A welcome from your fellow graduate students

Welcome to UW Oceanography -- we're so glad to have you! This is a unique position and a unique time in your life. Graduate school can be an amazing experience: we get to study and learn about things that are interesting to us, work on problems that we are motivated to answer, engage with exceptional thinkers (including faculty members, research staff, post-docs, and fellow graduate students), and spend our time thinking creatively. We also pride ourselves in the strength of our graduate student community and endeavor to provide ample opportunity to interact with one another academically and socially. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us beyond your cohort and lab group. We would be just as happy to help you navigate your research as we would be to meet up at the park or help you figure out housing. The first year of graduate school can be a lot to take in, with a lot of different things coming at you all at once, but we've all been there and are ready to help you through it!

We want to be up front that the path to your degree will at times be difficult. You are responsible for your own work, there is no single path to success, and everybody’s experience is different. Use this time to explore, work hard, and have fun. Find time for inspiration, contemplation, and motivation. Below, we’ve compiled some collective wisdom that we’ve amassed during our time spent at UW. Some of it is hard earned, some has been passed down, and most is advice that we often forget to follow ourselves but can make life here quite a bit easier. So read on, and hopefully you find something here that is helpful.

Some Assorted Bits of Wisdom

“Mental health needs to be as important to you as eating, sleeping, and exercise, all of which should be priorities over work.”  -- Ashley Maloney, Ph.D. 2017

Recognize that you will almost certainly experience Impostor Syndrome while you are here. Please know that we are excited to have you join us, and the grad student community is committed to supporting you in every way possible. While we are very sure that you belong here, be kind and patient with yourself as you figure out grad school. You will build up more knowledge and more experience communicating what you do to other people. After a while, you will realize that you do actually know what you are talking about! On the flip side, regardless of how much you do know, there is so much more that you don’t know. Always keep in mind that everyone you work with and interact with can teach you something. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something, because that is when you open yourself up to learning. Ask questions at seminars too, because if you are confused or want to know more, chances are someone else in the room feels the same way. Be aware that many students have the same doubts and treat them with care as well.

Imposter syndrome and questioning whether you belong in grad school (you do!) are different from experiencing hostility or abuse from community members. If you are having problems with your advisor, a committee member, or another member of the oceanography community, please reach out to a trusted person so that we can help you navigate this situation. The ARGO board, our ASUW union rep, and other members of the graduate student community can help you figure out how to handle things in a way that is comfortable and productive. 

One of the hardest parts of graduate school is the sense of alienation that comes from working on a solo research project. Sharing a hobby (intramural sports, crafting, camping, pub trivia) or a cause (outreach, campus politics, planning events) can give you a work break and morale boost in the short term, but most importantly you will get a sense that you belong here because people will know who you are and care about your success. The community you build will help you hang in there when things get tough. 

Take advantage of the whole UW and the whole city of Seattle. You are a student and thus you have some flexibility, and there are so many fun and cheap things you can do. Student discounted memberships and tickets (plays, concerts, museums, ski passes, etc) are excellent.

Look for opportunities at UW and beyond to build your skills beyond just those from the core curriculum and research that is part of your grad student work. Thinking broadly about the types of skills you'd like to leave grad school with and intentionally seeking out opportunities to build those skills will make you feel WAY better when it comes time to leave grad school. 

Try to maintain a work-life balance. Believe it or not, you don’t have to work around the clock in order to graduate. Try to set a schedule for yourself and get things done, but leave time for other activities so you don’t burn out. If you have a big deadline coming up you may have to work nights and/or weekends, but definitely take time for yourself when you need it. Recognize that being a graduate student is only one part of your life and does not wholly define you. Events outside of your coursework and research can affect your progress. Take care of yourself, participate in things that are important to you, take a step away when needed, do not be a research robot.

Grad school has high highs and low lows. If at any point you feel like you are lost in a murky haze and don’t know what to do next, you are not alone! We have all been there at one point or another. Thus, feel free at any point to vent or commiserate with an office mate, someone in your research group, your advisor, strangers on the Burke-Gilman, or anyone else who would be helpful for you to talk to. It can’t be said enough: any of us will be happy to listen and lend advice. We all want you to succeed!

We highly recommend taking a few minutes every day to breathe and check in with yourself. Celebrate small victories, cry if you need to, and don't get drunk on Tuesday too often. 

Other people’s successes are not your failures. Everyone is working on different problems, and others’ progress can only benefit and inspire your own research. Build your peers up and foster a supportive network. Share materials, proofread each other’s papers, and study together. Your fellow graduate students are your colleagues and collaborators.

Everyone’s journey in grad school (and in life) is different. It is very easy to compare yourself and your progress to others’ and feel that you are coming up short or doing something wrong, but there is no single “right” way to be a grad student. Whether you come to grad school with a clear vision of your research goals and how to achieve them, or you are relying on your advisor to guide you at the start; whether you do your best work at home alone, or like to be surrounded by peers; whether you thrive on a regular 9 to 5 schedule, or prefer to work odd hours whenever motivation strikes - your path is valid and you will get where you need to go. No one is judging you. 

Behind every successful proposal, paper, or presentation are rejections, false starts, and failed first attempts. Failure is a normal part of the scientific process. The key is to pick out the parts that worked, set aside those that didn’t, and move on. This is hard to do and can feel discouraging, but with practice you’ll get better at it. If for whatever reason you truly aren’t making sufficient progress, or are moving in the wrong direction, your advisor and/or committee will let you know and help you reassess your plan - they want you to succeed! 

Some Practical Tips

Start building good habits and acquiring useful tools and skills now, at the beginning of your grad school career, rather than later. Consider the advice provided in this letter or ask more senior grad students what made their lives easier in the long run. 

When reading scientific papers: don’t feel like you need to read them straight through. Begin with the abstract, then read the conclusions, then see if you can understand what the figures are saying. Then read through the whole paper to get the whole argument. 

Writing is hard for everyone. Productivity tricks are almost entirely superstitious. That said, here are some writing hacks and productivity tricks that may (or may not) work for you:

• Make writing a routine by writing every day at the same time for thirty minutes to an hour.
• Meet regularly with an in-person writing group to hold you accountable. It shouldn’t include your closest friends, or you’ll be tempted to talk instead of write.
• Listen to music designed to improve focus. White noise or nature sounds may also help.
• Get out of your office and go to a new cafe, random corner of the library, or other unfamiliar spot just to write. Once that place becomes familiar, find a new one.
• Write drunk, edit sober. (Among the more dubious writing hacks listed here, use with caution.)
• Try “brain dump” writing: just keep typing continuously for a set amount of time without stopping to re-read or edit anything. This can be especially useful when just starting something.

If you feel like you can’t focus or are hitting a wall during the middle of the day, TAKE A BREAK! There is no point in spending 2 hours struggling through something you could probably do in 20 minutes if you were in a better mindset. Good breaks could include: Walking to get coffee (or just taking a short walk), saying hi to another grad student, going for a run/workout, or simply switching activities (e.g. if you have writer’s block, analyze some data or work in the lab for a bit instead).

Keep ergonomics in mind when doing computer or lab work. Take breaks to stand up and stretch. See if your advisor has funding to get you a monitor and keyboard or invest in them yourself. Your back/neck/shoulders/wrists/etc. will thank you.

Meet/check in with your advisor regularly (at least weekly) and keep open communication. The longer you go without meeting, the more anxiety you will (likely) feel. Remember that it is your advisor’s job to give you advice and help guide you through this degree. So when you need advice, ask for it! That said, if you and your advisor are not compatible, it is possible to change advisors. Feel free to reach out to other graduate students for advice on this.

Being the TA for a 100- or 200-level Intro to Oceanography class can teach you the basics of oceanography better than taking the graduate student classes. Being responsible for other people’s education is a great way to motivate yourself to learn something.

Attend First Fridays (and other department events) as often as you can! Why pass on an opportunity for free food, free beer, and free time to connect with fellow UW Oceanographers? 

We Are Glad That You’re Here!

This letter is not exhaustive - we have so much more advice to give. If you aren’t sure who to talk to, you can reach out to our student group, ARGO, at uwargo@uw.edu. We want everyone to feel welcome, supported and comfortable in this community, so if you have questions or concerns, we are here for you. 

Sincerely,
---Your Fellow Graduate Students