My Top 10 Survival Guide for Your First Residency

A student who found my blog was interested in how to prepare for her first residency so I wrote up a little something to help those who are interested in it.

1. Homework: be sure to complete the assignments as quickly as possible. I slacked off a little bit and that cost me.
2. Network with your team: find out their cell phone and room numbers, organize tasks in a way that everyone will agree to them, be friendly, and take on the leadership role if no one else does.
3. Class participation is highly recommended for your grade so: listen to the task assignments, write down everything, and ask lots of questions.
4. More networking: You also are there to get the most out of the faculty there so also ask about dissertation requirements, goals, and standards. Get the SAS list of dissertation requirements, ask about how to get a mentor, and form a committee.
5. Ask the hotel about the area for food, emergency info (like hospitals or whatever and this is not only for yourself but just in case), and transportation to and from the airport before you get there.
6. Be in the classroom early so you can setup your laptop, network with the students, and get the best breakfast picks.
7. Sometimes they give away books. Save some space in your luggage if you're traveling for that.
8. Be prepared to give individual and team presentations. Have an understanding of how PowerPoint works from a presentation standpoint (ie. talk about things you're interested in, your goals, interesting facts, add pictures, etc.)
9. Classwork: Think about leadership skills and practice deconstruction (this is something to apply to your first and second residencies)
10. Remember to have patience and remain calm. Let the teacher guide you and ask as many questions as possible.

If you haven't already, you can check out my experiences here:
http://doctorate.alexandriavelez.com/2012/01/my-first-doctoral-residency.html