Our annual summer PhD Spotlight returns! This week we are chatting with Jessica Tingle, who is just completing her PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.
Are you working as a teaching assistant or graduate student instructor this summer? Read on for resources to support you this summer, whether this is your first time teaching or your fifteenth!
Whether you are a new graduate student looking forward to building a supportive community or a current graduate student wanting a break from summer research, we’ve got you covered! Just because we’re continuing our events on virtual platforms this summer doesn’t mean we can’t get connected. We have weekly Coffee Socials, two community Game Nights...
Balancing parenting with your graduate studies is certainly challenging. One of the best pieces of advice I was given as a pregnant graduate student was that because parenting and graduate school are both jobs without clear boundaries balancing the two requires lots of patience and chocolate. While I cannot share chocolate via blog (sorry!), here...
Keeping your momentum going into summer can be hard, but here are a few suggestions to help design a summer writing plan that will work for you. Step 1: Make a plan. Some people look to summer as a time to relax, wind down and forget about academia for a little bit. Others see summer...
Looking to improve your summer? Here are fifteen ideas that are low commitment and low cost. Consider giving one a try this summer: 1. Get up early and watch the sunrise. As a bonus, it’s often the coolest time of day during our Riverside summers! [ Image Description: A large orange sun moves slowly up...
Have you ever found yourself in a staring contest with an assignment after 10:30 PM that goes on for an absurd amount of time? Does the amount of grading work that awaits you in the coming finals week make you feel awful? If yes, then you are not alone. Grading can, and frequently does, consume...
Planning and carrying out an informative, successful seminar takes a lot of organization, time, and--most importantly--planning. Holding a meaningful seminar is always a big challenge while being a compulsory course for graduate students at their early academic stage. Whether it’s your first or hundredth seminars, a few pieces of advice will help you to achieve...
As with all things great, After Grad: Teaching Careers Week (TCW) sadly had to come to an end. This week aimed to cover a variety of ways for you to think about and prepare yourself for teaching now and for when you're ready to pursue a teaching-focused career in the future. To accomplish this, TCW...
So much has changed in 2021 compared to 2020 – new vaccines, new President, new Provost, new Netflix obsession (remember Tiger King? That was like a Bridgerton and two British Baking Shows ago, right?). [ Image Description: Joe exotic, from Tiger King, removed his sunglasses and squints out at the viewer.] Pictured: You, taking in...
Do you teach? Do you want a career in teaching? Are you looking for ways to become better at teaching? Look no further, After Grad: Teaching Careers Week is here to help! This is a week-long series of panels, workshops, and presentations all centered around teaching! Teaching Careers Week takes place between May 3rd and...
Most graduate students have come to UCR ready to dive head-first into research and other scholarly pursuits. Yet, many of us find ourselves treading water in the deep end of the teaching pool. Such a challenge inspires brave graduate students to take their pedagogical skills and training to the next level. The University Teaching Certificate...
Lots of universities have announced plans to reopen their campuses next fall after more than a year of virtual instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the University of California system; with COVID-19 vaccines available to students, faculty, and staff, our campus also announced that it plans to bring most students to campus for in-person...
Unclench your jaw. [ Image Description: Pumba, from The Lion King, drops his jaw.] Pictured: Pretty much every time I ask myself, “Is my jaw clenched?” – the answer is yes, yes it is, relax that jaw right now… While you’re at it, you might use your fingers or knuckles to give yourself a face...
In social support literature, there are three types of social support networks: informational, instrumental, and emotional. 1 All networks are reflective of relationships. Informational social support networks are relationships through which information is disseminated. Instrumental social support networks are relationships that provide direct and tangible support—whether that be through actions or physical resources. And, emotional...
It’s that time of year again…if it’s Spring Break, then the GradSuccess hiring application must be open! [ Image Description: Puppies sleep surrounded by white rabbits and chicks on grass. There are Easter Egg baskets in the background.] Pictured: A bountiful pool of prospective applicants...you know you want to be part of this future team...
Do you read the student evaluations of your teaching at the end of each quarter? If you said no, I’m here to convince you otherwise! First, student evaluations are a key part of how we are assessed as TAs at UCR; low evaluation scores can have consequences for future TA appointments. Also, student evaluations are...
