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Jered Borup, Abby Hawkins, and Tanya Green
Editor’s Note: The following chapter is a combination of two ect Cornerstone articles written for TechTrends: “An Academic Experience of a Lifetime!” by Jered Borup and “Internship Reflection” by Abigail Hawkins.
Borup, J. (2013). An academic experience of a lifetime! TechTrends, 57(5), 4–5. doi: 10.1007/s11528-013-0682-9
Hawkins, A. (2010). Internship reflection. TechTrends, 54(4), 10. doi:10.1007/s11528-010-0410-7
Charles Graham (faculty member at Brigham Young University) once stated that what happens in conference hallways is often more valuable than what happens in the sessions. When attending a conference, you can meet amazing people and form relationships you never thought possible. The following networking strategies are for other graduates who may have felt peripheral and out of place at academic conferences. Our advice is simple: insert yourself into the scene. We would like to share three ways that any and all graduate students can do just that and make the most of their time at a conference: stand tall, shake hands, and get organized.
Stand Tall
This isn’t an encouragement to improve your posture but to make the most of your opportunities. There are four ways for graduate students to stand tall at conferences.
Be confident. The former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken had a recurring character named Stuart Smalley. In every sketch, Stuart would look in the mirror and confidently say, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” While we don’t advocate that you chant this affirmation while at a conference, you wouldn’t be wrong if you did. It will not take you long before you realize that the organization values graduate students and there is no reason not to confidently stand tall as a graduate student knowing that “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!” Having that knowledge is critical to making the most of your time there.
Participate. It is easy for new graduate students to feel that they are not able to make a meaningful contribution. This simply is not true. If possible, you should submit a research proposal and present your work. If your research is not developed enough for a full-paper presentation, submit it as a roundtable or poster presentation. If you don’t have anything to present, you can still ask questions or make comments at the sessions you attend.
Apply for awards. Look for awards supported by the organizations that sponsor the conference you are attending. There are likely several. We would recommend applying first for the ones that are specifically for graduate students. You can also ask your advisor or another faculty member familiar with the conference for advice on what awards you should apply for.
Give service. There are lots of ways that graduate students can give service. You may want to consider volunteering at the conference. It can be a good way to become familiar with the organization and meet