I’d like to take some time to offer some helpful advice to our current 1st year M.Ed cohort from the perspective of a 2nd year.   1st years, by this time you’re almost halfway through with your first semester!  I know I speak for everyone when I say that things will get much easier after the first semester.  The following are just a couple of tips I learned from my 1st year, some of which I wish I had realized sooner.

Remember to MAKE time for yourself!

Make time for yourself at least once a week in order to help yourself get through the stressful demands of school and your assistantship.  Encourage yourself to find new hobbies, discover local getaways, and spend time with friends and family.  Work will ALWAYS be there!  You never know what other experiences you could be missing out on.   Remember, many opportunities will come your way, however recognize that it’s ok to say no. 

Invest in your professional development

The whole reason you’re in grad school is to become a student affairs professional.  A great way to promote your professional development is by being an active and involved member of HEA!  We provide several opportunities throughout the course of the year such as inviting guest speakers, holding seminars, and offer professional development funds.    

Attend conferences in your area(s) of interest.  Conferences offer valuable opportunities to connect with influential individuals in the field, and to advance your knowledge of best practices.  Try to be strategic about the conferences that you attend.  For example, if you choose to attend a local or regional conference your first year, consider attending a national conference your second year to maximize networking connections and knowledge of practices around the country.

Start early, stay organized

The first few weeks of the semester offer you a chance to get adjusted to the rigors of graduate school.  Depending on your undergraduate focus, graduate school may present you with a different set of academic challenges. 

Make a calendar and mark down all your assignment due dates.  I find this to be one of the easiest ways to start, and stay organized.  Be sure to set reminders into your calendar at least a week in advance of a due date to keep assignments fresh on your mind so they don’t sneak up on you.

By now you should have already written your first paper and had it critiqued for formatting APA errors.  Make the necessary corrections and then use this paper as a template for starting future APA styled assignments.  That way, you won’t need to worry about trying to figure out how the title, heading, and references should be styled.

Begin to create a word bank of “buzz words” that you can use in future assignments.  This can be extremely helpful during those late night writing sessions when you develop a case of writer’s block.  I usually add a couple words to my bank after co-authoring a group assignment.  Here are just a few popular words in my word bank:  enrich, advocate, support, foster, and perception.

That’s all for now!  I hope that you all find these tips helpful!