Welcome to graduate school at UW–Madison! This is the page for spring 2021 New Graduate Student Welcome activities. We hope you enjoy this virtual, on-demand introduction to the campus leaders, resources, and services that are here to help you succeed as a graduate student.
Activities
All of the activities on this page are available on-demand throughout the week so you can explore them at your own pace.
If a schedule is more your style, here is a suggestion to use or modify. This schedule includes all of the New Graduate Student Welcome and Welcome Week activities to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Monday, Jan. 18:
- Watch the Welcome Remarks by campus leadership
- Tune in to one of the three graduate student panels depending on your degree track:
Tuesday, Jan. 19:
- Watch Time Management for Graduate Students
- Enroll in the Canvas course on Successful Online Learning to explore strategies to prepare to learn remotely, engage in your courses, and maximize your time
Wednesday, Jan. 20:
- Explore the Resource Fair to get acquainted with campus and community resources
Thursday, Jan. 21:
- Watch How to Develop a Mentor Network for Academic and Career Success (NetID login required)
- Watch Flourishing in Graduate School: How to Manage Stress and Maintain Your Mental Health (NetID login required)
Friday, Jan. 22:
Resource Fair
Explore videos and information about the campus and community services that are available to help graduate students succeed at UW–Madison.
Master’s Student Panel
A panel of seasoned graduate students will answer large and small questions from new students.
PhD Student Panels
A panel of seasoned graduate students will answer large and small questions from new students.
Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences
Watch the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences Student Panel
Biological Sciences & Physical Sciences
Watch the Biological Sciences & Physical Sciences Student Panel
(Please note, the recording begins part way through the panel.)
More Welcome Week Workshops
In addition to New Graduate Student Welcome activities on this page, new students can watch on-demand recordings of these Welcome Week events.
Time Management for Graduate Students
In this workshop, you will learn tips and techniques for staying on track and managing your time. We’ll cover goal-setting, minimizing distractions and staying focused, and overcoming some of the most common challenges to staying on task. Participants will leave with strategies that they can apply immediately. The strategies we’ll cover are appropriate for students in any discipline.
Successful Online Learning
Explore strategies to prepare to learn remotely, engage in your courses, and maximize your time. This module, from the Graduate School, is for grad students taking their first online course or those looking for some new resources on online learning.
How to Develop a Mentor Network for Academic and Career Success
In this webinar for graduate students, Fatimah Williams, founder and CEO of Beyond the Tenure Track will help graduate students discover how to build meaningful, robust relationships with a diverse network of mentors and how to draw on mentorship to achieve academic and career goals. Attendees will leave the workshop better able to identify potential mentors from the university and beyond, confidently build meaningful relationships with career advocates, and develop a professional presence.
Note: NetID login is required to view this recording.
Flourishing in Graduate School: How to Manage Stress and Maintain Your Mental Health
Want to make graduate school a time to thrive and not just survive? This workshop will focus on promotion of psychological well-being in graduate school. Topics covered will arm graduate students with strategies to thrive through the challenges of graduate school, including managing the transition/adjustment process, coping with stress, promoting work/life balance, and establishing habits to maintain or improve mental health.
Note: NetID login is required to view this recording.
Cool Tools: Apps and More to Increase Productivity
Prepare to maximize your time and energy this semester by taking advantage of software available to UW–Madison graduate students that can help streamline your workflow. This virtual workshop, presented by Pete Valeo from Software Training for Students (STS), will introduce you to both basic and advanced software tools, including cloud storage services, notetaking apps, mobile scanners, research tools, tasks managers, password managers, lifestyle apps, and more.
Note: NetID login is required to view this recording.