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Jessica McCrory Calarco

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A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Skills for Scholars) Kindle Edition

by Jessica McCrory Calarco (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 161 ratings

Part of: Skills for Scholars (20 books)

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An essential handbook to the unwritten and often unspoken knowledge and skills you need to succeed in grad school

Some of the most important things you need to know in order to succeed in graduate school—like how to choose a good advisor, how to get funding for your work, and whether to celebrate or cry when a journal tells you to revise and resubmit an article—won’t be covered in any class. They are part of a hidden curriculum that you are just expected to know or somehow learn on your own—or else. In this comprehensive survival guide for grad school, Jessica McCrory Calarco walks you through the secret knowledge and skills that are essential for navigating every critical stage of the postgraduate experience, from deciding whether to go to grad school in the first place to finishing your degree and landing a job. An invaluable resource for every prospective and current grad student in any discipline, A Field Guide to Grad School will save you grief—and help you thrive—in school and beyond.

Provides invaluable advice about how to:

Choose and apply to a graduate program
Stay on track in your program
Publish and promote your work
Get the most out of conferences
Navigate the job market
Balance teaching, research, service, and life

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] much-needed practical contribution . . . a tremendous resource . . . [A Field Guide to Grad School] should be required reading not just for aspiring graduate students but for the faculty and administrators who shape the culture and structure of graduate education."---Becca Spindel Bassett, The Harvard Educational Review

"Extremely valuable. . . . Undergraduate students considering graduate school as well as current graduate students will find the information contained here helpful, making this a useful guide for college and university libraries. Highly recommended for anyone curious about what to expect in graduate school." ― Library Journal, starred review

Review

“Eye-opening and informative, this book will help graduate students who feel like they have been dropped in the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim.”―Anthony Abraham Jack, author of The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0859PDXVX
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (August 25, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 25, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 17578 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 465 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #554,139 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #65 in Graduate School
- #324 in Graduate School Guides
- #538 in Graduate Test Guides

Customer Reviews:
4.7 161 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

161 global ratings

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Sherman Dorn

An essential guide to graduate programs, probably more relevant to PhD programs and research-oriented masters

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021

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Let me start with the most important piece: I wish I had this book as a resource when I was a doctoral student — and when considering and applying to programs. In A Field Guide to Grad School, Calarco covers the ground on the vast majority of issues faced by students in doctoral and research-oriented masters programs.

One important limitation: Calarco is writing primarily about research-oriented programs in North America. If you are thinking about more professional-oriented masters programs, you can probably read this more selectively. And if you are considering or in a program elsewhere in the world, be aware that Calarco is describing (mostly) U.S. norms and conventions; much of what she says is applicable elsewhere, but not necessarily her description of institutional norms, so you may need some help in translating her advice to your context.

Having said that, I am recommending this book to all of my doctoral students.

6 people found this helpful

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Britni

Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2021

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Wish I had found this before I even applied to graduate school! But, alas, I didn't. I found it part way through my PhD when I realized that I didn't know all right questions to ask to get the mentoring I needed for building an academic career.
A bit of this book is a bit basic for me, but I'm older (for example, I know to save money at conferences by bringing my own food) but a lot of it was great! It really helped me stay focused on what I need to stay focused on and to let go of the rest.
I really think universities need to start taking notice of work like this and realizing they need to make the hidden curriculum not hidden, but until they do, this book is what most grad students need.

5 people found this helpful

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Florian

Lots of helpful information diluted by lots of filler and repetition

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023

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tldr; good book, especially for people less familiar with academia, but not without its flaws

There are many worthwhile pieces of advice in the book. For example, I really enjoyed the part on publishing research. In my personal taste, this valuable advice is, however, sometimes drowned by many small and less crucial pieces of information. This point is exacerbated by the author‘s tendency to repeat certain points over and over. I think it‘s great that the author speaks out for more diversity in academia. This ends up being repeated so often and taking so much space, though, that I often found myself waiting for the author to finally return to the topic she is advertising in the title of the book.

One person found this helpful

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Jocelyne Dolce

Excellent resource for FGLI and UR students

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022

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This book is an informative and helpful resource for anyone who is going to graduate school, especially if they don’t have prior knowledge of the process and all of the components that academics know but don’t necessarily verbalize. I will be buying this book for many students.

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2021

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This book is so useful if you're thinking about grad school! It has helped me tremendously!!!

One person found this helpful

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Olivia Hunt

Great Guide!

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2020

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A terrific handbook to help graduate students through the proposal and dissertation process, publication process, and job market.

3 people found this helpful

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mafe d.

A lot of great tips

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022

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If you are considering applying to any PhD programs, this book will be your best friend. The author offered a lot of tips that are very helpful. Would definitely recommend this!

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Alex Wambach

Read this before you apply to grad school

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020

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Good advice, wish I had this before I started

3 people found this helpful

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