Each year the MSU graduate students association invites a number of faculty to provide advice on surviving graduate school. This list emerged out of that panel.
Websites to bookmark and keep reading
Chronicle of Higher Ed: http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5
– Read articles regularly, and the forums are pretty trustworthy. Not all forums are! Focus on finding real-world mentors.
Vitae (Chronicle of Higher Ed’s Careers site) – Vitae: http://chroniclevitae.com
–> Start with “The No-Fail Secret to Writing a Dissertation”: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/370-the-no-fail-secret-to-writing-a-dissertation
LinguistList: http://www.linguistlist.org
The Professor is In: The Professor Is In | Getting You Through Graduate School, The Job Market and Tenure…
Online Writing Lab at Purdue (the OWL)
APA Format guide: APA Style Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab
Academic Writing in ESL: Understanding Writing Assignments – Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab –> Use links in menu on left of page to find other topics.
OWL’s “Local Introduction” for newcomers to universities in the U.S.: A “Local” Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab
A few books for your nightstand
Here are a few books that you can put on your nightstand for when you can’t stand to read course materials or grade papers anymore:
The Professor is In by Karen Kelsky – lots of advice, whether you stay in academia long term or not – also see website above – The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide To Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job – Karen Kelsky – Google Books
Professor Mommy: Finding Work-Family Balance in Academia – focus on the sub-title – it’s not just for mommies or professors – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12011973-professor-mommy?from_search=true&search_version=service
Mama, PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life by Elrena Evans — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists – similar on the surface, but actually not recommended – has a lot more commiserating and a lot less advice
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – not for everyone, but really important for some –http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015403-the-gifts-of-imperfection?from_search=true&search_version=service
+ TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/speakers/brene_brown
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66354.Flow
+ TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?language=en
Apps to facilitate writing
Citation Management software – yes, you need it, and the sooner the better! EndNote is well supported at MSU: General Information – EndNote & EndNote Online) is well-supported at MSU. Also consider Mendeley. Here is a comparison: Comparing Citation Managers – Mendeley. (Links both go to Library Guides at MSU.)
Gingko (for outlining and writing in chunks): https://gingkoapp.com/
FocusWriter (for writing without desktop distractions): http://lifehacker.com/5652154/focuswriter-is-a-feature-rich-but-distraction-free-word-processor
Microsoft OneNote: Seven Tips and Tricks to Get More Out of OneNote – I used OneNote to organize my comprehensive exam prep and my dissertation research and writing
Google Drive – back up your work! in three places!
Desktop Timer – one example: http://download.cnet.com/Free-Desktop-Timer/3000-2350_4-75415517.html
MSU library resources
For grad students in Wells Hall:
MSU Library Guide for SLS and MATESOL: http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/secondlang
MSU Library Guide for MAFLT (same liaison librarian, more extensive guide): http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/maflt
Research manuals are not always assigned in coursework, but are good friends to have when you are designing and conducting research – the MSU library has most of the
Sage HBs online: http://www.sage-ereference.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/), and
many Routledge guides including the HB of SLA (http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=451256&site=bsi-live)
MSU LibGuide to Grants and Related Resources: http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/grants
