George Mason University

Backwards Design for Maximizing your Time in Graduate School

February 17, 2021

By Shannon N. Davis, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology

Edited by Austin A. Deray. Leadership and Advising, Graduate Student Life

 

It seems kind of silly but a question that many people ask new graduate students is, “When are you going to finish?” You begin your graduate program with a goal in mind and possibly even a deadline by which that you anticipate completing your degree. But how about we think about this differently. Think only about having your degree as the endpoint. Don’t you want your time that you spend pursuing your degree to yield not only the degree but also launch you into a successful …