TU Essentials For Masters

What do you need to know going into your master's degree program?

Making the transition from undergraduate to graduate studies can be a shock for some students. Here are a few tips for adapting to a rigorous schedule.

Tips

  • Attend the Graduate School Orientation Program.  Students and staff at this program can provide you with lots of great suggestions for studying, networking, and relieving the stress that naturally arises from graduate studies.
  • Start projects early, give yourself an earlier deadline than the professor gives to help avoid late papers due to unforeseen events (illness, computer breaking down, etc.) And, make sure that you know important dates from your academic calendar--professors will assume that you know the reading days and finals schedules!
  • Teams - Alot of the MBA classes require participation on teams.  Plan your team meeting schedule at the beginning of the semester;  this will help when your schedule starts filling up with other demands for your time.  Be PATIENT with your teammates and yourself--remember, everyone gets frustrated and this too shall pass.  Try to enjoy the process! 
  • If you have young children who will require daycare while you are in class, do your research!  There are several great daycare services close to the TU campus and one that's even located on the campus grounds.  They all usually have a waiting list, so start early!
  • Use notecards to study for tests - color coordinate the cards (either by subject within a class, or colors for each class) so you can easily identify them.
  • Be prepared to read a large volume of in-depth scholarly papers and write more analyses than you have ever had to before.  Time management is the key here--there's no room for waiting until the last minute in grad school! 
  • Study groups - get together to study for that test. Share your notecards and reading summaries, you may have info others don't have and visa versa.
  • Stop saying yes to everything - learn to tell people 'no' when you are overwhelmed. To relieve the inevitable stress, EXERCISE.  TU is very walkable and has several awesome exercise facilities.
  • Get as much sleep as possible so that you can perform at your best level.  Coffee will become essential for those times when sleep is a luxury!
  • Your going to be surrounded by the individuals in your field of study now, and it will be easy to loose touch with the rest of the TU community.  Stay in touch by reading The Collegian and the Graduate School Newsletter.
  • Get organized! Buy large notebooks to put all of the articles and readings for each class so you can reference them later when studying for comprehensive exams. Color coordinate your notebooks and folders for each class. Color coordinate your planner as well.

    International Students

    Many TU graduate students are also international students, and therefore have special needs to consider. International students need to do some extra preparation work before starting their graduate program and build in extra time for taking the TOEFL, applying for student visas, obtaining a Social Security Number or driver's license.

    TU has an excellent International Student Services office where specialists can help students not only with all of their paperwork, but also with adjusting to life in the United States.

    And Tulsa is a very international city with ethnic restaurants and markets all over the city. Many students find these markets appealing if they're having trouble adapting to US foods.