I am interested in writing for the project
Great! We want to hear from you.
It all starts with one sentence that forms the core idea. Identify the word or phrase that completes the sentence: "All I needed to know to survive (and succeed) in grad school, I learned from ...." Pick one specific word or phrase. That focuses the essay.
You don't have to have a completed essay. You don't have to think of yourself as a "writer." You just have to have an idea of something you want to say. (It is pretty fun to do.)
Please contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.
It all starts with one sentence that forms the core idea. Identify the word or phrase that completes the sentence: "All I needed to know to survive (and succeed) in grad school, I learned from ...." Pick one specific word or phrase. That focuses the essay.
You don't have to have a completed essay. You don't have to think of yourself as a "writer." You just have to have an idea of something you want to say. (It is pretty fun to do.)
Please contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.
What happens once I submit an idea?
We read and consider every proposal we receive. We will respond to you as quickly as we can, usually within two weeks. If we think that your idea has promise, we will ask you for more. In some cases, we decide not to move forward.
The second step will be to write a paragraph or two (100-300 words) that explains and expands that idea more fully. This is effectively an initial abstract for your essay. How did that experience help you with specific aspects of grad school? This is how we (and you) assess whether you have something to say.
The writing and editing process is iterative. Typically we send drafts and comments back and forth three or four times.
We will provide periodic updates about the project via an email newsletter. We add those who contact us to our mailing list. You can opt out at any time.
The second step will be to write a paragraph or two (100-300 words) that explains and expands that idea more fully. This is effectively an initial abstract for your essay. How did that experience help you with specific aspects of grad school? This is how we (and you) assess whether you have something to say.
The writing and editing process is iterative. Typically we send drafts and comments back and forth three or four times.
We will provide periodic updates about the project via an email newsletter. We add those who contact us to our mailing list. You can opt out at any time.
What these essays are and are not
These essays take a specific approach, organized around the prompting sentence "All I needed to survive grad school, I learned from...." In this way, we build on other essay projects, most notably the brilliant and inspiring "This I Believe." The common thread of this structure ties the essays together. The authors all provide lessons about succeeding in grad school that bridge life inside the academy with their lives outside (and usually preceding) their time in grad school. Sometimes this takes the form of advice, but the advice is tied directly to lessons learned from the initial experience (a great example is Valerie Shepard's essay, "Financial Savvy and Thin Mints").
It may help you in formulating your essay if we tell you also what we do not want. We do not want a memoir. We do not want the lessons you learned from elements of your graduate program itself--a writing group, your mentor, your peers, a great class. This is not the place just to give advice on succeeding in grad school, although these great things to know and to share. A better arena for sharing them is a site like Grad Hacker.
It may help you in formulating your essay if we tell you also what we do not want. We do not want a memoir. We do not want the lessons you learned from elements of your graduate program itself--a writing group, your mentor, your peers, a great class. This is not the place just to give advice on succeeding in grad school, although these great things to know and to share. A better arena for sharing them is a site like Grad Hacker.
FAQs
This is a cool idea. How can I help?
Please help us out by sharing information about the project with your networks of grad students -- in your department, your discipline, your friends, your university, Facebook, and Twitter. (Go to the Tell Others page for sample text.)
Will this be a book or a set of essays on the web?
We have an ever-growing collection of essays on the web. Some day we may collect the essays into a book. We are figuring this out as we go. For a book, we would probably identify 20-30 authors, and we want them to be diverse in a variety of ways, including discipline and University. Of course, the authors' backgrounds and experiences will also range widely.
What is your deadline?
There is no deadline. We launched the project and website in late November 2013. We publish each essay on the website once it is ready for the public. We work with authors as long as it takes for the essay to be publishable. This project is a labor of love that we work on outside of our regular full time jobs. We recognize that authors have competing commitments as well.
Do you want international authors?
We are most knowledgeable about graduate education in North America, and intend these essays to speak to grad students in the US and Canada. We would be eager to hear from students from around the world who are or have studied in North America. At this point, we are not encouraging authors who are studying in other countries.
Please help us out by sharing information about the project with your networks of grad students -- in your department, your discipline, your friends, your university, Facebook, and Twitter. (Go to the Tell Others page for sample text.)
Will this be a book or a set of essays on the web?
We have an ever-growing collection of essays on the web. Some day we may collect the essays into a book. We are figuring this out as we go. For a book, we would probably identify 20-30 authors, and we want them to be diverse in a variety of ways, including discipline and University. Of course, the authors' backgrounds and experiences will also range widely.
What is your deadline?
There is no deadline. We launched the project and website in late November 2013. We publish each essay on the website once it is ready for the public. We work with authors as long as it takes for the essay to be publishable. This project is a labor of love that we work on outside of our regular full time jobs. We recognize that authors have competing commitments as well.
Do you want international authors?
We are most knowledgeable about graduate education in North America, and intend these essays to speak to grad students in the US and Canada. We would be eager to hear from students from around the world who are or have studied in North America. At this point, we are not encouraging authors who are studying in other countries.