Hmm LS jumpa satu artikel menarik mengenai tips yang bagus untuk pelajar PhD tahun pertama. Antara yang boleh kita apply ialah sertai persatuan atau group yang ahlinya ialah PhD student seperti Doctorate Support Group. Banyak info/tips yang kita boleh pelajari hasil perbincangan mereka di forum dan juga kita boleh bertanya if ada kemusykilan.
Satu lagi tips yang menrarik ialah menambah skill buat research. Pada tahun pertama ni bagusla pergi seminar/workshop yang menyediakan ilmu untuk memperbaiki writing skill ke data analysis skill ke. Jadi awal-awal kita dah tahu teknik yang betul. Kalau dah tahun 2-3 baru nak belajar, mungkin apa yang kita dah buat tu dah salah tekniknya maka kena buat semula. Tak gitu?
November 13, 2013
By Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong
Usually we write about the end stages of the doctoral-student career as soon-to-be Ph.D.'s prepare for the job market. But this month we'd like to step back and offer advice to those just starting out in graduate school.
- Find out what your department expects of you. Most departments will have sections about the Ph.D. process, taking you from course requirements through dissertation completion. Some departments may have a timeline that indicates what you should achieve in each year of your graduate program.
- Attend the activities, seminars, and meetings that it organizes for students by your departments. Faculty members will expect that of you and will see your participation as a sign of your level of engagement in the field.
- Develop a support system that can help you get through the more stressful periods.
- Most departments provide a range of services, and it's up to you to make use of them. Your department may offer regular professional-development seminars that can prepare you for teaching, writing grants, and going on the academic job market. Take the time to attend those seminars—including some during your first year—as they will help you to gain the skills that can set you up for success in your field down the road.
- Once you've chosen an adviser, that faculty member will likely become your main source of career and scholarly guidance. In your first year or two in the department, get to know professors and their work, considering carefully who might be a good fit for you. And be sure to talk with students farther along in their programs about their experience with individual faculty members.
- Besides departmental events, attend lectures and programs elsewhere on the campus to widen your circle. It's also a good idea to start to get to know your scholarly association's website; read not just the scholarship but about the discipline itself and about the services the association offers.
- Talk with more-advanced doctoral students who participate in graduate-student groups.
- Consider joining a graduate-student group and maybe even taking on a leadership role. The organizational and administrative skills you develop—running the group, public speaking and presenting, committee work—can help you be a better student, manage your time better, and provide skills that you will need later in your career, academic or otherwise.
- Developing a range of skills will make you a stronger doctoral student. You will, of course, be better at some of those skills than at others. Take the time to build a level of comfort with the things that don't come naturally to you, whether that means teaching, presenting, writing, or networking.
- Building a network of contacts in your field and related ones, from both inside and outside your institution. Those people can be your collaborators—and sometimes your competition. Attend conference.
See the Original Story here
