Thanks so much for all the introductions! It looks like we have a wide variety of research interests and are from areas all over the South. Many of you have asked for specific tips that would be helpful as you continue through your coursework. Please use this post to share your comments that could help your peers.
My advice is simply to keep EVERYTHING! Adopt a method of organizing your notebooks from each course that you take, including all of your notes. This comes in very handy when you begin to prepare for your comprehensive exams and even during your dissertation process. I clearly labeled each notebook, tabbed the topics, and had a tab specifically for MIO–”Most Important Info.” The MIO section of each of my notebooks turned out to be a wonderful thing during my comp exams. Best of luck to all of you! Amy
I believe that being a research assistant during doctoral education is probably the best learning experience. One can learn so much more by DOING rather than just reading about research. By the time you get to doing your own research with your dissertation you already have experience and confidence to actually conduct the research. what do the rest of you think?