Higher Education News

Inspiring grad: Anjali Pinto

When Anjali Pinto began her master’s degree in nursing at UIC in 2022, she already had one career under her belt. Pinto had worked for years as a photojournalist, and her photography appeared in…

I had three children during my PhD: here’s what I learnt

“The academic path is often framed as a strict sequence: first establish your career, then consider starting a family (or, as some scientist parents might say, making a ‘tenure baby’). But life doesn’t always…

Stretching the dollar: creative ways to budget in grad school

“Graduate school is often a full-time investment. Many students find themselves pressed for time, juggling academic pursuits with financial constraints. While some manage to secure employment or funding, the struggle to make ends…

How to Prepare for Job Interviews Outside Academe

https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-prepare-for-job-interviews-outside-academeEditor’s Note: Previously in this Career Talk series, our experts on doctoral-career counseling have offered advice on building a CV, designing a résumé, writing cover letters, getting the most of out job fairs, and other topics. “While faculty job…

A scientific picture is worth 1 kiloword

“Years ago, I was offered what I thought was an amazing opportunity. A scientific journal was about to publish my paper (well, a paper on which I was, like, 17th author), and the…

How to Get an Academic Job

“The end of the graduate-school gauntlet is in sight. You’ve completed your coursework, passed your comprehensive exams, gotten your dissertation proposal approved, and already written several chapters. But now comes one more hurdle,…

Trust Me: It’s Transferable

“Graduate students often become immersed in a specialized way of thinking. A focus on honing expertise within a particular discipline is a fundamental aspect of graduate education, enabling graduate students to develop a…

Collaboration Over Control

“[A]s dissertation chairs, we have a lot of power over the futures of our students. Yet I continue to hear countless stories from current students and recent doctoral degree recipients about their experiences…

How immersion in a different culture made me a better researcher

“‘What have I gotten myself into?’ I wondered as I sat through a lengthy research symposium conducted entirely in Polish, unable to even read the x- and y-axis labels on the plots. I…

Translating Teaching Into Transferable Skills

“When you were a kid and they asked you what you want to be when you grow up, did you say you wanted to be a teacher? One of us, Jovana, did, and…

What to Actually Look for in a Mentor

“I have been mentoring students and postdocs in biomedical engineering and medical imaging for 25 years. My friends, some with even longer track records, have mentored aspiring writers, musicians, physicians and neuroscientists. You…

How to Get the Most Out of a Job Fair as a Ph.D.

“Talk with people and make connections. Don’t go in telling yourself that you need to come out with a job interview lined up. Even if you speak at length with a recruiter about…

Fighting the Mental-Health Crisis Narrative

“Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. Even before the pandemic, college counseling centers described being overwhelmed, not nearly able to meet students’ need for help handling mental-health challenges. Amid rising overall rates of anxiety and depression,…

In Search of Lost Time

“Where did the summer go? Time that expands endlessly in moments of boredom or obligation compresses inexplicably when we are given full autonomy over how to spend it. I know, although I hardly…

Rethinking Professional Development for Grad Students

[…] “When I began my career in higher education, the focus was almost entirely on preparing students for academic careers. But times have changed. Today, an increasing number of graduate students are exploring…