Welcome to the Graduate and Professional Blogs page!  We are pleased to offer you a chance to get some more information on some topics specific to graduate and professional students.  These are informal, sound bites on various psychology-related topics. We hope this section is useful in your journey towards flourishing at UCSD. Click on the Blog Topic of your choice!

Blog Topic

advisory relationship

completing your thesis or dissertation

promoting optimal functioning

social adjustment

stress management

time management

transitioning out of graduate school

 

The Advisory Relationship

Managing the Advisory Relationship – by Christina Castro, Ph.D.

Finding the right advisor and maintaining a positive relationship can be one of the most important aspects of your graduate education. Some graduate students believe that problems with your advisor can be fatal to your academic career. Research has demonstrated that the graduate student advisor can have a tremendous influence on the developmental outcome of the graduate student’s personal and professional goals. Additionally, it has been found that graduate students who had favorable mentors in graduate school had more publications, more conference papers, more first authored papers, and were more productive post graduation. Some graduate students “fall” into these very important relationships as a result of automatic assignments, similar research area, or, worst of all, not taking the time to find the best fit. Following are some suggestions to consider in choosing an advisor and subsequently maintaining a healthy relationship.

Choosing an advisor

• Generate a list of expectations for your advisory relationship.
• Review your needs and your preferred work style.
• Look for a good match in your work styles based on your needs in the relationship (e.g. hands on or hands off, bold critiques or nurturing and hand holding).
• Spend time getting to know the faculty and their work styles.
• Don’t be in a hurry to settle on an advisor.
• Hone in on a few candidates and do some research.
• How long have they been on faculty?
• What is the average time their graduate students take to complete their degrees?
• How do advisors feel about graduate students not working on research in their area?
• How do advisors deal with or perceive time off, vacation, time away from lab?
• Attend their research seminars and possibly one of their research meetings.
• Ask if they have TA or RA positions available or ongoing research to get involved with.
• Read some of their work and some of their students’ work.
• Audit some of their lectures or an entire class if possible.
• Talk to other graduate students and look for the preponderance of evidence in one direction or the other.
• And, any other implicit rules that the advisor has for graduate students. 
• If possible, find an advisor who is doing high quality research in your area of interest.
• Look for an advisor who will serve as a mentor and as a source of technical assistance.
• Look for good teaching and communication skills.
• Identify an advisor who actively markets their students.
• Introduces their graduate students to visiting speakers.
• Invites their graduate students to conferences and introduces them to colleagues.
• Willingness to include their graduate students on grants.
• Encourages their graduate students to write and submit papers.
• Remember, it is always possible to change, not ideal, but possible.

These suggestions may feel tedious and time consuming, however, graduate students who have had negative advisor-advisee relationships would agree that taking the time to choose the right advisor would have saved them countless headaches and immeasurable stress.
A structure that has been used in some departments is rotations that give each student a sample experience of working with the advisor.  This trial period was helpful with some students discovering they didn’t want to work with faculty whose work they had been attracted to because of the advisor’s style. This sample experience was more difficult to arrange although not impossible in the humanities and social sciences. Serving as a teaching assistant to a professor might provide some of the same results.

Once you have taken the time to find the right advisor for you, half the battle is over. Maintaining a positive relationship with your advisor is an ongoing process. While the relationship may require time you don’t think you have a positive relationship with your advisor can mean the difference between satisfaction and dissatisfaction with your program. Following are some tips for maintaining a positive relationship with your advisor.

Tips for a positive advisory relationship

• Discuss expectations at the outset.
• Identify goals for your academic career.
• State and re-state your needs.
• Take responsibility for the relationship.
• Attempt to resolve a problem before taking it to the next level.
• Maintain open communication.
• Follow up with a written recap of conversations including identified action items.
• Give each party the benefit of the doubt.
• Stay solution focused and don’t make it personal.
• Be aware of the power differential, but do not let it govern the relationship.

Not every graduate student will have a positive relationship with their advisor. Sometimes there is a need for change if the relationship is a poor fit. In the case of a poor fit or a problematic relationship, students can get formal or informal consultation from their department graduate coordinator, other faculty committee members, post doctoral fellows, and/or CAPS staff.

Overall, basic communication and assertiveness skills can be very helpful in managing the relationship with your advisor. Most graduate students never lose site of the power differential in which case the communication and assertiveness can be tempered depending on your comfort level. As stated earlier, however, the power differential does not have to govern the relationship. While this can be an extremely stressful and difficult relationship for some graduate students, most of the time, there is great potential in the advisory relationship.

Completing your Thesis or Dissertation

Getting the Monkey off Your Back—How to Finish Your Thesis or Dissertation on Time
by Julie Trim, Ph.D.

Throughout my graduate years, one of the toughest  challenges I’ve faced is sustaining enough motivation and energy to complete those formidable papers that go along with a postgraduate degree: the Masters’ Thesis and the Doctoral Dissertation. It’s something we’re supposed to do in our “free time”- on top of the courses, assistantships, and research projects that we are already working on. While we certainly have a lot of assignments to juggle, there are things we can do to stay on track and finish on time.

Choose a topic that really interests you.
Ideally, you will find a topic that you are passionate or excited about and is not simply something that your advisor asks you to look at. You will likely be working on your thesis or dissertation for over a year, so you want to have a lot of enthusiasm about your topic. Ask yourself, “Am I going to be totally sick of this idea a year from now?”

Pay attention to the environment or conditions that enhance your productivity.
One of my undergraduate professorstold me he did his best writing when he hadn’t showered in days.While this is not a strategy that Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) (!), it is important to discover whatkind of environment enhances your productivity. Consider thefollowing factors: Do you work better in loud, social places (e.g.,coffee shops) or do you need a quiet place of your own? Whattime of day are you the “sharpest”? Does caffeine help you ordoes it create too much unharnessed energy?

Be realistic about how much work you can do in one sitting, and plan accordingly. While it might be nice to get tenhours of writing done this Saturday, it may not be realistic. Makesure to budget “down time” in your schedule. Down timeincreases our productivity and our motivation. It helps keep yougoing if you know that you can watch Grey’s Anatomy in fifteenminutes.

Consult with your Chair regularly.
Having regular meetings with your Chair enhances your communication, and may reduce the possibility of having “surprises” down the road. If there is a problem with a section of your document, it’s better to have your Chair discover it before an important meeting like a defense. Checking in with your Chair can reduce your anxiety about the quality of your document.

Set the date!
Scheduling your meetings (e.g., proposaldefense, final defense) greatly increases motivation andproductivity. Once you have a date, you have something to worktowards and can set reasonable goals. Also, finding a time wheneveryone on your committee can meet is often a very difficulttask. The sooner you set a date, the better.

Take baby steps.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your Thesis or Dissertation (with capital letters), remember to work in chunks. Split up the work you need to do in steps, and set deadlines for each step. People often procrastinate when the task they are facing is too large. Break it up into smaller, more manageable tasks.

Find out what gets you in “the zone.”
Certain kinds of music get me pumped up and keep me going. You may feel motivated by a quote, pictures of friends or family, or even an invigorating smell. Discover what it takes to keep your positive energy flowing.

Reward yourself when you accomplish a step.
Whenever you set a goal and accomplish it, reward yourself. Acknowledge your successes, no matter how small. Take yourself out for ice cream, watch your favorite movie, or take a hot bath.

Keep your expectations realistic.
Many graduate students feel pressure to make their thesis or dissertation “the best thing they’ll ever write.” Keep in mind that for most people, their dissertation is the worst thing they wrote in graduate school. While it would be nice to write a ground-breaking, earth shattering dissertation, this may not be important. The point is to get it done and get your degree. You have years to fulfill your potential after you graduate.

Remind yourself of the reason you wanted to get your degree.
Ask yourself why you applied for your program in thefirst place. Aside from wanting the degree itself, your desire toattend graduate school is probably related to a meaningful goal(e.g., contributing to our understanding of American history, ormaking an important scientific discovery). Reminding yourself ofthis goal helps put things in perspective and shows you the lightat the end of the tunnel.

 

Get support.
While your family and friends may not be able to understand the process you are going through, everyone relates to stress. If your family and friends are not giving you the support you need, commiserate with your grad school friends about the stress of writing a thesis or dissertation. You’re in the same boat, so they can empathize and maybe even share some of their tips!

If you find yourself struggling with stress related to managing your time or other ongoing stressors, feel free to contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).  CAPS offers a variety of resources for graduate students. Individual, couples, and group counseling is available at no cost. Our groups and workshops address issues such as stress management, assertiveness, graduate student support, and social anxiety. I encourage you to review all the resources that are available for you at the CAPS website: http://caps.ucsd.edu.

Promoting Optimal Functioning

Positive psychology: Promoting optimal functioning - by Daniel Singley, Ph.D.

With the academic year placing many demands upon graduate students (TA’ing, coursework, research, mentoring undergrads, having a life, etc.), it is crucial to be mindful about keeping your own personal well-being at the top of the “to-do list.” Taking a little time each day to exercise, having a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and using a planner to effectively manage your time are all basic elements of a healthy lifestyle.

Another essential component to personal well-being is getting social support when you need it. Even the most introverted person among us needs some personal contact now again, and if you find yourself feeling isolated due to stress, why not give yourself some “social homework” to meet some new people or talk with friends or family? (Check out the activities listed elsewhere in this issue for ideas of places to go and things to do.)

Relaxation techniques are another excellent way to manage stress and anxiety. Simply sitting quietly, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breathing can help you to feel calmer, relaxed, and refreshed (but don’t try this while driving!). You may be saying to yourself, “Yeah, I know all that,” but the real question is: Are you being proactive about keeping yourself healthy and managing stress?

Utilizing the techniques listed above to manage stress is one example of positive psychology. Positive psychology places the focus on the whole person including problematic areas as well as strengths in order to gain a more holistic perspective on the individual’s functioning. It does not suggest ignoring the very real difficulties that many people face, but suggests balancing attention to psychological problems with a focus on nurturing well-being. Rather than merely “fixing problems,” it is the mission of positive psychology to assist people to reach their optimum level of functioning.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at UCSD is committed to promoting student wellness, continuous life-skills building, emotional intelligence, personal development, and the preservation of an environment conducive to growth and learning. There has been an unfortunate tendency to stigmatize those who seek out psychological or psychiatric help, but it is important to note that this perception is based on a largely out-of-date view that psychology is only focused on the remediation of deficits.

In fact, the staff at CAPS work from a community-oriented model that involves a focus on understanding everyone in her/his own context. Our focus on the whole person is integrated into all our endeavors on campus including consultation, outreach, research, assessment, psychotherapy, mentoring, advocacy, and continuing education. We aim to foster our clients’ current well-being by empowering them with psychological tools that will last a lifetime such as stress management techniques, increasing social fitness, time management, utilizing available resources, and fostering awareness of the individual’s personal strengths and growth edges.

Social Adjustment

Good Evening Facebook, How Was Your Day? - by Ali Esfandiari, M.A.

If you asked the average student if they were socially isolated, many would readily point to their 500+ friends on Facebook while answering the question with a resounding “No!”  Social isolation, however, is not about how many emails you receive each day, but of the quality of your interactions – are you discussing matters that are personally important?  Are you connecting on an emotional level?  Although the advent of the internet has made it easier for people to connect, research shows that Americans are far more socially isolated today than they were two decades ago. 

In 2006, Miller McPherson, a professor at University of Arizona, conducted research that surveyed 1,467 adults and discovered that one-fourth of respondents reported having nobody to confide in about “important matters.”  An additional one-fourth reported only having one person.  Of particular interest was how the rate has changed over the years – compared to the 1980s, people today are twice as likely to report having nobody to reliably confide in.  Further support for this trend can be found in the book “Bowling Alone,” by Harvard professor Robert Putnam.  According to research cited by Putmam, Americans go on 60 percent fewer picnics today and families eat dinner together 40 percent less often compared with samples surveyed in 1965.  Additionally, Americans are less likely to join or meet at clubs, or participate in group recreational activities (such as bowling). 

This increase in social isolation brings a greater risk for health problems, both mental and physical.  The magnitude of health risk associated with social isolation has been compared to that of smoking cigarettes.  One reason is that socially connected people are less prone to the effects of stress.   For example, John Cacioppo, a professor at the University of Chicago studied 135 college students and found that those who perceived themselves as lonely had higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that causes the body to store fat in the abdomen, a risk factor for heart disease.  While stress can be healthy and normal in short intervals, chronic stress can increase the risk of serious health problems.  Chronic stress has been demonstrated to influence the risk and course of heart disease, depression, and the functioning of the immune system.  Given the serious mental and physical consequences of social isolation, feeling emotionally connected to others should be a highly-prioritized goal.

The problem of social isolation is especially salient for graduate students, as the unique pressures faced by this population can create a high-stress environment that would benefit from a strong social support network. At the same time, the building of this network can be daunting given the sanctity of time.   So how to connect?   The most important step is to make it a priority.  Close friends aren’t going to appear on your doorstep while you are analyzing data for your thesis.   Joining campus organizations, participating in intramural sports, or even joining special-interest groups that meet in the community (Meetup.com is a great resource for such groups) can be a springboard in meeting new people.

Sometimes the investment of time alone may not be sufficient.  Self-protective behaviors can be self-defeating and prevent one from connecting with others.  For example, not having an adequate foundation of social skills may create situations that reinforce negative beliefs about others and your ability to connect.  If you are having special difficulty in making social connections, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers groups, workshops and individual services.  Specifically, our Building Social Confidence groups help build a foundation of social skills while providing a nonthreatening environment to practice and build upon these skills.

References:
Brummett B. H. et al. (2001). Characteristics of socially isolated patients with coronary artery disease who are at elevated risk for mortality. Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 267–272.
Cacioppo, J.T., & Hawkley, L.C. (2003). Social isolation and health, with an emphasis on underlying mechanisms. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 46, S39-S522.
Davis, James A., Tom W. Smith, and Peter V. Marsden. General Social Surveys, 1985.
McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L. and Brashears, M.E. (2006). “Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades.” American
Sociological Review. 71, 353-375.
Taylor S.E., Repetti R.L., Seeman T.E. (1997). "What is an Unhealthy Environment and How Does It Get Under the Skin?"  Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 411-47.

Stress Management

Stress Management Made Easy - by Nima Patel, Ph.D.

With the academic year in full swing, stress is a constant feeling surrounding us.  Unfortunately, stress is an everyday fact of life, which cannot be avoided, especially as graduate students. Therefore we need to adapt to stress. Stress is essential to life. The stress that we experience helps us to get work done and to accomplish our goals. It is important to note here that all stress is not bad stress. Stress is only bad when it interferes with functioning.

Sometimes it may be difficult to recognize stress. Common signs of stress include teeth grinding, fatigue, irritability, anger, depression, forgetfulness, sleep deprivation, and impulsive behaviors. Other signs include tight muscles, headaches, panic attacks, sensitivity, impaired concentration, poor problem solving, and interpersonal conflict.  Graduate students cannot afford to have these symptoms therefore stress management is extremely important. Since we all experience stress, resilience, the capacity to recover following a stress is vital.

In a recent study, Rosenbaum and Covino (2005) examined resilience and its implications. An interesting piece of the article focused on Dr. Charney’s research regarding resilience. Dr. Charney presented ten critical psychological elements and characteristics of resilience. These included: optimism, altruism, having a moral compass (set of beliefs) that cannot be altered, faith and spirituality, humor, having a role model, social support, facing fear, having a mission or purpose in life, and training to be resilient. 

In addition to these elements, and characteristics there are a couple of easy behavioral strategies that can help in managing stress that highlight many of these things. One such strategy is walking. Yes, walking can reduce stress. Walking is one of the best exercises for overall fitness and health. You can reap the same benefits from walking as you can from running, cycling or swimming.  Plus if you are interested in shedding a few pounds here is a way to do it and also reduce your level of stress. After all isn’t multitasking key to surviving graduate school? Walk 3 to 5 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes. Your walk should be brisk and arm swinging to get your heart pumping, and make sure you stand up straight. You can always make your stress relieving walk fun by inviting friends along, taking your dog, or listening to your iPod.  Remember that the behavioral change alone (i.e. starting to walk) is key.

The second easy strategy is the quick release of tension. This is accomplished in 5 easy steps: 1) exhale, 2) inhale slowly and hold for one second, 3) exhale slowly and sigh, 4) relax your hands and drop your shoulders, 5) relax your jaw and allow your mouth to open slightly. This is a quick stress management technique that can be done right before a thesis or dissertation defense, a big exam, or the first day of teaching.

Another useful exercise that is similar to the one above is rapid relaxation. This is a very quick method to help you achieve a state of relaxation. If you practice this enough you should be able to relax in about 3 minutes.  There are 3 steps to this: 1) take a deep breath and slowly exhale, 2) as you breathe out, imagine the tension and stress draining away with your exhaled breath, 3) repeat this twice more.

This next activity is for the visual and/or imaginative people out there. To achieve a
relaxed state, imagine something pleasant or relaxing. This can be a special place (the beach or forest), a sound (piano music or a relaxation CD), a smell (the smell of a lemon or flowers), or touching something (dangling your feet in water).

Making the most of sleep can also relieve stress. This doesn’t take any extra time out of your day because you already spend some time sleeping. Prepare for sleep by reading
a book, listening to music, drinking milk (it may be cheesy, but it works for some people), or watching something pleasant on television.  Some other basic strategies that may help decrease stress on a daily basis include goal setting, problem solving, prioritizing, being assertive, challenging negative thoughts, humor, having and utilizing a support system, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle (this is possible as a graduate student).

Remember not all of these strategies work for everyone but if you take some time to practice and/or relax you will find ways to cope with your stress. The alternative is to stay stressed, which is accomplished by not exercising, gaining weight, drinking too much caffeine, procrastinating, getting rid of your time management skills, throwing out your sense of humor, personalizing all criticism, and my personal favorite – becoming a workaholic.

You are not alone. If you are finding it difficult to manage your stress please contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The stress clinic at CAPS is comprised of a series of groups and workshops designed to help you reduce excessive worry and anxiety, decrease bodily symptoms of stress and tension, learn specific and practical coping strategies, promote inner peace and contentment, strengthen social skills and self-confidence, improve academic and work achievement, enhance physical well-being and athletic performance, increase body awareness and enhance daily functioning. Some groups begin throughout the quarter, while others start at the beginning of the quarter. All groups are free of charge for current UCSD students. For additional information, please visit our groups page.

Time Management

Taking Stock of Your Time: Time Management Strategies for Graduate Students -
by Christina Castro, Ph.D.

Why does it seem like we never have enough time? The ongoing worry about lack of time leads many graduate students to constantly feel stressed out. The more students think about how much time they don’t have, the more they can feel paralyzed and get even less accomplished. While it would be great to be granted an extra hour in our day, the reality is that if we are not focusing on managing our time well, the extra hour would not make a difference in our stress level. Most graduate students find that they don’t have enough time to do anything else but focus on their academic responsibilities. As a result, graduate students can lose sight of their other life priorities (e.g. family, friends, religion, physical health, and hobbies) and find their lives very unsatisfactory. The start of the school year is a good time to take inventory of your priorities and set realistic goals for what you would like to accomplish. Here are some helpful strategies for managing your time:

Take time out to plan
Planning is one of the best time management strategies and a great buffer for your stress. Sitting down to plan monthly, weekly, and daily allows you to have a good vision of what is coming down the pike and helps you to estimate the time needed for these tasks. Planning monthly allows you to get the big pieces in place. Planning weekly helps you get a snap shot of what you need to accomplish for the week and allows you to build in time for things like family phone calls, working out, and coffee with friends. Daily planning allows you to create a task list of what you need to accomplish for the day and prevents you from missing important events like advisor or group meetings.

Set realistic expectations
Most graduate students are high achievers and are eager to please. High achievers can have a tendency to expect perfection. Is perfection possible? Realistic? Necessary? In their eagerness, some graduate students might also give away their precious time at the expense of their own physical and mental health. Graduate students might sometimes feel resentful that they have taken on extra tasks or that they are giving up their personal time. It is important to take responsibility for our actions and identify what we can and cannot do. Asking for time to review your schedule before giving a response can buy you time to fully assess whether it is reasonable to accomplish this task or grant this favor.  Taking account of your priorities may point you to whether this extra task aligns with your top priorities or not. Saying “No” can feel very overwhelming, although, saying “Yes” can cost us more in the future. Lastly, be realistic about how much time a task requires and multiply it by 1.5. Do not plan to accomplish three lengthy tasks during a brief break between classes. Running late can be a big stress producer.

Use your time wisely
Now more than ever, we have more opportunities to waste time. Activities such as searching the internet, watching countless shows you recorded on your DVR, and finding friends on My Space
allow you to procrastinate to your heart’s content. So, plan your leisure time in advance and include some of those time wasters at periods when you are not expecting yourself to be productive. Down time activities should happen when you are not at your peak of energy and when you are not working on a deadline. Identify when you have the most energy in the day and dedicate that time to doing tedious tasks such as reading articles or textbooks and completing difficult assignments. During dedicated study periods, plan to study for 45-90 minute blocks followed by a brief five minute break. Attempting to study for several hours without breaks, can lead to longer breaks filled with time wasters.

Take time out for yourself and others
While you may feel your number one priority is to get your academic work done (at all costs), continuing to stay alive and healthy hopefully precludes this priority. Students who constantly push themselves sometimes end up with physical symptoms such as headaches, colds, flus, muscle tension, or even depression. Once these physical symptoms are exacerbated, students are forced to take time to recover. Proactively taking time out for yourself and others can buffer you from physical symptoms and ailments, loneliness, and lack of productivity. Proactive self-care activities can include healthy eating, getting plenty of rest, exercise, and social activities with friends. Taking time out for yourself and others is a way to reward yourself. Rewarding yourself for a job well done is a great way to reduce stress and build self-esteem.

If you find yourself struggling with stress related to managing your time or other ongoing stressors, feel free to contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). CAPS offers a variety of resources for graduate students. Individual, couples, and group counseling is available at no cost. Our groups and workshops address issues such as stress management, assertiveness, graduate student support, and social anxiety. I encourage you to review all the resources that are available for you at our website: http://caps.ucsd.edu.

Things which matter mostmust never be at the mercy of thingswhich matter least. – Johann Goethe

Transitioning Out of Graduate School

Looking Forward to Yesterday: Tips and Strategies for Smooth Transitions out of Graduate School - by Theo Burnes, Ph.D.

Summer is almost here, and the foggy rains give way to bright sunshine and the promise of warm afternoons. Many graduate students have been working hard to finish and complete their programs, they have successfully secured jobs as professors, as researchers, as teachers, and much more. Others have decided that graduate school is not the place for them and have decided to move on to another phase of their life. For many of us, the summer months bring change in different forms – and we’ve worked so hard to make the changes become a reality that we now are a bit paralyzed about what to do next. I got the job…now what the heck do I do? How do I make the transition a smooth one? How can I ensure that I start my new job in the best way possible? How do I deal with ending everything that I have to do here at UCSD? Here are some tips and strategies to make the transition a lot less stressful:

• Know what you can handle as you end your UCSD career.

For many of us, UCSD isa place that comes with many responsibilities,tasks, projects and professional expectations.It is also a place that we have made strongfriendships, have invested our time andenergy, and learned a lot about ourselvesand our chosen fields. As you concludeyour time here, knowing what tasks need tobe removed from your jurisdiction so thatyou can begin to focus on the next phaseof your life is an important part of makinga healthy transition. No one can carry a fullload of responsibilities until the very lastday that they work in a lab or as a teachingassistant, only to have no time to train othersto do their job. Begin to have conversationswith advisors, colleagues, employers andfellow students about what will need to betaken over at your job here. Having somespace in your schedule will allow you timeto think about the new responsibilities thatyou will soon acquire…and will help you tomake peace with your own departure (whichmay be harder for some than for others). If projects with which you have been involved aren’t complete, have realistic conversations with your superiors about the likelihood of them getting done during your tenure in your current position. Suggest that others take on those responsibilities. Graduate students are notorious for not being able to say “no” – maybe your departure is the perfect time to learn the valuable skill of setting boundaries.

• Be proactive about learning about the environment of your new place of employment.

Transition not only impliesthat you’re leaving a place that is familiar;it also includes coming into a new placethat is unfamiliar and may be scary. Forsome graduate students, the transition tothe job market after their master’s or Ph.D.program is the first time they have not beenin school. Such a transition can not onlybe a transition of location, but a transitionof identity as well. With such transitions,asking about the community that you’ll bejoining is necessary. If entering an academicposition, ask current professors in yourdepartment about ordering books (e.g.,“What books have been used before for thisclass that I’m teaching?”), ordering supplies,and completing necessary paperwork. If you’re doing research, find out who in the department has research teams and ask them for guidance. Are students given credit to do research? How do professors usually recruit/obtain students to work on their teams or in their labs in the department? For those entering a professional and/or research position, asking about specific characteristics of your new position will be important. What materials should you read before you start work? Your tenacity and work ethic will be seen as impressive by your new colleagues.

• Plan early.

Transitions are often stressful because many things are happening at once. The surefire way to combat such stress is to plan ahead. Graduation plans, moving plans, new job plans, old job plans, finishing a thesis or dissertation…it’s a lot! Plan early by making lists now and completing one or two tasks each week. Sometimes, just the act of making a long list is stress-reducing enough because you don’t need to remember everything if it’s written down somewhere. Hire moving vans now and cross them off your list. If you have family or friends coming to town for graduation, create a list of hotels to distribute (rather than allowing all your friends and family to stay with you or being the travel agent for all of your guests). Make sure you work out a start date with your new place of employment and review your contract with current employers to ensure that you’ll have enough time off to complete all of your transition-related tasks.  If you’re consolidating student loans, make sure all paperwork is taken care of soon as possible.

• Give yourself time and space to say good-bye.

Many times, leaving can be anticlimactic.We want there to be space andtime to say good-bye, and many people arebusy leaving for the summer, trying to finishprojects, or transitioning themselves. As aresult, it is important that we recognize ourown process of saying good-bye and takethe time we need in order to complete thatprocess. Transitioning is often like healinga loss – you must take time to accept it andmove on. Create space to say good-bye tothose in your life here at UCSD that youcare about – your mentors, neighbors andcolleagues. Going out to lunch with peopleand telling them you enjoyed spending timewith them is a small way of letting peopleknow that you’ll miss them. Pretending thata transition won’t affect you emotionally isa surefire way to feel full of remorse in latermonths. Create rituals for routines that areimportant to you; if you get a cup of coffeeat the Grove every morning, invite peopleto go with you and give voice to your “lastcup of coffee.” As cheesy as it may seem, itwill help to ease your transition. If transitionsare especially difficult for you (i.e. you’renot good with good-byes and you know it),let people know that you’re going through asomewhat rough time and that it has nothingto do with them. Also, remember to take careof yourself as you endure good-byes that arepainful – take walks, write letters, exercise,and get plenty of sleep.

Hopefully, the above will help youprepare for the next step in your life as youleave our community at UCSD. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) wishesyou a safe and smooth transition regardlessof where the next phase of your journeymay take you. If the coming months areparticularly stressful for you during yourtransition, don’t forget that you can call to make an appointment (858-534-3755). Best of luck!