Revamping my work area has really helped boost my productivity lately. While I have kind of fallen off intentionally preparing for my program in recent months, I am hoping that writing this post will help me focus and hold myself accountable moving forward.

As soon as I committed to Brandeis back in early May (which now feels like ages ago), I was already looking up advice on preparing for PhD programs. There were not a ton of resources out there, but I was able to get started with a few action items, most of which are written below. I was pretty consistent for about a month, but lately other things have taken priority.

Yesterday, I had my first official meeting with my advisor, and was reminded that classes start pretty soon (39 days, to be exact). I am now refocusing my attention on getting ready for the Fall. While I know that there is no way I will ever be completely “ready,” here are five ways I’m trying to prepare anyway:

1. Reading. I am trying to focus most of my attention on literature that pertains to the field of Social Policy (though one could make a strong argument that pretty much everything falls into this category), as well as the more specific areas of research that I am interested in. I am aiming to read for around an hour a day, but this has proven more challenging than I originally anticipated. As I read, I make sure that I am taking notes, as well as storing all of my citations in Zotero so that I can quickly reference everything later.

2. Networking. I have honestly never been fond of networking, but it is an activity that I have forced myself to practice in recent years because I know how beneficial it can be. Once I knew for sure that I would be embarking on this journey, I immediately reached out to a few current PhD students in my network and requested Zoom meetings with them to discuss their experiences and ask for advice. Furthermore, once more people found out that I was attending Brandeis, they started to volunteer to connect me with other people they knew. I took pretty much every opportunity that was presented to me, but I especially sought to hear the experiences of BIPoC students, especially BIPoC women. I value being able to hear their perspectives, and I am so grateful that they were willing to be candid with me. I already feel as though I have a strong support network going into this.

3. Brushing up on STATA. I used STATA a little bit during my undergraduate experience, but I definitely need some refresher courses. Thankfully, I will be able to take some through my program, but I’m hoping that this initial work (YouTube videos and other online resources) will help make the Fall a little bit easier.

4. Attending workshops and other virtual opportunities offered by my school. The Library team at Brandeis have been hosting virtual Workshops and Trainings all Summer, and I have been signing up for all of the ones that seem like they could be helpful. For example, I have participated in some introductory workshops to using different software and resources such as STATA, Qualtrics, and Zotero. I have also been to workshops related to publishing in the social sciences as well as writing literature reviews. While I did end up sitting through a lot of information I already knew, I still found the reinforcement valuable, and I was able to learn some new tricks. Additionally, there were several Dissertation Proposal Hearings that were made available to Heller staff and students, so I attended those to get a better idea of what the process is like. I was also able to connect with a third year PhD student this way, so I highly recommend doing this if it is an option. I did end up participating a little bit, so just be ready to potentially have to introduce yourself and ask questions.

5. Relaxing. This is probably one of the most consistent pieces of advice I have received from faculty and PhD students alike, so I figured I would add it here. I do not want to burn out before I even start, so I am trying to embrace the art of doing nothing. As someone who enjoys being busy and lived a very scheduled life prior to COVID-19, this is often difficult for me. But, I have slowly started to lean into this more. I am fortunate to have nature close to me, so hiking and being outside is becoming a favorite activity of mine. I keep reminding myself that I will have plenty of time to let my work consume me come late August, so I am enjoying the unstructured time while it lasts.

What did you do the Summer before you started grad school (PhD or otherwise)? Did you relax or did you spend a lot of time preparing? Let me know!

*I am also re–reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander right now.

If you have feedback on anything I said, or the way I said it, please let me know. I am still learning and growing and know that even if I had no intention of being hurtful or harmful in my writing, the impact might be different.