Grad students should maintain relationships with those both inside, outside grad school: Barkely

“At some point, graduate school will be tough. And when the going gets tough, the wise lean on each other,” writes Danielle Barkely. The author notes that while graduate school often encourages autonomy and self-direction, these values can lead to the feelings of isolation and poor mental health that are common among graduate students. To help address this issue, the author advises graduate students to maintain strong interpersonal networks made up of people both in and outside of graduate school. Barkely also advises graduate students to look at their friends in graduate school as allies rather than competitors. University Affairs