1. Expectations and Advice for Your First Year of Grad School
brought to you by MSE GSAG
***these opinions do not reflect the position of the department***

2. Your First Month Things to do in the first month (or few weeks):
Find an advisor and group you like
Find out what your lab needs you to enroll/take:
Training (e.g. Buzzmart Shopper, X-ray Safety Training)
Classes (even though registration has passed, moving forward)
Establish some work space (e.g. drawer, desk, computer, etc.)
Start getting familiar with the lab
Background reading
Observe/assist other students
Get trained on necessary equipment (XRD, SEM, AFM, etc.)
Establish good study/class habits
Making classes a priority
Good review habits
Finding a study group
Apply for fellowships!
On finding an advisor - even if you already have one, now is a better time to change groups than a year from now. If you signed on with someone over the summer and don’t like it or are feeling bad about it now that you’ve arrived keep interviewing and shopping around. You still have time to change. Now is better than later.
On classes your lab needs you to take - yes it is past the deadline to register for classes this fall, but maybe you are expected to audit something, or watch online video lectures. Or maybe there is a class you’ll need to take in the spring. Just figure out what these things now or soon are so that you can be prepared for them, even if they aren’t happening for a while
On establishing space - don’t be afraid of being “too pushy”. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the resources you need. It is not the responsibility of your advisor or senior student to know what you need to be successful. They are a great resource to ask what you might need to get going, but don’t expect them to arrange it for you. This is a difficult line to walk sometimes, since you need to show that you are proactive and resourceful, but you also need to make sure that you are doing the right things and asking for help. Overall, just do two things: BE RESPECTFUL, and BE FLEXIBLE
On getting familiar with the lab - you may or may not have a specific project assigned to you. If you do, great! If you don’t, that’s ok too. Either way, you’re going to be spending a lot of time taking classes and studying, and you are going to need to make sure that the limited amount of time you spend in the lab (compared to other students) is as useful as possible - getting a lot of training and getting yourself up to speed is a great way to do this.
On establishing good study habits - classes are important. No matter how much work you do in the lab, if you fail classes or fail quals you cannot continue in the program. Grad level classes are going to move much faster than you are use to, so these first few weeks are EXTREMELY important in forming good habits and in staying on top of the material. We strongly recommend reviewing material as you progress through the semester, and on finding a study group. These study groups will also be VERY USEFUL come quals.

3. Your First Month DO NOT: Start worrying about quals just yet
Know they are there. But if you want to do well, just focus on classes. You will be given plenty of information/advice about quals in the spring
Think you made a mistake by pursuing grad school
Feeling overwhelmed and thinking you made a huge mistake will happen at least once to every single person in this room. Don’t worry too much about it and just let it pass.
If you really do think this isn’t for you, check in again with yourself shortly after Christmas, again in March, and again after quals. All three time checks are important.
Imposter Syndrome - feeling like you fooled everyone into thinking you were qualified and anxious that everyone is going to figure out

4. Your First Year Things to do during the first year:
Continue to get familiar with the lab
Be prepared to start doing independent work at this point (i.e. supporting your own project/directing your own work)
Take classes (not limited to core)
Socialize - build a support network
Set up a routine
Consider finding a hobby/outlet/fun thing to do outside of work
Maybe spend some time getting to know different parts of Atlanta
Now start worrying about quals
Let your advisor know you will be in the lab less that month because you will be studying
Start reviewing/collecting resources/soliciting advice from older students
Start thinking about what direction you want to go with your career
Don’t need to figure it out, but having an idea or goals will help a lot
On getting familiar with lab - At this point you should feel prepared to be supporting your own project and should have all the tools and training necessary to do so. This point will happen much earlier for some labs than others, the expectation will differ from lab to lab. But you should all be here by the end of the first year. This will help when you start thinking about the work you want to propose for your dissertation. But that isn’t something you’ll need to worry about until your second year (or the year after quals).
One taking classes - Don’t overwhelm yourself unnecessarily, but definitely feel free to get another class out of the way. Especially there is a class that you could take that would help you in the lab. Ask your lab mates for advice. The patience to take classes at all will run out around the end of your third semester here. Maybe your fourth if you are lucky. So getting even one extra one out of your way early is a good idea.
On building a support network - It is super important that you do this. Like incredibly important. There are going to be moments in your time here (not just in your first year) that are going to be incredibly hard and difficult and you are going to want to quit. Having a good support system in place is what is going to make the difference. We cannot emphasize this enough.
On getting a hobby - You should not be spending 100% of your time in lab and on classes. Yes you will be very busy your first year, and you will have more free time after you finish quals. But you should be making the transition during this year from being an undergrad to being a grad student. This is not your whole life, this is just your job. If you make this your whole life YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A BAD TIME. Even if your hobby is just playing video games on the weekends, find a hobby or something to do outside of work.
On setting up a routine - This may not be a strictly 9-5 job, but it is a job. Establish over the course of the year what kind of schedule works for you. Different schedules work for different people and different labs. But getting yourself in to a routine will help a lot once you hit the “post-quals vacuum”

5. Opportunities to Prepare for Your Career
Knowing what general direction you’d like to go in will help you prepare to take advantage of opportunities that are available to you here:
CETL Teaching Classes and Minor
Opportunities to work with National Labs (existing programs)
Career Center Resources
FE/PE Exam Prep
Internships/Funding from Companies
And always….
NETWORKING!
Make business cards - $20 for 250 at Vistaprint (we will a template with this presentation)
Seriously though, we cannot overemphasize the importance of networking.

6. Your First Year DO NOT: Worry about publishing a paper
At least not as a first author. It is possible you will spend your first year assisting a project that will publish.
This does depend on your group. Make sure you know what your advisor’s expectations are.
Start worrying about what your thesis is going to be on
This is problem for your second year. You can officially start worrying about this any day after you take the qualifier. But not before.
Worry about when you’re going to graduate
Seriously, just don’t
See this great blog post for other common reasons to fail a PhD:

7. What if I made a mistake? That’s ok.
Be really honest with yourself about the problem, what is and isn’t working
Advisors, Groups, Classes, Background, etc.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to make a change
There are SO many resources here to help you, but you can’t take advantage of them if you don’t admit to yourself that there is a problem

8. Resources Advisor/Group Issues?
GSAG anonymously and someone will meet with you to discuss your options
Meet with Susan and Dr. Bucknall
Class Issues?
Meet with Professor
Tutoring
Two-Year Track
Mental Health Issues?
Counseling:
Financial Issues?
Financial Aid/Loans:

9. Further Reading PhD Comics: http://phdcomics.com/comics.php
A PhD Is Not Enough:
Surviving Your Stupid Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School:
Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Getting an M.A. or Ph.D.:
The Smart Way to Your PhD: 200 Secrets from 100 Graduates:
Also anything on this blog: