Archive for June, 2011
Connecting with other grad students can make the whole grad student experience much easier. One easy way to do this is through online forums. Using these forums you can connect with grad students from all around the world to talk about whatever is on your mind and theirs. Here are 10 helpful forums for connecting with other grad students and some reasons why you might want to do just that.
Learn About Degree Programs
If you haven’t actually become a grad student yet then you can use these forums to ask about any degree programs that you might be considering. Or you can just ask about grad school in general. Whatever questions you might have about getting into grad school or about succeeding while you are there can be answered within these forums.
Ask For Advice
You can use these forums to ask for advice about anything. You may have a specific predicament that is weighing on your experience as a grad student and you may want opinions from people who understand where you are at. These forums are ideal for this. You can get opinions before you decide to do anything that might ruffle any feathers at the place where you are attending grad school.
Share The Experience
Sometimes it helps to just share the experience of being a grad student. Knowing that there are others who understand your plight can make it that much more bearable. You can realize that so many of the difficulties that you are facing are just the norm for grad student life which can make you feel like you are doing just fine, considering the circumstances.
Rant And Rave
Sometimes you just have to let off some steam and you don’t always want to do this in your chosen grad program where everyone else is likely to hear about it. You can anonymously head to these forums and say everything that you want to say just so that you don’t say it to the wrong person in real life. Being able to express your frustration openly will make you feel better.
Learn About Getting A Job Once You Graduate
You aren’t going to be a grad student forever so you can use these forums to learn about how to get a job when you graduate. You can start making contacts and laying the groundwork for a future position long before you graduate so it is good to know how other grad students are doing the same thing. You might as well take this opportunity to learn how to turn all your struggles into a rewarding career now.
10 Helpful Forums For Meeting Other Grad Students
1. Chronicle Grad-School Life Forums
2. Grad School Forum
3. BellaOnline Graduate School Forum
4. The GradCafe Forums
5. Graduate Union Forum
6. College Confidential Graduate School Forum
7. Graduate Studies Forum
8. PhinisheD
9. Prospects Graduate Forum Index
10. Graduate Admissions Forum
Meeting other grad students online is easy with these forums and there are many reasons to do this. You can get a lot of support from other grad students just like you with these forums. And you don’t need to worry about them sharing anything private with anyone you know because odds are they aren’t in the same degree program as you.
Tom Rheinecker enjoys blogging about ways people can pursue an online master degree.
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