Resources 

Take a deep breath. Breathe in the crisp air and take notice of apple spice aroma.

How are you feeling? Is it time for a reset?

Take the time you need this holiday season. Use this holiday season (and honestly every holiday season) to refresh your life.

How might one do this? Well, I am glad you asked; check out the list below.

• Calculate your net worth

• Revise (or create) your budget

• Practice 31 days of radical self forgiveness

• Write out the vision of where you plan to be in the next 5 years

• Cook healthier and have more meals at home

• Develop a self-care routine that fits your everyday life

• Schedule your annual health check ups

• Decide how you want to build or grow the community of people around you

The above list represents a few things you can do to get started. If you are looking for help in any of these topics, feel free to check out of the Gratified Grad - YouTube for resources or you can book a session with me.  

All the best as you prepare for this natural transition.

My first year of grad school was complete and utter hell!

I have been depressed and hurt, but I’ve never felt depth of struggle I felt as a first year graduate student. I had forgotten my worth (really I didn’t fully know it to begin with). I quickly realized I did not have all the skills I needed to succeed (and why would I expect myself to? The point of grad school is to teach you those skills). I was growing mentally, but I just didn’t think I was growing fast enough. The stress and lack of true self care started to take a physical toll: heart racing, couldn’t sleep, ear thumping, either saying screw it all or caring waay too much..

Then I broke.

Lucky for me, I’ve always fallen back on positivity and a great support group. I realized I don’t have to be here (meaning graduate school, Pennsylvania, etc). I am choosing to stay here and I’ll be damned before I let anything or anyone take away my blessing of living, actually living, life. This change in perception has been ground breaking. Looking back I was experiencing the culmination of imposter phenomenon, leaving the South, family, friends, black culture, old habits, and soo much more. I was growing and the “unforgiving box” I was living in was creating pressure.
As I started talking to other grad students and even undergrads about their stresses, I found out majority of people was taking some type of medication to “keep them going” and sane. I am not knocking those who do that, but I have never been one to take medicine (not even ibuprofen). For some reason this traumatic culture of graduate school is the accepted norm, but I refuse to let that be my story. Sure, there are stressful and pressured MOMENTS, but that’s just it: they are moments. I work hard and efficiently. I enjoy my learning process and the expansion of critical thinking skills. I have also made it a point to practice REAL self-care. The moment my health begins to suffer, a change is made and if it comes down to a change in my life’s direction, I am ok with that.

“…it’s like any growth, you can’t be ready for it because it’s growth, it’s gonna be new … you’re gonna have a new life, be a new person…”

I am intentional when it comes to the use of my time. It’s one of the few things we can never get back.

Why spend something so precious worried or wishing you were doing something other than what you’re currently doing.

I recently held a workshop on Prioritizing and Scheduling during the Penn State Minority Graduate Students in STEM lunch series. The important thing I want to people to take from this is that best practice is to try out tips and change/modify them until you find something that works for you.

I have attached a copy of my facilitators guide below.

prioritizing-and-scheduling-facilitors-guideDownload

• My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem 

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Sean Pratt, Bessel A. van der Kolk, et al.

• Find Your Why by Simon Sinek

• Whistling Vivaldi by Claude Steele

Let's talk about the different statements that go into your graduate school package.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is just that, a personal statement. This is where you get to show the admissions committee who you are and really establish your brand. Take an experience from your CV and further explain the lesson(s) you gained from it. End the statement with explaining how you will fit into the culture of that program and how it will support your career goals. This means look at the website. Know the student orgs or annual events held by the college/department.

Research Statement

The research statement can be written in 2 ways. The first is what is often expected from the admissions committee. This is a reflection upon research experiences already noted in your CV. Indicate how you problem solved/trouble shoot experimental errors, contributed to the experimental design, critical thinking related to data interpretation, or a way you grew based on the experience. Ending with how you want to grow as a scientist and how that institution in particular can help you do so (think access to equipment or research advisors). 

The second is more like a writing sample. Take your current research (or research you would like to do) and write it in the form of a research proposal. That means having a background, aim(s), conclusion, and future direction(s). Note techniques you have learned in the proposal. The second option is a bit unconventional, but I know a couple of students who have gotten accepted into programs with this version of a research statement in their application package.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose is a blend of the research and personal statement. This is you telling the admission committee the purpose of your application to that specific program. Think about where your interest in research began and how the program will support your career aspirations, how your previous experiences have led you to realizing this is the path for you,  and how the research culture fits your research interests and career trajectory Again, any examples should be able to supported by your CV (unless it's an anecdotal story). 

The curriculum vitae and resume are often used interchangeably, but they are two different documents.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The CV has no page limit; I affectionately say, "throw everything and the kitchen sink" into the CV. Any experiences, opportunities, internships, workshops, talks given, awards, scholarships, extracurricular activities etc.; include it all. Make sure the sections are organized and follow the same format. When looking at your CV, there should be a theme. When people look at my CV it is clear that I am interested in wellness, service, and belonging. This is the beginning of your branding. See my CV. 

Resume

The resume is typically one-to-two pages in length. When an application asks for a resume, they only want to see the experiences that demonstrate you have ability to do whatever job you are applying for. This is where the CV comes in. Because you have listed everything possible in it, it shouldn't take long to copy and paste the relevant pieces. The important part for resumes is making sure you are showing how you fit the job description.