How NOT to be a good TA
Lessons from a first year of graduate student TA
It was my first ever trip to Cambridge and to the MIT campus and, more importantly, the start of my graduate program in the chemistry department. My fall semester schedule was a balance of courses, lab rotations and my teaching assignment. Needless to say, it was a lot to juggle. I felt confident that the […]
Writer’s block? Experiencing isolation as a researcher or writer? WTO has got you covered!
How the Writing and Communication Center’s ‘Writing Together Online’ program helped me overcome writer’s block
In 2019, I was in my second year of PhD when my PhD advisor told me that we had all the results we needed to write up a journal article related to my very first research project. After our meeting that day, I was so excited for two reasons: first, because this was my first […]
Practicing imperfection
The art of turning big failures into little victories
A screenshot of the author’s faulty Java code from one of her first attempts at coding When I TA’d for a quantitative methods class in college, I always kept this image of one of my first attempts at coding handy to show to struggling students. Besides providing some light comedic relief during stressful office hours, […]
Have something to say or share? Then blog about it!
IAP workshop application deadline January 4
Hi MIT grad students! The MIT Graduate Admissions Blog is excited to announce its upcoming IAP workshop on blog writing. In brief, Attend a 2-day blogging workshop: Wednesday, January 18 (in person) and Monday, January 23 (remote) from 11-1pm Write one blog submission Earn $100 upon completion of post Continue writing for the blog and earn $100 […]
Stop sprinting towards your future
What my time in industry taught me
I always knew I would come back to academia. It didn’t matter that I would be taking at least one year off to work a flashy new job in Seattle biotech. It didn’t matter that the position would be a lot less stressful, and have a lot more benefits, than graduate student life. My mentor […]
