Tips+&+Advice

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**Get Involved & Network**
UCSB and GGSE offer many ways to get involved and make the most of your graduate school experience. Attend events (GGSE's caffeine co-op, faculty brown bag lunches, Arts & Lectures talks) and network with the individuals at the event. Grow your network so you have individuals you can reach out to for collaboration opportunities or job referrals. Make your own business cards (use VistaPrint for cheap cards or print your own on business card paper from Staples) and have them with you everywhere you go. Hand out your cards at conferences and campus events.

You can also get involved by participating on student committees. You will get to learn more about what happens on campus, meet faculty, staff, and students, and many times you can get a small stipend.

If you are pursuing a career as a professor, showing that you were involved on committees and attended events will demonstrate your willingness to do more than just research and teaching to your future employers.

**Health & Wellness**
Taking care of your well-being is essential to your success in grad school. This means you should be eating healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep, and practicing stress relief activities (i.e., meditation, yoga, daily walks). If you have a weekly planner, put these activities on your calendar to prevent the "I don't have time" excuse. UCSB offers many free and wonderful health and wellness resources, including free chair massages, a wellness center in Santa Catalina, field trips, and more. Counseling Services provides feel individual and group counseling for graduate students. San Clemente has a psychologist available in the apartment area. If you have USHIP, take advantage of the free check-ups, immunizations, and the ease of scheduling an appointment online with Student Health. Don't miss out on the fun activities offered by UCSB Recreation (go rock climbing, take a zumba class, participate in intramural sports).