The guidelines below represent some of the best practices for creating and sustaining professional relationships within our graduate programs. These types of behaviors are fundamental to success in the academic community and beyond.
I. The Basics
- Treat everyone in your orbit with kindness and respect. This includes but is not limited to faculty, staff, visitors, and fellow students.
- Respect other people’s time. That means showing up on time to class, seminars, meetings, and appointments. Come prepared and ready to discuss key items.
- Being on time also includes meeting deadlines—for assignments, applications, required forms, and more. Be mindful that faculty and staff also have deadlines and competing constraints on their time.
- How do you accomplish this? Plan ahead and get organized! Keep a calendar. Ask faculty members for letters of recommendation far in advance of when they are due. Submit things by the deadline. Do not expect that deadlines will be extended for you.
- Bottom line: your behavior in these matters becomes your professional identity.
II. Professional Communication and Interaction
- Communication is fundamental to success. Your graduate career will be exponentially improved by learning what (and what not) to say, when to say it, how to convey your thoughts respectfully and listen closely to others.
- If you are not sure how to address faculty, err on the side of formality. Let your instructor tell you how they want to be addressed.
- Check your professional email regularly and answer promptly if a response is required.
- Craft emails clearly, with proper tone, grammar, and spelling.
- As you get to know your professors and graduate colleagues, be mindful to strike the right tone in your communications with them. If misunderstandings arise, address them promptly. This advice translates to almost every situation!
- Be attentive to how you give and receive constructive, critical feedback, both verbally and in writing.
- Work on your active listening skills as much as your speaking proficiencies.
- Social media can be useful in some settings and situations, but when used unwisely, it can also severely undermine professional identity and rupture essential academic relationships.
- Your online presence defines your professional identity. Write every public post as if someone you do not know will form their impression of you based on it.
- If you use social media, strongly consider having separate personal and professional accounts.
III. Maintaining Community
- Engaging respectfully with peers, faculty, and staff is critical to maintaining our sense of community.
- Universities are comprised of people from many different cultures and backgrounds. This is a tremendous source of strength, but it also requires all of us to be attentive to those differences.
- When disagreements and differences of opinion arise, address them civilly.
- Collaboration among graduate students is more fruitful than competition. You will learn as much from your fellow students as you will from your professors. Remember that your fellow students will often become your future professional colleagues.
- Cooperation and teamwork will enhance your professional success.
IV. Seeking Help
- Asking for help is a professional skill not a weakness. It shows self-awareness to know when to seek support and guidance.
- Request clarification and explanation if you do not understand assignments, materials, feedback, or expectations.
- It is appropriate to be your own advocate provided that you do so while maintaining appropriate boundaries and respect.
- Reach out to faculty, peers, and advisors.
- Ask for help from learning and wellness specialists. Links to graduate resources can be found below or contact the Graduate Division.