Tips From Fellow Grads

Tips from a Current Graduate Student

From the perspective of: Dana Vanderburgh (MA International Studies- Africa regional focus, PhD student in Anthropology, PhD Minor in African Studies)

GET INVOLVED

There are LOTS of opportunities to get involved as a graduate student at IUB; this is particularly true for students in African Studies since we are such an interdisciplinary program. Take this opportunity as a graduate student to get involved in as much as you can. Get involved in graduate student-led academic initiatives, such as the Graduate Students in African Studies association and Graduate and Professional Student Government, get involved in departmental activities, such as the Friday Colloquiums and Pathways workshops offered through the African Studies Program, professional associations like the African Studies Association, and other interdisciplinary groups geared towards grad students such as the Global Studies Graduate Group. All of these provide you opportunities to network with others, practice sharing your research and interests, and develop the hard and soft skills of being in academia. The more you participate (virtually or in person!) in these types of events, the more people will come to recognize you and come to learn about your interests and strengths. While getting involved in academic-related groups and associations, it is also equally important to get involved with other university and community groups that cater to other interests you have outside of your research!

ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF

It is hard being a graduate student! You are an adult but are still oftentimes treated as a “student” by the institution and some faculty members. This often cultivates the “imposter syndrome” feelings that are often associated with graduate student education. Firstly, remember that, as a graduate student, you are a colleague and professional and that you deserve to be here and already know a lot!! While you are welcome to listen to and accept the advice of others (and most people at IUB give great advice!), always remind yourself that you ultimately are the only person who truly knows what is best for you. Do not be afraid to tell your advisors and other mentors what you think is best for yourself and why. This includes letting people know what kind of mentorship you need (a hands on or hands off approach), your research plans, what your desired degree timeline looks like for you, what opportunities you want to apply for and more. The more open you can be, the more you can feel in control of your degree and feel like you have ownership of your own progress.

ASK FOR HELP

Advocating for yourself also includes asking for help when you need it! You won’t ever know everything and there are lots of people at IU whose job it is to help graduate students in various aspects of their graduate experience. When in doubt, ask! You can ask other students, your advisors, your DGS, other faculty mentors, staff members of various institutional entities, such as the Graduate Mentoring Center, and other professionals like mental health counselors. If you have a question or concern, it is likely that others do too and that asking will help solve issues for others. Additionally, a lot of entities have opportunities and processes for disclosing information and asking for help anonymously if you are concerned that asking for help/revealing information may put you in an uncomfortable position or at risk.

ESTABLISH WORK/LIFE BALANCE

Grad school can be overwhelming and all consuming. A lot of the times it feels like the work never ends! While you do have to dig in and put it a lot of extra time and effort into your graduate studies, remember that you aren’t just a graduate student; you’re a human being and adult with lots of other interests. Make sure you build time into your schedule to do the things you love like; working out, reading non-academic texts, spending time with friends/family, being outside, playing music, crafting, etc. By scheduling out these activities into your week, you will be more likely to do them as well as feel like they are as important as your studies (which they are!). Don’t ever feel guilty for doing things that you love and that help you feel like a whole person. Making sure you take some time away from your studies helps you avoid burnout and enables you to do better quality work because you’re happier and less stressed.

APPLY

When in doubt, apply for that grant, fellowship, scholarship, writing group and whatever else crosses your inbox that you feel is connected to what you do. You never know who might be interested in your work and what might follow from a successful application. Even if you don’t get selected, frequently applying to opportunities helps you develop the skills to effectively articulate your research and goals and advocate for its importance in various arenas (academic, governmental, community programs etc.).

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACULTY

Take the time to actively build relationships with your faculty. This includes your advisors but also extends to other faculty members who you interact with. Since ASP is a very interdisciplinary program with lots of affiliated faculty across various units and disciplines, there are ample opportunities to get to know faculty across the university who can help you by becoming a mentor, sharing resources

BUILD RELATIONSHPS WITH PEERS

Your biggest support system is your network of peers! Not only do you have the chance to build incredible friendships with people who share similar passions and interests to you, but these friends and colleagues and graduate school will often become your friends and colleagues in your future career. It is inspiring to learn what they are studying and to put your brains together to think about how you can collectively make an impact in your respective fields. So, go to the welcome events, the graduate student socials, and make the time to grab coffee.

BE OPEN

Your degree and research plans will encounter obstacles and things will change. It’s inevitable. There is no way you can prepare for global pandemics, life events, field conditions, funding shifts and changing interests (among others). The best thing you can do is to keep an open mind and be prepared to be flexible. This doesn’t mean that changes and disruptions won’t be hard, but knowing that adapting to changes is part of the graduate school experience is one of the best ways to help you best respond to them. Similarly, keep an open mind to where your degree will lead you! Your graduate degree will prepare you for so many things and does not lock you into a single career outcome. Remember that everything you are learning and creating will serve you in whatever comes next after you graduate and for all the years to come!

Tips from a Current International Graduate Student

From the perspective of: Matthew Ajibade (Former Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant, MA African Studies, PhD student in Linguistics)

Congratulations!

I would like to first congratulate you on this opportunity. Being here today means you have demonstrated to the program and the university that you are among the very few who have shown resilience in their academic sojourn and possess every quality that IU expects from her students. For an international student, this is a new journey- one far away from everything about you- family, community, food, friends, and others. Getting some directions, hints, or tips, therefore, provide some help on living a happy and good life in your new home.

In this section, I will concentrate on some helpful hints to a successful sojourn here at IU. Some of the things you would read here are from my experience as an international graduate student and my discussion with other international students. I categorized the section into four categories: academics, health, finance, and community. Follow me!

One thing you will find about IU is the enormous resources available. For example, the Office of International Services (OIS) dedicates a section on their website on Living in the US. In this section, you will find much helpful information on issues ranging from employment, paying for college, insurance, banking, and others. You are encouraged to check out the OIS and other helpful websites. I also want to assume that you have attended the series of orientations organized by the college and other bodies. Living in the US itself requires feeding on a lot of information. Keep all details provided to you, because you never know when you will need them.

Academics

The first thing you will notice is the difference between your country’s educational system and that of the US. Finding a balance between the old system and a new one is, therefore, essential and requires conscious efforts. Professors will clearly communicate their expectations at the beginning of class; try to meet those expectations and go beyond them, if possible.

You will also realize that you are combining study with work. I strongly encourage that you find a balance between the two. First, planning your day, week, or even month would go a long way in creating a balanced and organized life. I and many other graduate students that I have talked to find it helpful and fulfilling whenever we reconcile our targets and achievements at the end of the day, week, or month.

As an international student, you might find yourself wondering about how your professors and colleagues would react to your comments/questions in class or at any academic gathering, thereby you keep quiet in these gatherings. You might also wonder about people’s perception of your accent. Trust me, the audience needs your comments and questions. While I do not entirely mean that you should not scrutinize your comments or questions before airing them, keeping quiet all the time will not help your academic or personal growth. Professors and fellow students are in those settings to learn. Remember that every comment or question, even a dissenting one, is welcome.

Making contributions in class, conferences, symposiums, and other academic settings is a way to contribute knowledge and is highly valued in the US. Your accent is part of your identity; you should be proud of it. [American English is also an accent!]

If you are in the Master’s program, you might want to start thinking about the next step after finishing your program as soon as possible. Do you want to go back home after getting a Master’s degree? Do you want another Master’s degree in another program, or do you want to go into a Ph.D. program? If you consider a Ph.D. program, take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of ASP by taking classes related to your future Ph.D. program. With this, you will be able to form a good foundation for the future program and build a relationship with professors in the field, while also concentrating on your MA in African Studies. You probably do not want to wait until the expiration of your visa before making the next move.

Health

Closely related to your educational progress is your health. Very soon, you will realize the possibility of being overwhelmed with academic activities to the extent of having little or no time for other things. Hard work pays! But remember the popular axiom: Health is Wealth. Finding a balance between life as a student and graduate worker and life as a human is essential to living a good life. Find leisure outside of studying. Do you like any kind of sport? Find time to play regularly! Do you love nature? Spend time with her! Do you prefer to take pictures? Go for it! Is hanging out with people your preference? Find time to go out! While self-discipline and hard work are encouraged, depriving yourself of other parts of you is dangerous and detrimental to your health. Remember that you can be useful to society only if you are useful to yourself.

In addition to finding leisure, make it a habit to eat good food. Going hungry because you are busy would not help any bit of you. Whether you prefer cooking at home or eating out, create time to eat well.

As a graduate student with an assistantship, you are automatically enrolled in health insurance. This insurance and other medical facilities are there for you to use. Do not wait until you are extremely sick before you go to the IU Health Center. Also, with your health insurance, you are eligible for a free yearly medical check-up and bi-yearly dental cleanings. Take advantage of this resource.

Finance

Your assistantship provides a stipend at the end of the month. Taking control of your finance by highlighting bills such as IU mandatory fees (popularly called bursar bills), housing, phone, groceries/food, books, family support (for some), and others will help manage this little resource. I would encourage you to work with a budget. For example, you might want to highlight how long you plan to pay the mandatory fee- a grace period exists (where no late fee is charged) until 10 of the 3rd month of resumption- and other bills without incurring unnecessary debts. You might also want to consider cooking at home more often than eating out because it is more economical.

For some international students, family and friends at home expect you to provide financial support at all times. While providing support for those in need is encouraged, drawing a line at some point might be helpful. Remember that you are a graduate student with a lot of financial responsibilities.

If possible, try to save, no matter how little it is. You never know when you might need something unexpectedly.

Community

Find a home in Bloomington by building relationships with people in ASP, fellow graduate students from your home country, American friends, and people in the Bloomington community as a whole. Although it might feel lonely at first (after all you are new), building a community in Bloomington will help reduce the solitude that comes with being far away from home. Finally, remember to ask questions and ask for help whenever you need it! No one gets lost by asking questions!