I plan my week on Sundays and when I’ll do what. I try to have a hard stop at night before 11pm and wind down by reading. 

Create a detailed study schedule that allocates specific times for each course, assignments, and personal time.

This year I have utilized my Outlook Calendar so much to help me stay on top of my coursework as well as my job responsibilities. To stay productive I really like to write out to-do lists because it motivates me when I am able to check items off of my list!

Giving myself breaks has been super helpful, especially during the evenings and on weekends. If I am studying for a quiz or exam, I use the pomodoro technique and have an app that helps me with that. The app is called “Pomodoro” and it is free. It allows me to set the amount of time I want to allocate for work and for breaks. If I am working on various assignments, I will write to-do lists and put in priority what needs to be done first. Checking things off my to-do lists is always satisfying.

DO the important tasks

Make a schedule for study

Stick to my schedule

Break large tasks into smaller steps.

Challenge: Balancing coursework and commitments can limit time for extracurriculars.

Strategy: Prioritize and schedule activities, starting with small commitments. 

I will give one full day mostly for one GRA and the the next full day for my other GRA. I give the rest of the week for my class work

I find it difficult to study at home sometimes as I lose focus easily. I like to come to CPH on the weekends and reserve a study room so I am isolated and fully focused. I also rely heavily on my Outlook calendar. I schedule times to study so nobody can request that time.

Recently, I have been setting aside 5 hours on Sundays to try to complete as much homework as possible for the week to reduce stress and workload for the week.

Completing the assignments before the due date or reviewing the materials in advance has been helpful

Going through the lectures the same day they’re uploaded or attending them live is really helpful. Also, doing the assignments well within time rather than scrambling to complete them a day before or hours before submission is more effective.

Use “do not disturb” mode on devices; it’s okay to say “no” to side quests

I typically have a planner from events recorded in the syllabus that i cross off when i complete the assignment.

Students who have been in the program longer (are years ahead), have been paramount to success in classes. Tips, tricks, encouragement. That has been super helpful with navigating coursework. Additionally, I think faculty and staff have been helpful with jumping into the research/work side of the program.

I work in a lab at UIHC which I found through networking, which entails lab meetings and research

Join student organizations related to your field and actively participate to expand your network and gain experience

Joining groups in CPH like Here to Help, Global health, and the global health case competition have provided huge networking and growth opportunities.

Student organizations or clubs within or outside public health can connect you with people and unique career opportunities and paths to incorporate and diversify your development.

Being involved with the ESA has allowed me to grow closer to faculty and staff in the department as well as allowing me to connect with my peers. It has helped me learn to advocate for others as well as how to connect with students to create programs and events that fit their needs.

It’s easier said than done, but allowing myself to take breaks/a day off when I need it. I used to try to force myself to be productive when my mind/body didn’t want to, which always left me feeling more burnt out and stressed. While academics are important, you need to find the balance where you also prioritize your well-being.

In relation to the previous point: Allowing myself to communicate my needs with my professors/supervisors when needed. A lot of students can be afraid to show that they are struggling/need help, but we are blessed to have a college full of understanding professors/faculty who will work with you to ensure you succeed.

Recognizing when I’m going into a spiral/’stress-freeze. With the recent political/career climate, getting stuck in negative mindsets about the future/what ifs is very easy. This is when I try to get myself to be productive even if it is something small like catching up on emails. (If I can’t do that, that’s when I recognize to give myself a break).

Doing creative things turns off the side of your brain that controls/recognizes the feeling of anxiety. When I’ve gotten anxious about politics, school, or lack of productivity (or all three), I’ll take a break or have a self-care night where I’ll cook myself a meal, listen to some music, create something, clean, etc. (basically anything that forces you to focus on what you are doing in the present).

Another way I’ve been making sure to control my anxiety is making sure I’m getting enough sleep, food, water, and social interaction/support (all of which I know graduate students put off). A lot of anxiety comes from your body telling you it needs more energy, so I try to make sure I’m getting enough protein and sugar/water (low blood sugar and dehydration kills focus) throughout the day. A lot of people also forget bottling things up can affect your focus and energy.

I have found that volunteering with UI Healthcare has been super rewarding. I try to disconnect from grad school by volunteering and focusing on helping others. I find comfort in knowing I am helping others during my free time.

I have been doing better about taking care of my personal health – exercising regularly and eating healthy.

1.) Finding activities/clubs that allow me to destress and unplug/separate from school and work (ultimate frisbee, climbing, going on bike rides or walks)

2.) Participating/Involving myself in more organizations that explore my passions/career paths (Strike Force, IPHA/APHA events, IMU + CPH lecture series)

3.) Connecting/Networking more with my professors and coworkers that align with personal and professional passions

I utilize counseling/therapy as well as making sure I catch up with friends and family.

I ride at a barn that is pretty close to campus. This is not associated with the university but it has been huge for my mental and physical health. 

The Writing Center has services that are offered to all graduate students at the University of Iowa FOR FREE. Did you know that the University of Iowa is also referred to as The Writing University? Take advantage of the rich expertise on our campus and have these professionals take a look at materials such as writing projects from course assignments, job application materials, journal/article submissions, or even creative pieces.

Inclusive teaching is a pedagogical approach that aims to create a learning environment where all students feel valued, respected, and engaged.

Each semester, the Inclusive Teaching Book Club reads through a book together, engaging in monthly discussions to consider practical, evidence-based strategies to make instruction, course design, and the classroom experience more welcoming for students of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities.

Faculty, graduate students, post-docs, and instructional staff from across campus are all welcome to participate in the book club. Members meet once a month to:

• Find new ways to support their students’ diverse learning needs
• Deepen their understanding of inclusive teaching
• Exchange experiences, questions, stories, and creative teaching ideas
• Connect with colleagues from across disciplines
• Build community with others at the UI

The Center for the Integration of Teaching, Research & Learning helps graduate students and post-doctoral scholars learn effective teaching practice by focusing on three core ideas:

• Teaching as Research
• Learning Through Diversity
• Learning Communities

The Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) is the University of Iowa’s only Iowa Board of Regents approved premier interdisciplinary social science research center.

CSSI provides faculty, staff, students, and community members across the state of Iowa and beyond the resources and support they need to investigate the most important issues facing our society.

The Grad Success Center supports graduate students’ professional, academic, and personal success during graduate school and beyond. We’re here to help you plan to make the most of your time here in graduate school, to apply for external grants and fellowships to fund your work, to find and apply for jobs, to hone your teaching practice, and to communicate your research to a variety of audiences.

Whether you have no idea what you want to do after graduate school or know exactly which pathways you want to pursue, we’re here to help. Check out our services, make an appointment, or sign up for our professional development newsletter today.

Most students in the Department of Epidemiology find the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences to be an incredibly valuable resource at one point or another during their program. Take advantage of health sciences resources, workshops, tools, and the expertise of the Hardin staff to support your information needs.

Schedule appointments with CPH Career Services for guidance on job searching, resumes, and attend workshops and career fairs.

In addition to consultations for CPH students seeking employment during and after their degree program, make sure to check out online tutorials and skill-building databases such as:

• PH Spot
• Big Interview
• Global Careers
• MyNextMove

The IPHPRP Global Health Case Competition hosts one interdisciplinary competition each year. Students from all UI colleges and departments are encouraged to participate. The top 3 teams will receive cash prizes up to $500 per person, with the grand prize being a chance to implement your intervention with a company working in health services overseas.

Graduate College

The Graduate College has several opportunities for current students to apply for and obtain scholarships and fellowships that can help finance your education. Please book an appointment with the Graduate Success Center to consult with experts on options that might be available to you!

• Internal Fellowships
• External Fellowships and Grant Support
• Graduate Assistantships and Loans

College of Public Health

• Advancing Graduate Student Success Award
• CPH Global Public Health Student Travel Award
• Dr. Carol S. Gleich Development Award
• Graduate & Professional Student Government Grants for Students
• MPH Funding Request for Professional Development

Department of Epidemiology

• Epidemiology Application for Department Degree-Related Travel Funds

Using surge capacity, service learning and Just-in-Time models, students will be deployed for hands-on learning opportunities that transition theory into practice while addressing emerging public health issues. A broad and diverse repertoire of community service, emergency response, model and analytics development, systems thinking, and outcome analysis is offered to the public health community.  These opportunities will augment the students’ academic training to develop our emerging public health leaders to be adaptable and capable of guiding programs that improve health for entire populations.

For more information about the Strike Force contact ui-strikeforce@uiowa.edu, Bonnie Rubin (Faculty Sponsor) at bonnie-rubin@uiowa.edu, Tricia Kitzmann (Program coordinator) at tricia-kitzman@uiowa.edu.

• Microsoft Calendar is used by all faculty/staff and is strongly encouraged for students. Check out how to add your course meeting times/locations to your calendar, how to add Zoom plugins, and other best practices!
• Microsoft OneDrive – Use to be able to save your documents to a secure and reliable cloud system that you can access anywhere on or off campus!
• Microsoft To Do is a simple and intelligent to-do list that helps you manage all your tasks in one place. With To Do’s integration with Outlook, you can use My Day to see your upcoming calendar events and tasks anywhere in Outlook, including Mail, Calendar, and People. If you’re using classic (or legacy) Outlook, you’ve got the option to use To Do, or classic Tasks. 
• Microsoft Loop is a transformative co-creation experience that brings together teams, content, and tasks across your tools and devices. Loop combines a powerful and flexible canvas with portable components that move freely and stay in sync across applications—enabling teams to think, plan, and create together.
• Microsoft Planner brings together the simplicity of To Do, collaboration of Planner, power of Microsoft Project, and intelligence of Microsoft Copilot into a single, simple solution that spans from individual task management to enterprise and professional project management.​​

Used by several students, Trello is known as the “productivity powerhouse.” Similar to the Microsoft tools, it helps you stay efficient through your inbox, task boards, and a planner.

EndNote Basic is a web-based bibliographic management tool for collecting, organizing, sharing and formatting citations.

All University of Iowa students, faculty and staff are eligible for a free EndNote Basic account.

Pomodor is a pomodoro timer web app based on The Pomodoro Technique, made to help you focus on what matters!

• CDC
• PubMed
• WHO
• Osmosis
• Chegg
• StuDoc

Staying up to date on the literature for your area of research interest; ideally a student would have engaged in a form of literature review for their master’s thesis or MPH practicum or for PhD students, and the PubMed search term used can be saved and one can set up e-mail alerts for new publications that become indexed on PubMed so that a student may be able to continue stay engaged with the body of literature, even after a particular project has ended, which may provide opportunities to be creative and in asking research questions not asked in one field but have been done in another; endnote reference management system

Regularly monitor job boards specific to your field and set up alerts for new postings that match your interests

Challenge: Building a professional network can be intimidating.

Strategy: Attend networking events and use LinkedIn to connect with professionals.