/survive-your-masters-degree

Checklist for people's starting their master degree

This is a small check-list for people pursuing a Master's degree. If you want to download your own and answer them on your own, you can just download the surving_your_masters_degree.md file.

How to survive your master's degree (sort of)

  • Know your resources:

    • What are the libraries that are available to you?
    • What tools can you use for free as a student (i.e github, canva)?
    • Does your computer have the required resources for your classes? If not, what are the resources available at the university?

  • Know your motivation:

    • What are you looking for in a master's degree?
    • What specific career goals are you aiming to achieve in the future, and how does it align with your long-term plans?
    • Imagine you got amazing grades and your degree at the end of the two years, but you are still unhappy/dissatisfied. What would be a reason for that?
    • Beyond academic success, what would make you genuinely happy and satisfied with your degree? What are the factors that drive your motivation?

  • Learn how to manage stress

    You can still enjoy (and have fun!) while doing hard things.

    • When have you felt your best while working? What are the conditions that you need to be able to focus on your work?
    • When have you experienced joy and fulfillment while working on challenging tasks? What aspects of your work satisfy you? Would you like some positive feedback from others?
    • Have you had trouble procrastinating in the past? What are the factors that have contributed to that?
    • Have you had trouble concentrating in the past? What were the circumstances in which that happened?
    • Have you engaged with self-sabotage in the past? What are signs that this is happening? What were the contributing factors for this self-sabotage behavior?

  • Act on what you learned about yourself.

    • Do you do better when you use a time block to study, a Pomodoro, goal-oriented, or something else?
    • Would you rather have an online calendar or a physical agenda?
    • Do you perform better when studying alone or with a study group?
    • Would you rather break down tasks into smaller blocks, or do a list make you overwhelmed?

  • Build your path:

    • What are the topics that interest you the most?
    • Have you talked to people who work in the field that you are interested in?
    • What are the activities that you imagine yourself doing in the field/job you are interested in? Does that match the experience of people who you have talked with?

  • Take care of yourself

    • Don’t forget to check on family and friends outside of masters (you can even send reminders to yourself if you need to!)
    • Don’t abandon hobbies and other non-academic related activities. What steps can you take to maintain a balanced life during your Master's program?