Graduate Professional Development:
Frequently Asked Questions

Explore the questions and answers below. If you would like to suggest a question and answer to be included here, contact the VPGE office.

• How can I decrease my stress?

  Of course, the answer to this question depends on the source of your stress. But, whatever the source, NEVER hesitate to seek help. Stanford has a superb resource through Vaden Health Center called Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). They offer extensive help on all psychological issues from the mundane to the profound. Some common reasons for stress and ways to help alleviate it, in addition to using CAPS, are:

  • Too much work to do, too little time to do it. This is a perennial problem for us all but many tools exist to help, most of which fall under the umbrella of "Time Managment." See VPGE's webpage on Personal and Career Development for more information.
  • Concern about future career plans. Some anxiety about future career plans is extremely common. Fortunately, there are many tools available to help with this, ranging from workshops and courses, to books and on-line booklets that guide you through the process. A full list can be found on VPGE's webpage: Personal and Career Development.
  • Interpersonal relationships at work (with peers). People are different and adjusting to those with a very different style from yours can be very challenging. Sometimes those differences are cultural and sometimes they're just "hard-wired." Regardless, there are many resources available to make it easier to work with almost any style and these can be found on VPGE's webpage on Relating to Others - Interpersonal Skills and - Working in Teams.
  • Interpersonal relationships at home. All relationships are challenging, including among family, friends, room-mates, partners, etc.. Many of the skills needed to manage these relationships are surprisingly similar to those in a work-setting. Have a look at VPGE's webpage on Interpersonal Development.

• How do I improve communication with my adviser?

  As with any relationship, a graduate student and his/her adviser need to have good communication between them. There are many tools available to Stanford graduate students to help accomplish that (faculty have their own sets of opportunities). Resources for graduate students include:

  • Occasional workshops on "Setting Expectations and Working Effectively with your Adivsor. This workshop addresses the graduate student-faculty advisor relationship. Through it, students learn negotiation and communication skills that help them work effectively with their advisor.
  • VPGE's website on "Relating to Others - Interpersonal Skills" which has a complete list of workshops, seminars, courses and outside reading on this subject.
  • Use of the "Advising Expectations" tool which helps students and their advisors have a conversation about what each party expects of the others. This is done in a way that is not threatening to either. Try it - it really helps!
  • Use of an annual mentoring meeting where the graduate student and adviser sit and discuss the student's progress to their degree. Again, there is an excellent tool to facilitate this conversation that walks both parties through topics ranging from the mundane (courses still needed to graduate) to the life-changing (career plans). This opens up crucial conversations and includes an opportunity for both parties to talk about their needs from each-other.

• What am I going to do when I finish my graduate degree at Stanford?

  Some anxiety about future career plans is extremely common. Fortunately, there are many tools available to help with this, ranging from workshops and courses, to books and on-line booklets that guide you through the process. A full list, including links to Stanford's career centers, can be found on VPGE's webpage: Personal and Career Development.

• I'm giving a talk on my work at an upcoming event and I want it to be great. What do I need to do to prepare and deliver a talk I'll be proud of?

  Delivering an effective oral presentation can require a great many skills ranging from simple voice projection to the design of a clear PowerPoint presentation. Have a look at the many resources to help with this on VPGE's Communication webpage. Check out the Center for Teaching and Learning's Oral Communication Program, the School of Engineering's Technical Communication Program, and the English for Foreign Students Program.

• I'm writing my first research paper for publication and am not sure where to begin?

  Although their are many common aspects to good writing, research papers present a special challenge because of "unwritten rules" and conventions in every field. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you with this task and these can be found at VPGE's wegpage on Communication.

• I'm finding the dynamic of my group/colleagues challenging. What can I do to get more comfortable working with different behavioral styles at work?

  People are different and adjusting to those with a very different style from yours can be very challenging. Sometimes those differences are cultural and sometimes they're just "hard-wired." Regardless, there are many resources available to make it easier to work with almost any style and these can be found on VPGE's webpage on Relating to Others - Interpersonal Skills and - Working in Teams.

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