Academic Coaching Blog — Graduate Students

A new academic semester is starting, and students are getting ready to resume their normal study routines.  It's quite common to have a more relaxed rhythm over the summer months, although some students use the time to do field research. But once the university staff and faculty are back from their own vacations, it's time to resume the formal steps on the pathway to a PhD or Master's  So is this the time to make a plan?  Students often spend time preparing Gantt charts or spreadsheets that layout various parts of their research schedule.  I always admire the effort and...

At present, there's an ad on TV that lists all the things that AI can do. One of them is "write your kid's school essay".  It's an ad for home repairs and the claim is that AI can do nearly everything except fix your plumbing. That's concerning, and many experts are sounding the alarm about the overreach of AI.  It has given me much pause for thought about my work and whether I should hang up my editing pen. But I'm stubborn and hopeful and I'm going to keep offering old-fashioned writing help with a pulse, I don't like being...

I have a testimonials page, and I proudly share the kind words from the graduate students who achieve their goals with my help. But today I thought I'd share an entire email from a recent graduate (with his permission), to celebrate his achievements and my satisfaction in contributing to them.  I worked with this candidate for more than a year from early drafts of chapters to reviewing the entire thesis for submission.  His success in earning his PhD gives me great joy and I hope that his achievement encourages others to keep going and get it done.  This particular email...