If there is anything all of us graduate students have in common, it is that we live on a budget. Some of us have a measly assistantship stipend that gets us through, some us live on Ramen noodles and PB&J sandwiches while some of us borrow the money we need to live comfortably but with the looming worry of paying it all back after graduation. Whatever your situation, something tells me that dishing out money for a professional conference isn’t high on your priority list… but maybe it should be.

For many graduate students around the country, the beginning of a new semester means new responsibilities and experiences. For those of you who are starting your internship and/or practicum hours, here are a few tips. 1. Ask a lot of questions This sounds like a no brainer but believe me, some students approach internship and practicum from the standpoint that their supervisors are going to cover everything important. When it comes to your site and university supervisors, they want you to be as proactive as possible. Become very familiar with your internship/practicum manuals before your first day. Most site supervisors have as many questions as you do. If you can be 100% familiar with your responsibilities and requirements, it will make for a good start. And most importantly, don’t assume anything. For example, some students assume that if their site supervisor isn’t there, they can’t be there. This isn’t necessarily true in many cases. Find out for sure.

I clearly remember when my excitement for the first day of school developed. It was our yearly trips to the store for back to school supplies, the new book bag, the excitement of seeing all of your school friends, and even the stress of trying to read four summer reading books in two weeks that I loved. It was the prospect of starting over that I lived for and which has led me to strive to become a life long student.

My home isn’t much different than many American homes in the morning. As I pour my morning cup of coffee and get myself ready for the day, in the background is a cable news show. It has been years since I had a newspaper delivered to my door. In today’s virtual world I get my news from any number of news websites. I click a bookmark and I am greeted by a list of headlines. This morning the headlines read, “Afghan’s risk death to vote”, “Obama: Some bear false witness on health care”, and of course “Bikini-clad Britney heats up ‘Letterman’” and “The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers.” And the news shows aren’t much better, “Vote on what you think about Michelle Obama’s shorts,” and “Why are we so angry about heath care?”

So a few weeks ago I focused my blog on tips for increasing the likelihood of having your conference proposals accepted. This week I wanted to add a few more tips to the mix and offer some food for thought. First let’s review: 1. Proof read, proof read, proof read. You are being graded! 2. Follow the directions. 3. Choose your topic area wisely.