I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

A very useful book to PhD life. I must admit I was very put off in the beginning by all the parenting and family talk. Even though I am quite old for a PhD student, I am totally not in this stage of my life (never will be to be honest) and I know no one in my PhD circle who is, actually. Maybe it's different where the author's from, but in Germany and the Netherlands PhD students are quite young. After a while I could put the annoyance aside, when the focus was more on the actual PhD work aspects. The author did their best to include many tips, basic how-to's and introductions on things that you can encounter during your PhD (or Master's). I especially found the exhaustive resources list at the end very helpful. Most information stays a bit surface level, but then with the additional resources you can choose whatever you want to dive further into. Overall, good read, nice introduction to PhD life.

As a current graduate student, I knew that this book was one I couldn't resist. As I often find myself trying to juggle school, work, and a social life, it is easy to find yourself teetering on the edge of burnout.

That's where Grad School Life by Jacqueline M. Kory-Westlund comes in. The author presents a realistic expectation of the graduate school experience and how to leverage the knowledge gained in academia into a successful career.

I would highly recommend this book to all of those who are thinking about pursuing advanced degrees, who are currently in advanced degree programs, as well as academic advisors of students who are looking into furthering their education.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the ARC of this book.

“Grad School Life” by Jacqueline M. Kory-Westlund

This book has so much relevant information and great ideas. I do not have a master’s or PhD yet, but it is nice to know what I need to think about and do to maximize what I can get out of it when I finally get there. It will be nice to have a book on hand for when I need it rather than just wishing I knew all this information sooner, so I don’t waste so much money. I liked that the book focuses on more than just the educational aspect of life and the need to build other foundations so there’s a great structure to your life when finally, out of school. I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars, worth owning.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have worked in higher education for 14 years, my first master's degree is in Higher Education Administration, and currently I advise 120 PhD students and 115 master's students in a STEM field at an R1 university. I was beyond thrilled to be able to read Grad School Life by Jacqueline M. Kory-Westlund.

Every single thing Kory-Westlund has in this book is relevant and necessary information for anyone wishing to potentially pursue a master's or PhD, or those who are already enrolled in a program. I probably highlighted half the book because they are the exact things I tell my students based on my own experiences, and now I have even more data and resources to share with them when needed.

I cannot say enough good things about Grad School Life. It is such a needed book/resource and it answers so many questions or provides background on the minute details students may not think of. For example, in my first master's, about 3/4 of my program came immediately from undergrad, and, at 28, I was the fourth oldest person in the program, and one of the only people with actual experience in higher education. While I knew enough to get in-state tuition and scholarships and to recognize why this degree was needed for me to move up in my career, when I look at my LinkedIn now, the majority of my classmates do not work in anything related to education - and they were the ones paying out-of-state costs of around $65k a year. in a field that is not known for its salary. For how meta it is to study education while in education, I wanted to shake all of them and ask what they were thinking. While STEM is more lucrative, everything from Grad School Life that applies to educators/humanities is just as relevant to STEM students. I had a friend in a Chemical Engineering PhD program at Georgia Tech, who, in their final year, decided they hated engineering and wanted to move to an MBA. I work with engineers every day who struggle with talking to their advisor, planning for major life events, or recognizing that they hate research. Again, Kory-Westlund manages to address all of these items.

This book comes out the week after our 2024 PhD recruitment weekend, and I am going to request my department buy multiple copies, and recommend it as a resource in my own advising appointments.