Juggling graduate school, work and family life: 8tips & reflections
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela.
About six months ago, I made a promise to myself to write on Medium every day. This challenge was my way of preparing for my dissertation writing. Now that I’ve reached the six-month mark — well seven, I realize it has been like a writing sport. It allowed me to write for the sake of writing, so the challenge of dissertation thesis writing wouldn’t be too shocking when the time came. That time has now come, and submitting my dissertation package has become an all-consuming activity. While writing on Medium and writing for academic purposes are different, both practices have helped me improve my writing and develop my varied writing voices, lessening the anxiety and stress that has come with pursuing a graduate degree.
This week there has been a high sense of anticipatory release knowing that the last, nearly five years have not been easy. Now that I am on the verge of graduating and defending my thesis, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some guidance to anyone hoping to complete a doctoral or master’s degree on the things I wish I knew before I started graduate school.
