the back-to-school list

on the bus the other day, a friend asked me if grad students have back-to-school lists. at first, i thought about this literally and responded, "nope, just books, a pen, and a notebook." but thinking it over, i realized that there are definitely things grad students need to survive grad school. here, i list the essentials:

a safe, quiet space to sleep
seriously, there is nothing i appreciate more after a long day of work/school/studying/etc than falling asleep in my quiet, peaceful home. sometimes, a person needs a nap in the middle of a saturday afternoon to make it through a weekend of reading, and that is totally reasonable. at the same time, if you don't have a safe, quiet space to rest, you will probably double your stress level, so i think this particular item is really important for sanity and peace of mind during grad school.

one night a week devoted to NOT working
not sure this needs much explanation, but the truth is that you work better and more efficiently when you designate a certain amount of time to not working. it doesn't matter if you're going on a date with a spouse or partner, spending time with a pet, or doing absolutely nothing. the only thing you have to do is not do homework.

a once-a-week hang-out with friends
my girlfriends have saved my life so many times during this hectic year, and it always helps to have a group that you go to for friendship, support, and fun. it's possible that you might start planning a once-a-week hang-out with your cohort, too, and this is great because you can complain about class, chat about readings and work, and still have a good time together.

an exercise plan
ok... i'm still working on this one, but exercise does wonders to reduce stress. i'm sure there's research to cite on this, but this is melblogsgse, so you'll just have to take my word for it. last semester, i got into bikram yoga and i'd like to do that again this year. exercising reduces stress, but it also helps me to reconnect with myself in a peaceful and calm way, and i leave feeling reenergized, even ready to work with a clear head.

a therapist
i'm still working on this one too, but most of my grad student friends have therapists and find it helps them to sort through a lot of the weird messiness of grad life. if you're a full-time student, you get free counseling through CAPS; otherwise, CAPS might be able to point you in the direction of other free or cheap services. if you're a full-time penn employee, you can arrange for free counseling through EAP, which offers 7 or 8 free sessions per "issue." EAP has a partnership with council for relationships, which has tons of offices in philly and surrounding areas.

school supplies
as for actual school supplies, i've been obsessed with the uni-ball vision elite pens and the moleskine large plain notebook. i rationalize that it's worth spending money on these two things because i save money by buying my books on half.com. not sure how accurate the math is on these savings, but it helps me sleep at night.