What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School

What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School provides practical guidance for navigating academic careers in higher education. The book compiles lessons and insider knowledge from decades of faculty experience at research universities. The text is structured as 199 concise tips covering topics from securing academic positions to managing departmental politics. Each section addresses a specific challenge or milestone in academic life, with direct advice about handling professional relationships, teaching responsibilities, and research obligations. The authors draw from their backgrounds as professors and administrators to expose hidden rules and unspoken expectations of academia. Their insights span daily practicalities to long-term career strategy. The book serves as an informal manual for academic survival and success, filling gaps between formal graduate training and actual faculty life. Its straightforward approach acknowledges both the intellectual and interpersonal dimensions of building an academic career.

Readers describe this as a practical guide filled with frank advice about academic career realities. The short, numbered sections make it easy to reference specific topics. What readers liked: - Real-world survival tips not covered in formal training - Honest discussion of politics and power dynamics in academia - Useful for both graduate students and early-career faculty - Humor and straightforward writing style - Specific advice on teaching, publishing, and tenure What readers disliked: - Some advice seen as overly cynical or negative - Focus mainly on research universities rather than teaching colleges - Dated references in older editions - Limited coverage of humanities/social sciences Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (243 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (116 ratings) Notable review quote: "Like having a brutally honest mentor give you the inside scoop on how academia really works" - Amazon reviewer The book particularly resonates with PhD students and postdocs transitioning to faculty positions.

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A PhD Is Not Enough by Peter J. Feibelman This book fills gaps in professional development knowledge for scientists, focusing on career navigation, lab leadership, and research publication.

The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career by John A. Goldsmith, John Komlos, and Penny Schine Gold The text provides insights into faculty life, tenure processes, and academic culture through experiences of professors across different institution types.

Getting What You Came For by Robert Peters This manual covers the hidden curriculum of graduate school, from selecting advisors to writing dissertations and managing departmental politics.

Tomorrow's Professor by Richard M. Reis The book presents strategies for transitioning from graduate student to faculty member, including teaching methods, research development, and time management.

🎓 Paul Gray served as founding dean of the School of Information Systems and Technology at Claremont Graduate University, bringing real-world academic leadership experience to the book's insights. 📚 The book originated from a single-page list of advice that author Paul Gray would give to his doctoral students, which grew over 40 years into this comprehensive guide. 🌟 The authors intentionally kept each piece of advice brief—typically just a paragraph or two—making the book easy to digest in small portions or reference quickly. 🔍 Despite its humorous tone, the book addresses serious issues like academic politics, tenure processes, and research funding that many graduate programs avoid discussing openly. 💡 The book's format inspired several similar works in other fields, creating a new genre of "insider guides" for graduate students and early-career academics.