Put Me Through Grad School Boot Camp!

March 6, 2007 1:10 AM

How do I prepare myself for the challenges of an MA program in the six months I have before it begins?

Whoo! I just got into my dream masters program (AM Regional Studies - Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard.) I've been out of school for a year now, and while I haven't really let myself slack off, I'm certainly rusty when it comes to doing all those things that academics do. I've looked online, and what advice I've found seems to pertain mostly to PhD students, and tends to deal with the Sargasso Sea of the thesis years.

My question is this: is there any kind of pre-grad school/MA program boot camp I can put myself through to make the transition easier? People who've done similar programs: what's your advice? MeFites who are looking back: what do you know now that wish you knew when you were younger?

(Also, things like "commit suicide," "take cyanide," and/or "run," aren't helpful. I'm crazy excited to be doing this, and I'm also aware that a significant amount of bullshit potentially awaits. What I'd like now is encouragement and constructive advice, not bitterness.)

posted by awenner to Education (16 answers total)

Best answer: I'd suggest you get fit, if you're not already. The stronger your body, the better your mind will work, and if you're already in the habit of being active and eating right, it will be easier to continue that once the grind of school begins. Don't be one of those grad students who ages three years for every one in the program.

Also, talk to students already in the program and try to get the skinny on the professors, particularly the sadists and the nuts. If I'd done that pre-MA, I might have avoided the seminar with the sly fox who waited until the day after it was too late to drop his course to start making inappropriate remarks about the pulchritude of Picasso's various models ("she is not a beautiful woman; I do not want to have sex with her"). Only then did I notice that the class was entirely comprised of first year grad students, who didn't know to avoid the creep.

Good luck!
posted by Scram at 1:29 AM on March 6, 2007

I would personally take the time to relax. The first year of grad school usually is a boot camp, and I'm not sure it will help to prolong that phase. You may not get a real break until next summer, or maybe not even until you're done. Travel, perhaps? The advice to exercise is very good, especially if you can build up a habit -- it will be very easy to not get any exercise at all once you start.
posted by advil at 1:53 AM on March 6, 2007

I agree with the suggestions of travel and exercise. I'd add, if you aren't already doing this, getting in the habit of reading the New York Times, perhaps some good regional papers from the Middle East, plus magazines like the New Yorker, Harpers, Economist, etc. You should also use the time to read nonfiction bestsellers about the region you are focused on --- you know, the books by journalists and academics that get reviewed all over the place. You want to enter the program feeling vaguely up to date in terms of current events and popular literature, even if you then do your coursework on historical or obscure topics.

If you can spend any time between now and grad school visiting the region you wish to study, so much the better. Three months in Beirut or Haifa or Tehran (obviously, use your judgment about where to go and what to do) will prepare you to contextualize and evaluate all the readings you will soon be doing, and improving language skills is always a good idea.
posted by Forktine at 2:31 AM on March 6, 2007

Yeah, exercise, relax, etc. Get a feel for the broader picture too: once you get caught up in the whirl of classes and seminars and deadlines, it's easy to concentrate in a very focused and driven manner but lose sight of the bigger picture.

Is the topic closely linked to your undergraduate studies? (Like, do you have a good feel for the area already?)

With your topic I'd guess that you can get quite into it by reading the world news section of quality dailies, the economist, that sort of thing. Which you're probably doing already. But historical fiction and just generally getting a feel for the area and the history could really help (and hey if you're really keen learn a bit of Arabic and take a trip:). My motivation for suggesting this is that my masters was in a subject I'd minored in as an undergraduate, and I went straight into it with no prep: 6 months reading popular accounts and even related fiction might have actually got my head into the right place and given me an informal, gentle overview of the field.

Ask the school if there's anything they recommend you to read - they might send out a book list a few months ahead of start, and it won't hurt you to get it early.

The mechanics of studenting are probably also worth brushing up on. Do you know the basics of a decent word processor/document preparation system and bibliographic database? If you approach this with your mind made up about what software you're going to use, and with a good understanding of how to do tables of contents, sections, chapters, indices, figures with captions, tables, insert references and manage a bibliography that could save some real time later.

If you really want to brown nose ask who's going to be teaching what, and look at their publications. But that might be taking it too far.
posted by handee at 2:43 AM on March 6, 2007

Seconding handee on getting familiar with bibliographic and document prep formats. Also get in the habit of reading not just for general interest, but for the kind of retention you'll need in school. Take notes and (re-)train yourself to use relevant material in your own work. And go in with confidence: ask questions, meet your colleagues, and have a great time.
posted by bassjump at 3:43 AM on March 6, 2007

Read your f'in ass off for an hour a day between now and the start of your program. Find texts (esp. journal articles) that are similar to what you're likely to read in school. In fact, start reading what you're likely to read in school.

Spend the rest of your time traveling, sitting around, and exercising. Getting familiar with reference material will only take a day or two (full days), so throw that in there.

Good suggestions in this thread, but personally I feel that getting into reading a lot, for retention, quickly was my best solution.

Good luck, and once you start school take a "re-boot" weekend once in awhile -- take off from Cambridge and go skiing in Vermont or New Hampshire (or Maine I guess). Take off down to the Cape, or go see the Sox play and then go get drunk.

Enjoy Cambridge and Boston!
posted by sablazo at 4:18 AM on March 6, 2007

Best answer: Find a place to live close to school. If you can don't live with people in your program (grad school can get a bit close sometimes).

Reread strunk & white.

Contact some students who are in the program now. Get reading lists (maybe used text books)

Start your visa process asap. Likewise find out about banking - Canada to US can have credit snafus.

Start viewing you school as a career rather than school. This way you can look at what you need to do to advance rather than simply graduate. Find the jobs you want when you are done and figure out how to get from a to b. Then start doing the extra things that will get you there. Your grades will be less important than your achievements, recommendations and contacts.

Don't gossip about instructors or students ever. Particularly not on elevators with people you don't know present - they will always turn out to be the best friend of the person you are slagging. Don't gossip with other students and not with other instructors and don't confide in any academic mentor official or unofficial. If you need help go off the reservation for it. Try not to do it even at home with uninvolved parties (extinguish the gossip habit). The people you talk about talk to each other and will be your colleagues for the rest of your life. If you gossip about them now they may well gossip about you later when a potential employer calls. Academics can be extremely petty so don't give them ammo.


Join the GTD cult.
posted by srboisvert at 5:41 AM on March 6, 2007

Congrats on the dream masters! Grad school can be gruelling, but also very rewarding. Having taken some time off will, in my experience, be of tremendous benefit to you, so you are already a step ahead.

I nth the relax advice, with the addition that if you have far-flung family or friends, try to visit them now. You're going to end up putting off such trips when you are in school, so now is your opportunity to anticipate some missed obligations and make up for them a bit.

At my school, applying for external funding is a requirement of our guaranteed internal funding. In addition, the master's program is one year. This means that master's students are hit with: graduate level classes; coming up with a master's proposal; coming up with a PhD proposal; writing grant applications for the PhD; and starting to write applications to PhD programs--all in the first few months. So, I'll finish off with my advice on how to minimize this situation, assuming that it will translate at least somewhat usefully to you.

First, this summer, look into what scholarships you might apply for. Make a little spreadsheet of requirements (dates, what letters you need).

Second, explore--on paper--your academic passions. Write out all the things you love about your topic, and see how they connect. Forgo academic language and explain to yourself as clearly as you can why you love what you're doing, and what you want to accomplish with it, academically and personally. Doing this will have multiple benefits: it will help you choose a master's thesis or paper topic; it will help you articulate to mentors what you are trying to accomplish, and help you find further grad or employment options that suit you; it will help you advocate for yourself if you find yourself coming into conflict with a member of your department; and it will be a statement you can return to and reflect on if you find yourself asking "why am I here, is this really what I want to do?"

Third, don't worry about reading ahead too much. But if you do, work from your passions. Take the time to explore what you want to read and not what you think you "should" read. Especially in a master's program, there isn't much time for exploratory reading, so this is a prime time for that.

Have fun, good luck, and all that. I'm sure you'll do great!

(on preview, realized you are Canadian: if you're going to do a PhD and you haven't already, check out SSHRC. PhD awards can be held in the US.)
posted by carmen at 5:48 AM on March 6, 2007

Lots of good comments here. I'm just chiming in to say good luck. That sounds very cool & I'm sure you'll learn a lot, inshallah! I've been doing some Middle East studies since I got back from Egypt & it's been really fascinating. :)
posted by miss lynnster at 6:20 AM on March 6, 2007

I'm in my last semester of grad school right now. My advice: get organized and learn how to manage your time. Clear off your desk and keep it clean. Check out Lifehacker for time saving tips. Buy a wall calendar and write your deadlines on it. Get in the habit of consistently doing those mundane tasks like laundry, because you really won't feel like it once school starts.
posted by desjardins at 6:32 AM on March 6, 2007

The advice about not gossiping is really good, so I'll repeat it. I'd say, don't ever say anything negative about another student or a professor. Damn with faint praise, or just shrug, but the social world of an academic department is too small to not have consequences when you slag people behind their backs. Even when the negative gossip is true, you are still going to have to learn how to work with that person for the next two years, so complaining won't do much good.

Also, don't build this up into something bigger than it is. You don't need an "academic boot camp" -- the masters program assumes that you will come in with some preparation (otherwise they wouldn't have admitted you) but also assumes that you don't have every tool you need (otherwise they'd just hand out the degree preemptively). MA programs are intense, but are (usually) easier than both BAs and PhD programs. They are of short and defined durations, and of limited and defined scope. If there is an independent research component, it will be limited to what you can do over the summer or during the third semester. If there is a thesis requirement, it will be such that people can complete it in their second year. You will need to work hard, and hit the ground running, but there is not the expectation of nor time for the "finding yourself" that is a big component of both undergraduate and doctoral programs.

So don't overthink this or make it harder for yourself than it needs to be. (As in, if you are going to have a very reading-heavy and intense two years, why would you want to add a boot camp in front of it to make it an intense 2.5 years, and increase your chances of burning out?) Relax, travel, and become broadly literate in the field, but don't try to do more than what you should be doing.

And, particularly in a short MA program, you have to be planning a year ahead at every step. Summer travel funding applications are probably due at the end of your first semester, or the beginning of the second. You will probably need to sort out your adviser and other administrative details in the first year, before you have really had a chance to take a lot of classes. If you are applying to doctoral programs or research grants afterwards, the applications will be due very early in your third semester, so lining up letters of support will need to be done even earlier. And so on --- if you only focus on the immediate problems (must read for class! must write essay!) you risk missing a key deadline and missing out on important opportunities as a result.
posted by Forktine at 6:52 AM on March 6, 2007

As a masters student myself, I can say that the two sentiments about organization and exercise cant be stressed enough. Getting into GTD or some other system BEFORE the madness begins would be an excellent way to set yourself up for a successful time in school. And related to that, if you are fit and rested when you begin, the inevitable drain that most programs demand might be delayed or even mitigated. One more thing that I would reccomend is researching ALL of the faculty you might be working with and reading their papers, books etc if you have the time. It will give you a clearer picture of "the state of the art" in your department and where people are doing work you might what to get involved in.

Also, get excited, Harvard is a special place with more things to do and care about that any one person can handle. It makes me smile and feel deeply grateful.
posted by Meemer at 7:10 AM on March 6, 2007

Before I went into my master's program I took a class in stats at the local community college. I hadn't been in school for a while and I was nervous about those classes in school. I'd say it was good for me to get a bit more polished on my notetaking skills and to remember what taking a test is like.

I agree that organization and planning ahead are good skills, but you'll likely be fine. The adrenaline of excitement will last you at least a year. Exercise is always good. And be sure to be neutral in departmental politics. It's hard to do, but if you have something (even small and seemingly insignificant such as gardening) that takes place outside of the department you'll likely fare better.

But most of all, relax and take time to appreciate that you got into the program of your dreams!

Good luck!
posted by mulkey at 8:29 AM on March 6, 2007

Six months, eh?

First 2 months: nothing. Indulge. Travel. Let your mind wander. Be free. Unless, of course, that kind of thing drives you crazy. But you're about to lose the opportunity to do that for quite some time, so if you DO enjoy a completely open ended, unstructured period of thinking you should seriously indulge that for at least a month or two.

I'd second joining the GTD cult. It's pretty damn rewarding as it turns out.... even for those of us that are slackers at heart. (Because it frees up time for slacking and it actually facilitates those of us who know to be lazy you have to plan and implement things very thoroughly.)

Congrats on getting in! Don't let them eat you alive. ;) ...or turn you into one of them. BRAINS! BRAINS!
posted by smallerdemon at 8:48 AM on March 6, 2007

Great advice so far. I would add that if your computer skills aren't up to snuff, work on it. This includes whatever variants the university uses, such as in the library for research or for course assignments (eg Web CT). I have only average computer skills as a prof but I am stunned to find how many students don't know how to use basic software features to their advantage (eg. in Word to use spelling, grammar and summary functions).

Also, slightly off topic, but recognize that the work skills needed at grad school are often different than at undergrad. I've seen many a successful 'lone wolf' undergrad suffer because they were not willing/able to work with the grad pack. Group work skills are often an asset.

You might find that part of the ritual of grad school is forcing students to work through very large amounts of material at a high level of analysis. Anything you can do to increase your processing speed/quality will help.

But do get fit, healthy, settle in and have fun before you get there.
posted by kch at 12:34 PM on March 6, 2007

In general, the earlier you can pick up whatever foreign languages you will need, the better. Travel is the best way to pick up living languages.

Get in the habit of being organized, and of getting some exercise at least every other day.

Keep up with the news that's relevant to your field, but otherwise -- have fun with your remaining time out of school!
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:42 PM on March 6, 2007