Good Science for Social Good

Data Science for Social Good paired data scientists with 16 UW graduate and undergraduate students to work on projects to reduce homelessness, foster community well-being and map better sidewalk routes for people with mobility challenges.

Getting Started With Your Graduate Education

On behalf of Core Programs in the Graduate School, welcome to all our new and returning graduate and professional students! We are thrilled you are at the University of Washington, where you will have a new year of opportunities to strengthen and grow your intellectual and professional skills. This fall, we encourage you to tap into resources that can help you thrive as you navigate graduate student life.

Here are just a few ways to get you started:

Find your ground. Graduate school is about navigating a complex set of academic, professional and social experiences. Whether you are new or returning to campus, this can sometimes feel overwhelming and unwelcoming—especially if you belong to an underrepresented community based on race, gender, sexuality, class, ability or citizenship. One way to counteract this imposter feeling is to say to yourself, “I do belong here.” You are in graduate school to enhance or find your career path, give back to your families and communities, or make important contributions to research and innovation. For even more tips and strategies on how to counteract feelings that you don’t belong, check out these resources: here and here.

Get to know department staff. From organizing orientations, providing a supportive ear to students, or ensuring that you fulfill your degree requirements, Graduate Program Advisors (GPAs) are often your first point of contact into graduate school. They also provide important administrative support for graduate programs. Feel free to reach out to your GPA, as they have a wealth of experience and knowledge of your campus. If they don’t know the answer, they can often connect you with campus resources that serve the needs of graduate students.

Attend department events. Whether they are faculty or peer presentations, departmental meetings, working committees, or peer pub nights, there are numerous opportunities to connect with peers, staff, and faculty throughout the year. These co-curricular spaces provide an opportunity for you to glean information such as how to develop strong presentations, pick up disciplinary lingo (don’t worry if you don’t know all the terms yet), learn the spoken and unspoken culture of your graduate program, and foster collegial relationships with faculty and peers. Remember to pace yourself—you need not attend everything as you are already busy. We know from experienced graduate students that it’s best to attend events that make sense to you and your schedule.

Prepare for graduate seminars. It’s totally natural to feel excited and anxious about attending your first graduate seminar—especially if you don’t know what to expect or are the first person in your family to attend graduate school. Fortunately, Dr. Ralina Joseph, associate professor of communication at UW Seattle, provides useful tips on how to succeed in a graduate seminar.

Find your community. The University of Washington is a big place, with three campuses and multiple off-site research locations. We know that a feeling of belonging on campus is critical to your success as graduate students. It makes a difference to find and connect with people that can support your whole self—and not just your role as a graduate or professional student.

Best Wishes On a New Academic Year,

Kelly Edwards, Jaye Sablan, Ziyan Bai
Core Programs Staff, The Graduate School

Stand Up!

We’ve all heard about the dangers of sitting for too long. Are there quiet places on campus to study on a laptop while standing up that are comfortable for someone over five-foot-six-inches tall? Although super cool, the counter height tables in the Research Commons are too low.

—The Standing Grad Student

What a great question! Yes, indeed, sitting is verboten now. It was hard to get a definitive list of standing opportunities on campus, but here are a few options to get you started: As you mentioned, the counters in the Research Commons. They have outlets and space for your laptop, but are low for taller students. Could you just stack some big, heavy books and make yourself a stand? The Odegaard Library also has counters, with the same pros and cons as before. The H-Bar coffee shop in the Physics Astronomy Building has tall tables and counters, but is not exactly a formal studying space. The Suzzallo Lobby and Allen North both have desktop computers on counters, so if you can work on a UW computer, that might be an option. We’ll post this question on the Graduate School Facebook group page and solicit suggestions.

And don’t despair, some sitting is not bad; and sometimes sitting feels so good. If you don’t have a standing desk, just stand up at regular intervals. This alternative position also definitely looks doable. Good luck!

Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →

Student Parents

I’m a single parent. Are there any resources available to me? —Anonymous

First of all, congratulations! Kids are awesome. The Student Parent Resource Center provides resource and financial support, in the form of childcare assistance. You can also connect with other student parents. The center is located on the Seattle campus in Schmitz Hall. For Tacoma student parents, the UW Tacoma Childcare Assistance Program helps with childcare costs. (Unfortunately, Bothell currently doesn’t have any funds for childcare assistance.)

TA/RA Positions

Where may I look for available TA/RA positions for next quarter? Also, does working in a UW Library give any benefit as the ones received through TA/RA: Tuition waiver or graduate insurance? —Anonymous

Teaching assistants, research assistants and graduate staff assistants are hired directly by departments. If you are interested in a TA/RA/GSA position, contact the department in which you are interested directly for more information. Keep in mind that you can look for positions outside of your home department. Though most departments hire through their own student populations, other departments—particularly those that don’t have graduate students or administrative units that hire graduate staff assistants—will recruit widely for positions from relevant degree programs across campus. Every department runs its own hiring process and can let you know what it requires to be considered for such positions. Check the UW Employment site for TA/RA/GSA positions (category: Academic Student Employee).

The Graduate Funding Information Service is another resource and runs a blog for both UW and outside funding.

As for library positions, Erik Dahl, employment and payroll services manager of UW Libraries, says: “We generally have one or two salaried positions that are in academic student employee positions covered by the UAW contract and, thus, eligible for the tuition waiver or graduate insurance. Most of our student employee positions, however, are hourly positions that do not offer formal benefits beyond wages. Working in the libraries does offer the opportunity to learn more about our resources, programs, and services, which can be beneficial to employees’ academic work. Library positions also allow students to gain skills and work experience that, depending on career goals, may be directly related to their field or generally transferable. And of course (like any on-campus job) library positions are conveniently located and may offer tax benefits relative to off-campus work. Like other on-campus jobs, library positions usually find students working with staff and supervisors who are highly supportive and flexible when it comes to balancing work with their academic schedules and other demands.”

Good luck!

Death and Taxes

Filing taxes seems more complicated than it should be, and there seems to be no help from the university, despite the fact that many graduate students have very similar tax situations. What’s the best way to file to maximize our return (where do we put student fees and union dues and all of the other things that we can claim to reduce our tax liability)? Are there good tax help resources available? —Anonymous

Why are taxes so complicated? Albert Einstein once said, “The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” Anyway, yes, the UW does provide tax help! Student Fiscal Services is holding general student tax workshops Thursdays, April 2 and 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m. They are also holding a workshop specifically for graduate/professional students on Wednesday, April 8, 2:30-3:30 p.m. and one for international students on Tuesday, April 7, 1:30-2:20 p.m. All workshops are held at UW Seattle, Odegaard 220. If you can’t make a workshop in person, you can download their presentation. Also, the Seattle Public Library offers one-on-one tax help at various branches. United Way offers help at a few additional sites. (You must have made less than $60,000 in 2014 to be eligible for their free help. Probably not a problem for grad students?) Good luck!

“Taxation with representation ain’t so hot either.” —Gerald Barzan, humorist

Talk All Day

Where can I find a place which requires me to speak English all day long? I’m a foreign student, and I want to practice my English speaking. —Jinchang

Hello! Welcome to Seattle and UW! An organization that immediately comes to mind is the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS). They host a monthly lunch, weekly Conversation Groups, fun outings, volunteer opportunities and more. Please do check them out.

Another UW program is the Language Exchange Program, where you are matched with a native English speaker for conversation practice. The Seattle Public Library also holds Talk Time, an ESL conversation group, at several locations.

There are also several UW-programs meant as an intensive orientation to incoming students, but if you really think you would benefit from a short-term immersion, you should check out the following: Campus Intensive English Program, Downtown Intensive English Program, Advanced Conversation Course, Advanced Academic Preparation Skills.

In addition, there are many informal ways you can practice your English. You could join Toastmasters or join a MeetUp, or you could take up a volunteer opportunity on your own. If you need help locating a position, you can start with VolunteerMatch or United Way or this nice round-up of Seattle opportunities. Here’s some additional information about volunteering as a way to enrich your own language experience.

The Graduate School understands international students face unique challenges and also offer myriad contributions to our campus. If you’re interested, please see our International Students Report 2014, detailing international admissions and enrollment trends and how to best serve the needs of international students and the larger UW graduate community.

*Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →

Cheap Food

Is there any cafeteria in the university that serves food at a subsidized rate? Each meal at the HUB costs around $10/meal, and it just gets a little difficult to afford that on a daily basis. —Anonymous

Unfortunately, there aren’t any subsidies just for graduate students. Residence Halls offer a dining account that includes incentives (3-6% of your dining account level), but they aren’t available to those who don’t live in UW housing. Here’s a list of lunches on the Ave for $5. Be sure to read the comments for more suggestions. And, not to state the obvious, but you could always bring your own food. Lifehacker has ideas for upgrading the typical brown bag so you don’t get tired of them. Good luck!

Parking Woes

I went online trying to purchase a parking permit, and they were all sold out except for evening passes. Any other alternatives that are close to campus and don’t require me to leave class every 90 min to pay a meter? —Anonymous

It sounds like your best bet is to go with self-serve parking. Some options are 1) the E1 lot, north of the IMA off of Montlake, which is $2 if you carpool with someone else and have a U-PASS or $6 if you drive by yourself; 2) purchasing a daily permit each day at one of the gatehouses which is $15/day ($3/day for carpools with U-PASS); 3) using a self-serve pay machine, which, depending on the lot, costs $3/hour with a maximum of $15/day or $3/day. Other options to consider are to find a ride-share, commute by bus, or drive most of the way to a nearby park-and-ride and then catch a short bus ride to campus.

If you have any questions, Transportation Services can go through all your options more thoroughly with you. They even offer a Commute Concierge service that will tailor a commute to your individual needs. Good luck!

It’s the Home Stretch!

It’s nearing the end of the fall quarter, and we’re thrilled that you continue to invest in your intellectual and professional development as current graduate students at the University of Washington.

You may have had these thoughts rolling through your mind about graduate school:

“Why did I do this to myself?”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m supposed to be on top of everything.”
“Will I seriously get through everything I need to before the end of the quarter?

These worries are totally normal, especially during your first year of graduate study. We also know that these anxieties impact graduate students differently depending on gender, race, class, ability, sexuality, nationality, and type of degree program. And they weigh heavy on your mind, in addition to the seminar papers you have to write, student papers that need grading, or lab work that needs to get done. You might even be studying for your generals, looking for a job, planning a family holiday, or dissertating.

Especially during these crunch times, it can help to remember your purpose—why are you here? Your core purpose, the contribution you want to make, the stability you want to provide your family, your passion and curiosity—these are the things that will get you through the tough times. You do belong here, and you can do it. You are in graduate school because you are already serving your community and want to deepen this, or because of a passion for creating innovative technologies, a desire to contribute to scholarship, a hope of getting a good job that matters and sustains you—the list goes on and on.

In addition to remembering your purpose and passion, here are some other tips to help encourage you as you finish out the quarter:

Surround yourself with people who can pull you out of a slump. Friends or peers (in and outside of academia) who can give you a reality check that graduate school is not the entirety of your life, even if it feels that way. Plan a potluck with them, hang out at a cafe, go see a movie.

Exercise. Even a short brisk walk helps calm the mind and gets the blood flowing. It also releases stress hormones that tend to build up during this busy time of the academic year.

Make a quick list of all your accomplishments so far. Attended first day of graduate school (check), taught your first quiz section as a TA (check), developing a specific skillset (check), others? Celebrate these accomplishments and reward yourself (time away from the computer, a date with a friend, a chocolate bar. etc.).

Create situations that help you feel motivated. Is there a quote you love? Tape it to your computer. A band whose music makes you feel like you can do anything? Listen to it before (or after) a big work session. An image of a place that inspires you to get things done? Put this up where you will see it several times a day (maybe by the coffee pot?).

What else keeps you going? Let us know and we will share your tips with others.

Core Programs in the Graduate School is here to root you on! You have made it this far (a big feat), and we commend you for working hard. Give it your best shot—and remember this is all a learning and growing process. You do not have to get it “perfect” right out of the gate (no one does!). You are nearly to that much-deserved break!

Thank you to Florence Sum, Masters student in the Evans School of Public Affairs, for these tips.