Decoding Graduate School Series for First-Year Ph.D.Students

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:51:21 -0400

Are you a first-year or early Ph.D. student? Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘I’m not sure how

to do this’? Do you feel confident that you can survive, but aren’t sure how to succeed in your

program?

Please join us for a series of sessions designed to demystify the doctoral journey by making the

implicit expectations of graduate school explicit. Each session will provide you with the tools

and insights needed to decode a key aspect of academic life, helping you transition from

student to scholar with confidence. We want you to do your best work and be your best self.

Even if you feel like you’ve got this, come through and share your tips and tricks with your

fellow grad students. While the sessions are targeted towards first-year Ph.D. students, all

graduate students are welcome to participate.

The sessions will be on Thursdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM in ITE 229. RSVPs are appreciated

but not required.

Session 1 – 9/25/25: Decoding the PhD Roadmap: Your First-Year Survival Guide

Session 2 – 10/16/25: Decoding Your Network: Building Community and Finding

Support

Session 3 – 11/6/25: Decoding the Culture: The Unwritten Rules of Academia

Session 4 – 11/20/25: Decoding the Discourse: When Faculty Say X, They Really

Mean Y

Session 5 – 12/04/25: Decoding Your Research Niche: From Broad Ideas to a

Focused Question

Photo by Tim Alex on Unsplash