Interdisciplinary Studies—The Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition seeks to understand the processes that underlie the learning of a non-native language, drawing from linguistics, psychology, sociology, and education. More...
Informal Rules for Academic Success
Higher education requires studying a large amount of material
concerning a broad range of subjects and synthesizing many sources.
Following are some suggestions that should be kept in mind as you begin
your studies.
Evaluate Your Expectations — Keep in
mind that a period of adjustment to a new educational system is
necessary before you will be able to perform to the best of your
ability. In general, new graduate students earn lower grades during
their first semester. As they become
accustomed to the system, their grades improve.
Select Your Courses Wisely — Especially
during your first semester, do not take more courses than necessary.
Make sure you have a combination of more demanding and less demanding
courses, rather than only "difficult" ones that require unusually heavy
amounts of work. When arranging your course schedule, consult with your
academic adviser and experienced students who are familiar with course
offerings and faculty.
Talk with Your Instructors and Ask Questions
— If you are not doing well in a class, visit the instructor
during office hours or make an appointment to discuss your problems. Any
time you feel unsure of what is expected of you in a class or of some
aspect of the material being presented, ask the teacher and some of your
fellow students about it. If you do not ask, it will be assumed that you
understand everything or that you are not interested.
Understand the Assumptions Behind the Educational System
— From your past experience you have developed certain
assumptions about the nature and purposes of education and about the way
your field of interest should be studied. The philosophy of your
department may be different. To avoid clashes and setbacks, learn all
you can about your department’s expectations. UI faculty members tend to
agree that learning how to approach studies independently and to develop
one’s own ideas is the most difficult task facing new graduate students.
Organize Your Time — You will have a large amount of work to do and a limited amount of time in which to do it. In this situation, you need to use your time effectively. A good way to do that is to make yourself a weekly study schedule. Allot specified periods of time each day for studying.
Reading Effectively
Libraries and Academic Support
Computing Resources