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I have not complied the online resources. For now, here are some tips for graduate or undergraduate students interested in joing the group.
Before getting serious about how to be successful in graduate school, you should all know that you need a sense of humor to go through this long process.
Check, for example, "Piled Higher and Deeper" - the comic strip by Cham.
There are many resources one can find online for tips for sucess in "anything". I like the following 10 tips for sucess in graduate school and will follow this guideline for students. You have to work and study hard for sure; however, I want you to be yourself and, most of important of all, enjoy transforming yourself from a graduate student to a scientist.
Top 10 tips for success in graduate school
by Primal de Lanerolle (link, pdf)
Ensure that the choices you make enhance both your work and your career prospects.
10. Starting out Don't take classes as an undergraduate that you will take as a postgrad. Go to college to get a broad education ¡X go to graduate school to earn a union card (or PhD).
9. Choosing an adviser Your adviser is like your spouse. Choose one you respect as a scientist and as a person. The department is your family-in-law. Pick one that has high standards and will challenge you.
8. Know thyself Recognize your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Successful people emphasize their strengths, minimize their weaknesses.
7. Write a thesis you can be proud of You will probably only ever write one doctoral thesis ¡X make it worth the effort.
6. Do good science One cannot over-emphasize the importance of hard-nosed, well-controlled science. When things go badly, it is the only thing that will get you out of trouble. When things go well, it will stop you doing something silly. Be as critical of your data as you are of other people's.
5. The best scientists are artists You will be judged by the quality of your questions as well as the technical excellence you use to address them. Crafting good hypotheses requires imagination, insight and the ability to see what others do not.
4. No guts, no glory You must be brave to be creative. Develop the self-confidence to risk failure, to ask big questions and to aim high. Also, understand when you have been lucky. If you do not, there is no point in being lucky.
3. Data are royalty Only data are sacrosanct: not hypotheses or beliefs. Critically analyse your data. Don't just look for what you want. Some of the most interesting results are those we did not expect. You can't reject data because you don't like them or they confuse you.
2. Have fun Success takes a lot of work and dedication: you have to love and enjoy the process. Try to make your hobby your career.
1. Remember you are searching for truth Your objective is to join the community of scholars; the sole function of scholarship is to find the truth. Truth is elusive, but the scientific method gives us the most objective criteria available to judge 'truth'.
Interested in more advice?
