Advice from Alumni | Michigan Tech Graduate School

Academic Life

Study hard and learn outside of the classroom.
Form study groups, find opportunities on your own to collaborate, and get to know your fellow students.
Don't think of it as a 9 to 5 job, be prepared to work evening hours and long weekend hours.
Don't rush to get all your credits early, focus on what you need to get into research only mode.
If you are an accelerated master's student, do everything you can to avoid 12 credit semesters.

Relationships with professors / faculty

Don't be afraid to ask professors questions. In my experience, most professors were willing to help clarify questions and provide further information on topics of interest.
Actively seek out mentorship and build strong relationships with faculty members and peers in your field of study.
Observe relationships between faculty.
Work hard to form strong relationships with your professors. It will come in handy later when looking for jobs and needing recommendations.
Get to know your professors. They can be very helpful if you just take the time to be kind and introduce yourself to them.

Classes

Stay on top of your readings.
Have fun, explore the area, venture out of your degree, and try a different class.
Make sure to attend classes. Do not procrastinate and leave your work for later. If you're having academic difficulties and/or feel like you need more time and help to do your homework, email your professors and let them know.
Don't take too many courses at once and always ask for help.
Take subjects that really interest you and also take more 5000 level courses.
Talk to other students and professors you respect to learn about classes that will actually make you grow. Taking a poorly constructed class is not worth your investment of time or money.
In the MS Applied Statistics program, practice coding in R as much as you can. If working full time while pursuing the degree, start assignments well ahead of time whenever possible.
There are really good professors here- take classes from them even if you aren’t necessarily interested in the subject because it is better than taking a course you think you will like with a bad professor.
Expect to put the work in and work hard at the beginning of the semester and set yourself up for a good grade early. Still work hard during finals (of course) but if you set yourself up earlier in the semester finals become less stressful. Also, learn from your peers and have fun!

Choosing an Advisor

Make sure you and your advisor are a good fit. (Note from Dr. Cantrell: Some version of this statement was the most common advice for this topic.)
Stay in communication with your advisor and don't be afraid to reach out to them.
Ask around about your advisor. Find out how they work with other people, and who they collaborate with. If you pick an advisor and have a gut feeling that the relationship won't work out, act on it and find someone else willing to work with you. You'll save yourself a lifetime of trouble, and medical and mental health expenses.
Choose your advisor carefully. From all the stories I heard over the years, I was one of the people who thought that most student-advisor issues were caused by students, however, I learned the hard way that it could be the advisor sometimes.
Make sure you have talked to past students of the advisor you are going to be working with. The advisor’s communication styles and work culture are going to make or break your experience. It's really hard to reach out and try to find a new advisor when your incompatibility is making you unsure of your own skills.
Speak with and interview multiple faculty and students about how to best form the faculty committee.
Don't choose your advisor solely based on their research interests. Get to know them as a person and see if they'll be a good fit for you.
Make sure you really get to know your advisor before coming here.
Make sure your advisor has funding for your project before you start. It is very challenging to find funds on your own once you have started and it can prevent you from moving forward in your degree.

Theses / Dissertations / Reports

Start thinking about your thesis/dissertation sooner.
Start writing early on and never stop. Document everything and organize it so you can refer back to it later on.
Prepare early for the dissertation. Start putting material into a Word document and make sure it is readable in Word, including plot labels.
Focus less on coursework and more on writing. Yes, coursework is important, but writing is what will help you graduate.
Choose a topic for your research early and use each class to build on that research, creating components of your Thesis or Report along the way. Write a draft of your report or thesis two semesters before you plan to graduate!
Departments don't know the process of a thesis very well. Specific deadlines and classes like the Research Conduct ones are best learned about from previous graduate students.

Mental Health

Do not listen to people who keep bringing up the negatives of your degree, program, or faculty. Make your own experiences. The first semester is tough. Hang in there. Find your passion. Travel! Workout! Occasional stress bursts are okay.
Be careful not to burn out. I've seen too many students come in excited and productive, and leave unmotivated and with mental health issues.
Reach out to someone professional to pour out your trouble whenever you are down or upset.
Empty out what you think you know. Be prepared to work long hours. Do not expect positive feedback. Your successes will happen after A LOT of failures. Stay positive.
It will be challenging at times, but you just need to pull through those times as it is well worth it.
Graduate school will be tough so you need to find the right support to help you go through it.

Degree Progress / Planning

Establish some form of funding before attending.
Contact the graduate school and your department to plan out your degree and check if the courses you are planning to take are being offered in the upcoming semester as that can be a problem.
Set yearly goals for yourself and create a structured degree outline. It is ok to fall short of a goal, but it is important to have marathon markers to help you keep track of your progress as you move through the program.
Set realistic expectations for the amount of work you would like to accomplish during a time period.
Five years is not as long as we imagine, "plan early, start early, and finish early" so that you can graduate "on time".
Talk to your advisor and program director and always have a plan. You never know what will change.

Student Work - GRA/GTA/GRI

Do not overburden yourself with on-campus part-time work; studies should be your primary focus.

Know what the workload you are expected to do is. I worked many more hours than required.
If you plan to be a GTI, be prepared to manage your time more efficiently. Teaching takes up a LOT of your time. Learn to prioritize your own research over teaching.

Paperwork

Make sure to plan ahead with courses and administrative forms and be sure to meet with your department advisor and graduate school faculty to ensure you are fulfilling all requirements.
Stay up to date on classes and paperwork, get ahead if you can.
Understand your general timeline and when deadlines are - there are a lot of forms you need to fill out and it can get very confusing very quickly.

Relationships with Other Students

Talk to your seniors about course choices and housing. The best advice comes from previous students who had to go through some unmendable mistakes.
Make friends in and out of their department. Having a great support system really helped me to get through my degree.
Get involved. Whether that's in outdoor sports, school clubs, or social activities on campus. It's more difficult to meet people in grad school than undergrad, so develop those connections ASAP to improve your life and education.
Make sure to get involved in at least one meaningful way! Either in a club or GSG or in your lab or in outreach. Just make sure to get involved somehow!
For someone just beginning graduate studies at Michigan Tech: Go above and beyond when it comes to networking with people on campus. Whether that be faculty or other students. Having a strong relationship with those around you makes the entire experience less stressful and much more enjoyable.

Outdoor Activities / Travel

Stay focused on your classes, thesis, research, etc., however, have as much fun outside of the classroom to explore the Keweenaw and meet new people in the area.
Plan ahead and carefully if you're planning to travel during the winter months as the CMX-ORD flights are often canceled due to snow and storms.
Be sure to maximize time with nature. We are in a beautiful paradise, that a lucky few get to call their home! Explore all that the University has to offer ~ student clubs, and other groups, activities ~ don't forget the performances at the Rozsa and Walker Theater. Look out for your fellow graduate students. We're all in this together.
Participate in GSG activities, explore the different research on campus, and enjoy the Keweenaw while you're here! Stay for the summer!
Get outside. It's rare you get to live in a place like the Keweenaw.

Winter

Don't be afraid of the winter. With the right attitude Michigan Tech and Houghton will be your best friends.
Honestly, Don't get scared of winter, it's not that cold, It just snows more. It's the most beautiful campus I have seen.
Winter is long and it affects your mental strength.
I agree the weather conditions are extreme, but this campus has a magic that grows on you and makes it difficult for you to leave by the end of your degree.
Hang in there, there is more to this place than just cold weather.
Stay patient and persistent. Do not let the environment (in winter at least) intimidate you. It will be all worth it when you graduate.
Do some form of a winter activity to keep you sane because the combination of graduate school stress and persistent winter can really wear on your mental and emotional state.

International Students

I know it is difficult for some of the students who have just come to the US but time goes fast. Make good friends, friends help a lot! And be yourself!
Everyone here is super friendly to international students, so make sure to ask for help whenever needed.
Talk to your advisor, listen more to IPS.
Ask a lot of questions from instructors and peers and be patient, especially as an international student. There are lots of resources set in place to help but if you don't ask, you might not know.
The advice will be that grad school is hard! You come halfway across the world (if you are an international student) and have to deal with things you never thought of. Everything will seem hard, difficult, and depressing at the start, but just hold on, enjoy the journey, and keep that hope, that fighting spirit alive!!

Career

Take it seriously. You owe it to yourself. If you don't take your education seriously, then your peers and potential employers won't either.
Start applying for internships from day one and choose your courses wisely which will align with industry requirements.
Be optimistic and start applying for your jobs from the first semester, you may not be hired right away but you end up building a lot of networking with HR and also industry employees.
Be prepared with your fundamentals, start your own application-based project based on what you are learning from the courses, learn software tools and get hands-on experience as much as possible, engage in student enterprise programs, actively do internships every summer holiday or whenever possible to understand different industries.
Don't take a position for the sake of a degree – actually like the work you do.
For CS, please focus on coding, code daily because this is the most important thing that will get you a job out of university.
Think about how your studies will apply to the job market and focus on strengthening skills that are commonly desired by the jobs you want to have.

General - positives

MTU Is a great place to learn, explore, and enhance your skills personally and professionally.
Explore Tech, it may not be the largest school, or in the largest city, but there is a place for everyone to call home here.
Do your best, don't procrastinate, and ask for help. Practice. Some of the best lessons are learned through failure, but school is much more forgiving than real life. Don't be afraid to fail, push yourself harder to the highest and best version of yourself that you can. Then do it again!
Keep up with assignments/ projects and take advantage of everyone's knowledge. So many insanely smart/ passionate people here that are really easy to talk to once you start a conversation with them.
You have made a great choice. You will be having the best time of your life as a HUSKY!
Embrace the program, university, and community. The value in an MTU graduate degree is something that comes with 100% commitment and the personal and professional evolution that takes place throughout your studies.
This experience is an experience that will be directed by YOU. It is your privilege and responsibility to make the most out of your graduate studies at Michigan Tech.

Resources

Utilize tutoring and library services.
Michigan Tech provides a lot of services for every issue a student faces in college. Knowing what they are and utilizing them will give you a very smooth journey throughout your university journey.
Don't hold back on emailing the smallest queries with the administration authorities and the faculty members as they are there to help you.
Get to know the staff you will be working around.
Explore and use the resources available to you including other students.

Online Students - Distance Learning

I am an online master’s student working full-time. I would advise similar working professionals who enter the program to be prepared to work hard, but it is all worth it.
Visit the campus if a DL student.
The (online) classes go fast. Don't fall behind on the work.