The Unwritten Rules of Professional Etiquette: Building a Positive Reputation in Graduate School

by Ryan Sharma

Did you know that your reputation among your faculty is more important for your future career than your grades? Did you know that their opinions of you will determine your access to special opportunities, awards, and recommendations? Do you want to know what your faculty members are thinking about you? There are many unwritten expectations in grad school that—if you are not aware of them—can jeopardize your academic and professional opportunities. The Unwritten Rules of Professional Etiquette gives you an honest account of the ways faculty silently judge students without pulling any punches. With this straightforward advice you can sidestep the hidden graduate school pitfalls and emerge at the top of your class. Covering topics such as email etiquette, excelling in interviews, responding to constructive feedback, and dealing with difficult faculty, this compendium is an essential resource for navigating the complex world of academic relationships. While this is an indispensable handbook for graduate students, undergrads practicing this advice will be truly outstanding.

Genres: Psychology

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2020

About the author

Psychologist and associate professor Ryan Sharma has been mentoring students through higher education for over 14 years, teaching classes in professionalism, consultation, and clinical supervision. In his role as the director of clinical training at California Lutheran University, he helps students develop their professional identity so that they can be successful working alongside seasoned clinicians. When he is not teaching or treating anxiety in his private practice, he is either woodworking or spending time with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Grace Glackin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for class. Explains how to be appropriate and professional in academic and workplace climates. Super helpful, but reading it will make you realize you are doing everything wrong.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for graduate school, but honestly I feel like this book would be good for undergrads and even high schoolers. Even though it advertises for graduate school, there are so many topics covered in here for how to be professional. Alot of these skills were serve you well in any job interview or with professors in any grade.

[Anna Dabrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a required book for my upcoming term in March but I got ahead of myself and started reading before the class actually started. I would say this was well written & and easy to get through. This book is directed towards Graduate students but honestly this would even be beneficial to students who take the “College and Careers” course in their junior or senior year of high school. Obviously not all the material may be applicable to their current situation but it certainly would be insightful to young learners who will be venturing out into the adult world.

[Lindsey Frechette · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay but i don’t think it was anything revolutionary. there were some important issues around dealing with difficult faculty or inappropriate situations regarding faculty but otherwise, i would hope that undergrad covered a lot of these issues and this served more as a brush up on things like email etiquette, talking with professors, asking for help, etc. i’m sure i’ll be referencing this book later in my program when i need it though, so maybe it’s the bias in me

[Karlie Majure · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I had to read for class and ended up loving it. This should be a required reading for more classes. It teaches the reader things that are not taught in the classroom and would’ve been taught the hard way. There were so many great points I will definitely be going back to this book throughout my career

[Kyle Leon Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am returning to school after fifteen years to pursue my masters degree and much has changed. What has not changed is the etiquette of a professional setting. This book was concise and efficient at getting my mindset primed and ready to enter into a masters program. Worth the read because it was inexpensive and a quick read.

[Anna Niedzwiecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read it for PA school but honestly had some good advice in it (which I’m guessing is why we had to read it👍🏻)

[Carter Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required to read for graduate seminar. Easy to read, very short, good advice!