far seems to be being proactive. It amazes me that even after reaching this level, a lot of people aren't. Get involved, get your name on stuff. Just find a way to do it. If there isn't something available, start something. Don't be timid, because by the time you get up the confidence to get things going, you'll be applying for internship and wondering why you don't have much to show from your graduate education. Think big and make opportunities for yourself. I already have some ideas for things I want to get going 2-3 years down the line, and I'm getting quite the list going🙂 Its probably going to end up being more than I can reasonably do but this is the big leagues now and for the first time in my life, what I do in school can have some effects beyond getting me to the next step, and I'm excited about it🙂

I may discover I've overburdened myself and if I do that, I'll back off later on. I'd much rather do that though than discover 2 years from now that I've been wasting time.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Getting your name on things and out there can only help. I did that my first few years, and eventually it got to the point where professors and clinicians looked for ME to do things. I've gotten all sorts of good offers, from writing chapters to running research projects/labs. It is funny some of the offers came from people I never worked with, but since I worked with one or more of their colleagues, or they saw my work, I got the "Seal of approval".

-t

 

[blindblonde]

Okay, I've been slow to post my notes. I've just been busy lately (as I am sure many of you are). So here are the tips:

• To get an idea of how long it takes to do things and how much time you efficiently use (or waste), you should assess then manage your time. You should set goals each day of things you want to accomplish. Estimate the time needed to do these tasks and set up time blocks for it during the day. Keep track of how long it takes and compare to your estimate.
• You should try to divide tasks into 4 categories: A) important & Urgent; B) Important, but not urgent; C) Not important, but urgent, D) not important and not urgent. It is easy just to take care of tasks in A, but you need to include B tasks (before they turn into A tasks). For example, working on a paper over the course of a few weeks rather than waiting to the last minute. B Tasks generally take a lot of time, ability, and concentration, so give it the appropriate amount of time.
• Ideally, great writers try to write 2-4 hours a day, 5-6 hours a week. You can adapt this by writing a little bit everyday (30 min.-1 hour), which can improve your writing skills and help you work on B tasks. Set a time each day that is your best time to work that is strictly devoted to writing time, no questions asked.
• To figure out the best time or your most productive times, keep track of your tasks that you do every 15 minutes. Then rate on a -5 to +5 scale how productive you were in this time slot.
• Just as important—plan relaxation time! Take breaks and make sure you relax. By planning effectively, you will actually enjoy your relaxation time instead of worrying about the time you are wasting with things to do.

 

[positivepsych]

Excellent tips, I see you've read Stephen Covey's 7 Habits... ;-)

 

[blindblonde]

Nope, I just took notes at a time management meeting. 😀