The purpose of this page is to provide some commonly needed resources for people at all career stages – those in their first semester of college and those many years post degree. I’ll address a few common issues in academic science and provide links to readings/resources pages. I cover issues that I don’t see discussed as often as the more general advice. For issues like job searching, writing, or research related questions, I’ve linked to a few really good, comprehensive resource pages at the bottom. If you think of items to add to this list, please email me.
First-generation students
I am a first-generation college grad in my family. My parents both graduated high school and did all they could to support my education growing up, but weren’t much help when it came to understanding the new world of college. I remember how overwhelming and different it all felt – my high school didn’t have AP classes to help me understand college-level work. I certainly had no idea or aspirations that academic science was a career option. First-gen students face a variety of unique road blocks that traditional colleges are coming around to better address. There are real, unspoken rules in academia that are difficult to interpret without a guide. For many academics, that guide may be their own family; professors have parents who are professors at 5x the rate of the general public (in the life sciences, that jumps to 20x!). You aren’t imaging a cultural divide – its real and finding someone to help you navigate it is important. Unfortunately, I can’t find any KU specific first-gen websites, but please email me if you’d like to grab a cup of coffee to chat about the challenges of being first-gen.
Think of first-generation students as pioneers, not problems (Chronicle of Higher Ed)
Proactive advising of first-generation college students (The Mentor)
Helping First-Generation Students Master the Hidden Curriculum (Chronicle of Higher Ed)
My Top 10 ways for how faculty can support #FirstGen College students
An excellent video from Jill Ekar at U Minnesota on her experience being the first in her family to navigate academia at the undergraduate and graduate level. She covers imposter syndrome, how grad students get paid, and the mindset of undergrads from working class families.
Imposter Syndrome
As a first-generation college graduate (the first in my family to graduate beyond high school), I know very well how imposter syndrome can affect whether you feel like you belong in science or whether you continue along a science career path. Know you are not alone in these feelings – we all have times wherein we don’t know what we’re doing. Because of that, it’s important to find mentors (plural) – people who can help you understand the culture and norms of a lab, department, or school. If you feel like a fraud, don’t chastise yourself, but try to develop an awareness of the sense and ask yourself why you feel this way. You can feel less like a fraud by acknowledging and owning your accomplishments. You are also likely making important contributions to a group – if you aren’t clear on what those are, be sure to ask your supervisors. It can be daunting to have these conversations, but they are important.
Faking It (in Nature Jobs)
Imposter Syndrome is Definitely a Thing (Chronicle of Higher Education)
How to overcome Imposter Syndrome (Chronicle of Higher Education)
A compilation of advice from Auriel Fournier
Mental and Physical Health
Being in a new environment for the first time – be it going to college or starting a grad program in an unfamiliar place – can be enormously stressful. Increasingly, universities and academics recognize the need to emphasize mental and physical well-being, including KU. I’ll list some KU specific sites below, as well as some general readings on mental health in graduate school. Before linking to resources, I’ll mention a short list of things that I consider important to creating a healthy work-life balance. Note, this is what works for me, so your mileage may vary, but I list these things so that students can see what I do and know that I would find it totally acceptable for them to prioritize the same activities.
I get at least 8 hours of sleep. Period. This is completely non-negotiable for me – except perhaps on the occasional early morning start to get to a field site. I try to work out 30 min a day with either a walk (around at lunch or after work or around campus between meetings) or take a class, if my schedule permits. I try very hard not to check or send email in the evenings – I don’t want to set the expectation that my students should be working in “off” hours. Academic time is extremely flexible, which is a double-edged sword. We can work when we want, but it means that you can start to feel guilty for not constantly working. I keep fairly normal 9-5 hours because of my kids’ daycare. There are occasions where I break this rule – but I try to adhere to it 90% of the time. Keeping work in strict time boundaries helps me maintain balance. My evenings are mostly for time with my kids, volunteering, and hobbies. Finding social connections-groups to volunteer with or that share similar interests- is also a critical part of feeling grounded, in my opinion. Prioritizing all of these things – sleep, exercise, family time, volunteering and social connections – make me a better, more productive scientist in the long run.
CAPS provides very affordable counseling at KU
CAPS also maintains a great resources page (covers culture shock, dealing with difficult situations, depression, homesickness, mindfulness, stress, and many other topics)
Watkins Health Center also has a great resources page to cover a variety of health issues
Lawrence has some great trails and parks; time outside always helps me feel better.
Other great resource pages:
Why reinvent the wheel? These are people I respect tremendously and have benefited from their advice pages over my career. I encourage you to pour a cup of coffee or tea and spend a few hours reading.
Meghan Duffy (focused on undergrads in the lab in this link)
Ph.D. Comics (seriously taught me more about academic culture than many sources)
Great blogs I like:
burginlab 