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  • From left to right, the URAP mentor and mentee panelists: Ishva Minefee, Mecca Muhammad, Emily DeFilippo, and Madeline Decker.

    Looking for a mentoring opportunity? Why You Should Be A URAP Grad Mentor.

    Jun 21, 2016 4:30 pm

    Are you looking for a mentoring opportunity? Whether you are interested in a career in academia or industry, you should be.

  • Letters of Reference for Fellowship Applications

    Sep 14, 2017 11:45 am

    “Applications must include three letters of reference…”

    If you’re applying for graduate research fellowships and grants, you will likely find something along these lines in the application instructions. These letters are absolutely critical to the success of your application, yet you have no control over them — or do you?

    There is no “one-size-fits-all” set of guidelines on this topic. Letters of reference are by their very nature highly personal. Ways of building relationships will also vary according to discipline, the nature of the research, and the applicant’s career goal. That’s why it’s essential to get advice from your advisor and talk with other students in your program about their own successful strategies. However, there are a few overarching points to consider.

  • Woman staring at a computer screen, biting a pencil in frustration

    Lessons From a Grad Student Job Search Support Group

    Jun 4, 2019 1:45 pm

    This Spring, Mike Firmand started the first-ever job search support group for graduate students at the University of Illinois. Here's what Mike learned from listening to them and leading the group. Read the original post on Inside Higher Education.

  • A computer file directory with funny names.

    How to Keep Track of Your Stuff or Four Horror Stories in Two Parts

    Feb 10, 2021 10:00 am

    PART II: My file management horror stories and how they taught me to manage my data like a pro. 

  • A comic about naming and resaving a document.

    How to Keep Track of Your Stuff or Four Horror Stories in Two Parts

    Feb 10, 2021 10:30 am

    PART I: My file management horror stories and how they taught me to manage my data like a pro. 

  • How to Enhance Your Personal Brand Online this Summer

    Jun 2, 2020 2:15 pm

    Remember in the early 2000s when we used to create online pseudonym usernames like “plantlover101” or “sillys0pran0” for internet safety? Fast-forward to 2020, where personal branding is now one of the best tools to market yourself. Long gone are the days where you’ll be advised to hide social media accounts from employers - and why should you? They paint a picture of who you are as a scholar and as a person, too. But personal branding is a scary term. How do you embody a form of corporate personhood without hiding your authentic and multi-faceted self? The answer sounds too good to be true: You don’t have to!

  • Grading is the Worst & Why Being a URAP Graduate Mentor Is Valuable

    Jul 6, 2020 3:45 pm

    The Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program connects undergraduates who are new to research with experienced graduate students who mentor them through the research process. 

  • Going on the Market? Time to Get Started on those Applications

    Jul 30, 2015 2:15 pm

    Back to school is almost back. Soon, it’ll be time to put away the sunscreen and dust off your research. Time to fold up that beach umbrella and pull out those freshly sharpened pencils. With the start of a new semester, you may find yourself busy to bursting with things to do—new classes to prep and new deadlines to meet—but now is also a great time to get ready for the academic job market.

  • Four Ways to Make Your Research Presentation Stand Out

    Nov 3, 2015 4:15 pm

    It’s after midnight, you’re taking a quick look at the slides for your research presentation the next morning, and you have this distressing thought: “I think my research is interesting, but will anyone else?” No one wants years of hard work to be met with blank stares or a fascinating discovery to be dismissed by wandering minds. Your research is interesting, but how do you get people to realize that?

  • Exploring Career Pathways

    Exploring Career Pathways while in Graduate School

    Oct 27, 2023 2:00 pm

    Exploring your career options can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Hear from recipients of the Graduate College's Career Exploration Fellowship about their time as fellows.

  • A woman dancing between trees.

    Development is a Dance: Tips for a Non-Linear Journey

    Jun 1, 2022 8:30 am

    "A baseball scout once told me, 'Development is a dance.' He was talking about how young baseball players don’t improve on a linear path. Some take steps forward and then back, or laterally, before figuring it out."

  • Creative and Collaborative: Trying out Careers in Publishing

    Jun 17, 2019 12:00 pm

    I recently had the opportunity to participate in a “Try-It-Out Experience” through the Grad College Career Development Office and the University of Illinois Press. This one-day professional development opportunity provides graduate students with a focused goal-setting session, industry connections, and the chance to explore new-to-them career paths.

  • Person with compass on campus at the Hallene Gateway.

    Creating a Roadmap for Graduate School Success

    Feb 9, 2021 5:30 pm

    Grad school is stuffed with opportunities. This blog will help you start creating your roadmap in 4 simple steps!

  • A business card sits on a table. "Ask me anything" is written on the card.

    Ask the Grad College: On Changing Career Plans in Graduate School

    Jan 20, 2024 8:00 am

    I started my program thinking I wanted to go into academia, but I feel less and less interested in an academic job. I’m committed to finishing, but I don’t know what kinds of jobs I should look for. What do I do? 

  • An Internship Can Help Change the Direction of Your Career

    Sep 20, 2016 4:30 pm

    Should you do an internship in grad school? Kristin Divis says “Yes!” and once you hear her story, it’s easy to understand why.

    This summer, after graduating with a PhD in Psychology from Illinois, Divis started an exciting, full-time job at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia is also, as it turns out, where she’d worked as an intern for several years while in grad school.

    I spoke with Divis earlier this year, shortly before she graduated and not long after she accepted that full-time offer. She wanted to share her reasons for doing an internship, what she learned, and why you should consider doing one, too. Here’s what she had to say...

  • Talking about your work

    5 Tips for Talking about Your Work

    Sep 18, 2018 1:15 pm

    So, what do you do?

    This is a question graduate students hear frequently—whether from scholars in their field, people in an elevator, or family members. And while at first the answer might seem simple—it’s what you do every day, after all—finding ways to frame and explain your work to others can be a challenge. Thinking about your answer to this question is important since there are many situations when you might need to answer it: applying for fellowships or funding to support your work, job interviews or networking events, interviews with the media, or discussions with political leaders regarding policy. And recently, several UI students found themselves confronted with this question when former President Obama made an impromptu coffeehouse stop during his visit to campus!

    Below are some tips for talking about your work to help you prepare no matter the situation.