When I googled how to survive a graduate seminar, I institute a zillion different websites with a zillion different opinions. I realized that I could spend my unabridged graduate career reading tips on how to survive graduate seminars and graduate schoolhouse more broadly. And there would still be more to read out there!

Just here'south the best slice of communication I ever received on how to survive in a graduate seminar: learn how you acquire. Try out a strategy, assess if and how it might work for you, so keep what's useful and discard what'south not. Learning how you learn is actually how you survive in a graduate seminar (and graduate school and academia)!

Learning is a conscious, deliberate, and engaged process, and while it's not the same for any two people, foresight and system tin aid simply almost anybody become ready for a graduate seminar each calendar week. So here is my strategy for beingness intentional, expedient, and effective when you read for seminar (or for reading historical monographs more generally).

Y'all don't accept to read every word. Your instinct may be to read every word of every book. Each author took the fourth dimension to write each and every word and so they must all be important, correct? The answer to that question is the historian's favorite answer: "yep and no" and "it'southward complicated."

Aye, the author's words are important. But no, each give-and-take and sentence in a book is non as important. And, chiefly, you do not demand to give each word an equal amount of attention and mental energy. There is not enough time in a week – and it is simply not necessary – to store every sentence, case, or argument in a historical monograph in your long-term memory (or even in your notes).

One strategy to sift through all the information and pull out what'southward important is to write abbreviations while you read. I write in the margin of books when I am reading, but using postal service-its or keeping a piece of paper with respective page numbers works just as well. These abbreviations correspond to data that I know I will need for seminar. (These criteria tin alter depending on your sub-field or your faculty member's expectations).

  • "T" = Thesis (writer's overarching argument in the book or article)
  • "Arg" = argument to back up the thesis (usually 1-2 in each chapter or section of a journal article)
  • "Due south" = chief sources (archival or otherwise)
  • "HI" = historiographical intervention (what the writer is doing that other scholars have not done earlier, what is new or innovative about this book—for instance, a new source base of operations, methodological approach, geography, timespan, etc.)
  • "M" = methodology (what theoretical framework or lens the author is using to analyze their sources)
  • "RQ" = research question (the question the author is trying to answer and the parameters of answering that question)
  • "CR" = criticism (this indicates places where I think the author is falling short. For instance, if the author seems to exist stretching their testify or has left something out that should have been included to answer their RQ. Remember that good criticisms don't ask the author to do something they didn't intend to practise; they appraise the work within the bounds of its intentions and offer articulate, specific examples to back up the criticism.)
  • "FRQ" = Future Research Question (places where new ideas come to my heed, such every bit dissimilar inquiry subjects or questions that scholars could pursue as a follow up to this author's work).

Create a reward system that motivates you lot. I place a post-it at the end of each chapter so I know approximately how many pages I accept left to read. I use these postal service-its as benchmarks – as mini-motivators to get through my reading. Sometimes I add other motivators, such as a timer to challenge myself to read more expediently—I rarely become the piece of work done within the fourth dimension limit I ready simply just having the timer forces me to read more quickly. And, finally, I almost ever plan a reward for myself for when I get to a post-it (a small victory!). For instance, I'll tell myself: "when I finish this chapter, I'll become get a cup of tea" or "when I become through this section, I can eat a cookie" or "when I finish the book, I will accept a walk with my dog."

Add Post-It Notes to the ends of capacity to motivate yourself and track your progress.

Use the author'south language to hone in on important sections. Every bit you lot read, look for of import passages where you should place an abridgement (and where you lot'll demand to focus on what the author is staying and so that the information gets stored in your long-term memory). You lot might notice that the language that precedes these passages is predictable. For example, "scholars have studied ten, y, or z from a, b, or c perspectives" is likely where y'all're going to observe a historiographical intervention.

The historiographical intervention usually appears in the introduction.

The location of the of import information in a book is somewhat anticipated. Yous're probable to discover nigh of the key information in the introduction and conclusion or epilogue. And, the sub-arguments that support an author'due south overarching thesis are usually institute in the first few and last few paragraphs of each chapter. You'll want to read more than just these sections to fully sympathize the author's points, just at the very least (if you are pressed for time) make sure you advisedly read and focus on these important parts of every book.

Summarize as y'all become. At the end of each affiliate, I hand write between ii and five sentences that summarize the chapter's argument and how that chapter supports the volume's overarching thesis (which I write out at the end of the introduction). I only give myself about five minutes to practise this because time is deficient in grad school and it's more than important to have a decent summary of each book than one perfectly eloquent summary of a single chapter. They commonly look something similar the image to the left (complete with fractional thoughts, fragmented sentences, and almost unreadable penmanship!).

Make the process your own. When I've finished an entire book and made hand-written notes throughout, I go through these final steps:

  1. I sit down and blazon out the cease-of-affiliate summaries that I previously hand wrote in my book. Cheque out my book notes template here. If you practice this step, information technology gives you a chance to right whatever incomplete sentences or misspellings, and jot down page numbers with important passages, including each chapter'due south statement.
  2. I type out the overarching statement of the book. (I wait back at what I scribbled after reading the intro and compare it to what I noted when I finished the decision and typed my chapter summaries.)
  3. I go back through the volume, looking for my other symbols (ex. "S," "HI," "RQ," etc.) and type these into my notes with respective page numbers.
  4. I then type, every bit bullet points, my ideas nigh the book'southward weaknesses ("CR"), strengths, and future inquiry questions ("FRQ"), including folio numbers where I've found examples to support my analysis.
A quick glance at the endnote associated with the paragraph where I wrote "FRQ" can permit me know if a topic has already been explored.

5. I besides expect back at the Research Question (RQ) and Historiographical Intervention (Howdy) and make sure the Criticisms (CRs) and/or Hereafter Inquiry Questions (FRQs) that I've included in my notes are well evidenced. For instance, that I'm non criticizing the writer unduly past enlarging their telescopic beyond the parameters they set or coming upward with an FRQ that someone else has probably already studied. In brusk, I cheque the parameters of my CR and reassess the merits of my FRQs.

6. If I have time, I re-read what I've typed, ensuring that my notes are as precise and concise every bit possible. (I aim to keep them no more than 2 pages long.) Every bit I do this, I remind myself to trust my own memory. I'll recollect the pocket-size details if they're relevant to the discussion, which means I tin can limit what I'thou putting in my notes to the big, really of import takeaways from the volume. In curt, I attempt to write down only what is new to me so that I'yard not overwhelmed by the length or organization of my notes later on on.

7. Finally, I print my notes and go to seminar. There, I participate in the word and make any necessary corrections or additions to my typed book notes — and in that location are ever both because I'm a fallible human and I've pushed myself to be expedient! This revision is crucial so that when I become back to my book notes weeks, months, or fifty-fifty years later, I'thousand certain to find the author's argument and other central details every bit precisely as possible.

Just remember, consistency and intentions are key! Preparing for graduate seminars can be overwhelming—you ordinarily have 1-2 books to read in addition to scholarly articles, supplemental readings, and/or whatever written assignments that are due. Simply seminars are not meant to be impossible. Take fourth dimension to learn how you learn and make information technology your intention to proceed improving your strategy to read efficiently and accept notes effectively. Paying attention to how y'all (and not just the historical events you're studying) change-over-time is an of import part of graduate school, equally is continuity in your delivery to read and take meaningful notes so stick with it. You've got this!