Useful graduate school resources

1. Graduate advisor

  • “How to pick a graduate advisor”, Ben A. Barres, Neuron, 2013
    • Pick an advisor who is a good scientist
      • Asks important questions and makes mechanistic or conceptual steps forward in answering them.
      • Publishes research papers in good to top journals.
      • Number of papers is also important.
      • Therefore, try to get access information on H-index, CV, NIH grant basis, advice from senior faculty.
    • Pick an advisor who is a good mentor
      • Help students to formulate a good and tractable question.
      • Guide a student to formulate good experiments to address this question while encouraging student to be increasingly independent over time.
      • Therefore, try to talk with current/previous trainees, determine the percentage of postdocs vs. graduate vs. undergraduate students, ask if the students are generally happy.
      • With a good mentor, going to lab everyday should feel almost like being in summer camp!

2. University resources (UT Austin links below, but any institution should have similar systems)

  1. Insurance benefits
  2. Travel management
  3. Outpost
  4. Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC)
  5. Writing center
  6. Statistical consulting
  7. Recreational sports TeXercise

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