Helpful Hints for First-Years

Arriving in Pittsburgh and at CMU

• Try to arrive before classes actually begin
  • You'll need to find a place to live
    • Current grad students may be willing to put you up for a (short) while as you look for a place to live. Early July has been voted the best time to look. You may want to think about an early summer visit to find a place to live, if you can manage that.
    • There are Andrew B-boards that may be of use in finding an apartment. (They are cmu.misc.market and cmu.misc.market.apartments) See the "Computers & Computer Support" section for more information on B-boards.
    • Look on CMU's community housing web page for potential housing options. You will need your Andrew Login and ID to view the actual listings. Contact Joan Meyers to find out your andrew ID. You should probably ask what the initial password is too.
  • You may want to make changes to your class schedule
    • The department will automatically schedule you for classes for your first semester, but you may want/need to add/change/delete some. Once again, talk to your advisor about which courses you should be taking.
    • You'll be able to find your way around without fear of missing a class or meeting
    • You can get to know some people in the department
      • At best, we're mostly friendly. At worst, mostly harmless^TM.

How to Be a Successful First-Year Student

• Be there.
  • You'll have keys, share an office, and have a computer all in the comfort of Baker Hall. Use them. If faculty and other graduate students don't see you around, it may give a bad impression. They probably know that you are working somewhere, but they may think otherwise.
  • Attend the programs and events in the department.
    • Colloquia
    • Job Talks
    • Seminars in your area of interest
    • Brown-bag talks in the Spring
• Keep in Touch
  • Meet with your advisor.
    • Most advisors will schedule weekly meetings with you where you should talk about what you are doing and where you are going. These will probably be mainly research-oriented meetings. This is when you should present ideas, ask big questions and sort out things about which you are unclear. Of course, if questions or problems pop up between meetings, your advisor will likely be quite willing to offer some help.
    Talk with other faculty members
    • Hopefully, there are a number of people in the department whose research you find interesting and who find your research interesting. Keep them informed, and make a point to ask them questions. Don't isolate yourself to your committee members. Schedule meetings or stop them in the hall.
  • Departmental Bulletin Boards
    • General information on B-boards is in the "Computers & Computer Support" section
    • org.psy.psychology
      • This is a formal departmental B-board. Notices and memos for the entire department will be posted here. Try to read it daily.
    • org.psy.ego
      • This B-board is primarily for and by students. Parties, social events, and random nonesense usually end up here. If you want to participate in the social life that is being a graduate student, you should check this B-board regularly.
• Get Things Done (a.k.a. Budget Your Time)
  • It's deceptively easy to push deadlines back.
    • You can get incompletes for courses and sometimes put off some of your other deadlines, but this is not going to win you any respect or favor in the department.
    • Think about finding ways to make your projects serve multiple purposes. Projects done for one assignment can be revised or expanded for others.
  • Prioritize! Focus!
    • Grades aren't too important, but if you continuously "just get by" don't expect to "get ahead".
    • You are here to do research. Make time not only to do it, but to do it right.
    • No one is going to tell you what to do.
    • Involve yourself in a couple of projects and groups and put a significant amount of effort into them.
    • In general, it is expected that you will finish in four years (five if you are in the CNBC).
• Play Time
  • No one expects you to do nothing but work for four years. Take some time and enjoy. The department and graduate students often have gatherings, parties, and social events. And, with the PsyCoke^TM Fund, the department owns some equipment (volleyball nets, etx.) and supports some events and excursions.