Paul Kei Matsuda
http://matsuda.jslw.org/

Advice for New Ph.D. Students

An annonymous reader asks: "Do you have any (general) advice for incoming Comp/Rhet PhD students? I want to read this post!"

Here are a few things I can think of:

1. Read a lot. I've said this many times, and I'll say it again. Being a graduate student--no matter how you may feel at the moment--is a luxury. You may not have a whole lot of money, but you have plenty of time. (Relatively speaking, of course.) If you think you are already too busy as a doctoral student, wait until you get a tenure-track position. (But then again, you may not get to that point if you don't read a lot now.)

2. Start developing your own professional library. Your investment will start paying off as soon as you begin to write your first seminar paper. You will probably notice the benefits most strongly when you take the preliminary/comprehensive exam, but it will also continue to be helpful throughout your career. When I was a grad student, my professional library included all the books on my primary field of interest (i.e., second language writing) as well as most of those books that I found remotely interesting or those that were cited or mentioned frequently. Reference books (e.g., encyclopedia, bibliographies, MLA and APA manuals) would also help. Start early because you won't have the time (or money) to buy all the books you need when you get your first tenure-track position (if you get to that point, that is).

3. Have a "room of one's own." Create a space where you can focus on your projects. Even if you live in a small apartment, try to devote a desk to your professional work. Set it up so you have all the resources--including books, articles, a computer, a printer, notepads, pens, sticky notes, etc.--available at your fingertip. Stock up on office supplies so you don't have to put your writing on hold when you run out of notepads. A moment of interruption could kill the momentum!

4. Develop a network of people who share similar interests or concerns. Starting a reading group is one way of accomplishing this. Creating or joining an email discussion list is another. Going to a conference regularly is yet another.

5. Get to know the faculty members in your program. Taking classes is not the only way of getting to know them. When they are giving presentations locally or at conferences, go to their sessions and ask questions (but try not to monopolize them). Take them out for a cup of coffee or a glass of beer or wine or whatever they fancy--within your graduate student budget. Find out what they find interesting (and what they find boring), what they know (and don't know), what kind of methodological approaches they like (or dislike), and how they interact with you, with other students, and with other faculty members. Knowing the faculty members and the interpersonal dynamics among them would be especially important when you choose your dissertation/exam chair and committee members. (And when you choose your dissertation committee members, always consult your chair.) Keep in mind that your default advisor (if there is one) doesn't have to be your dissertation chair.

6. Be open to a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches in your field. Although sometimes it's important to trust your gut feelings and follow your intuition, you don't always fall in love with the right topic or methodology at first. Try to develop a large repertoire before deciding on your dissertation topic.

7. Have fun. If you feel like you are sacrificing something else when you read and write in your field, entering a Ph.D. program may not be the right career decision. If you have that much discipline to complete the degree requirements without really enjoying the process, you might consider choosing from many other career options out there that don't require a Ph.D. and that you might actually enjoy.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you all!

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks :)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 5:48:00 AM  
Blogger Susan said...

This is great advice, Paul! I especially liked your suggestion to get to know the faculty in the program. By doing so when I was a grad student, I discovered that several of my faculty mentors participated in a regular writing group, sharing their writing with each other and getting feedback on the ideas they were working on for publication. Several of my grad school friends and I decided to try the same thing, and it was one of the best experiences of my graduate school career. I highly recommend a writing group--it gives momentum and accountability not only in getting the necessary writing done for classes, but also for working on a dissertation and polishing things before sending them out for publication.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 5:52:00 PM  
Blogger mary said...

Dear professor Matsuda:

Thank you very much for this advice. I am about to start as a grad student and I find what you said very valuable to me.
I wish you the best when you start teaching at ASU this year.
Rui

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:13:00 PM  
Anonymous satchy said...

Thank you so much for your insightful suggestions. I'm very much inspired by your advice, especially #7 "have fun." I am not confident about my potentials as a researcher, and am always worried about whether I'm on the right track. But I can say that I am dedicated to what I am trying to do--research into L2 writing--, and am definitely enjoying the process of reading and writing in the field. Your advice encouraged me to pursue what I believe is valuable. Thanks so much!

Friday, August 03, 2007 6:48:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Paul,

I totally agree with you. As a grad student for 2 years, what I treasure most is not only how much I learnt from the program and various scholars. Instead, I can interact and mingle with a lot of people both in the same field or in other fields. The dialogue that we were engaged is more than fruitful. Studying a PhD is not lonely and it depends on how you look at it. Oppositely, I really enjoy the every moment. Some of my colleagues just want to rush through it and finish the study as soon as possible. To me, they are suffering. Then, why study a PhD? I agree with you that enjoyment and a sense of achievement are both the incentives to drive us ahead. Thanks very much for your tips.

Cheers

Ricky

Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:39:00 PM  

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