THINGS I WISH I KNEW AS A STUDENT
Soft skills and other tips for student success
The behaviours of professors might seem peculiar and frightening at times, but they
are largely understandable and easily managed. Although the suggestions I’ve put
together appear to be obvious, simplistic, or even stupid, for the most part, I was
ignorant of them in my youth. I have many regrets, which I will not elaborate upon [he
looks forlornly out the window].
My compendium is not terribly systematic or comprehensive. Nor will my suggestions
work in all situations. But at the very least, they work on me.
Get to know your professors
early
Eventually you’ll need letters of
recommendation or want to work
individually with a professor. I cover this
in the “Getting into graduate school”
section. This advice is still useful even if
you don’t want to go to grad school.
Communicating with a
professor
Your style of communicating matters.
Forms of address matter. Subject lines
matter. Craft your e-mails with thought
and professionalism.
Getting help from professors
“Back in my day….” You’ve probably
heard your parents preface a sentence
like this before telling you that you’re
lazy and entitled. Although you might
not hear professors say it, rightly or
wrongly, they’re thinking it. Before
asking for help from a prof, make sure
to do these things first.
Greg A. Chung-Yan, PhD
Industrial-Organizational
Psychology
University of Windsor
Applied Social Psychology
MA / PhD Program
uwindsor.socialpsychology.ca
Getting into graduate school
If you have dreams of some day getting
a Master’s degree or PhD, you need to
go to grad school. That takes more than
good grades. Early preparation is key.
The Department’s hierarchy
It’s not always clear who to go to for
help or guidance in the Department of
Psychology. It is a large, complex system
composed of both graduate and
undergraduate programs, and requiring
a sizeable number of administrators--
many of whom are faculty--to run. I
attempt to break it down for you.
Picture taken in 2015
Picture taken in 2015
Picture taken in 2016