Preparing for a Career in Ideas as an Undergraduate
Find information that will assist you in choosing a graduate school, applying to grad school, how to prepare for an interview, asking for reference letters, writing skills and techniques, how to get involved in research, and even how to be prepared to start publishing papers. This page also provides information about specific graduate schools and the programs they offer. These materials are helpful to undergraduate students who are still undecided about what discipline to concentrate in.
Here is our Scaling the Ivory Tower academic career guide, mentoring resource page, advice from IHS faculty, and what IHS can do for you.
Applying
As an undergraduate student one of the first steps on your path to a successful academic career is Choosing a Graduate School. You can learn more about this academic path with IHS’ Succeeding in the World of Ideas: A Career Development Guide for Students or picking up a copy of this cheap ebook: Everything You Need to Know about Academia from Admissions to Tenure. Dr Steve Davies has advice on Research Topics and Applying to Grad School, we also have some tips about Reference Letters, and how to Be Knowledgeable about Graduate Program Job Placements and Rankings. If you want more specific advice on certain graduate programs we have: Economics, Political Science, International Relations, Philosophy, and Law.
Networking
For all things in life, networking is an important skill to develop. Dr. Nigel Ashford’s Networking Notes are a great place to start learning about networking. Another good place to start for academics is IHS’ Succeeding in the World of Ideas: A Career Development Guide for Students. We also have more specific advice on a variety of topics such as Three Things You Should Never Say to a Mentor, Jacob Levy On Attending Academic Conferences, and Using Social Media to your Advantage as an Academic.
Writing/Publishing
Do you want a huge head start for graduate school? Start by Writing Well and Often, and try to get published as an Undergraduate Student. Steven Horwitz has a Guide to Writing Formal Academic Papers, and if it all looks new and unfamiliar to you, at least Google is still your friend: Using Google Scholar To Your Advantage and Google Scholar Opens Up Its Citations.