So, I have six applications to fill out, which means six cover letters to write, which means six departments’ websites to become familiar with. I have to write out my teaching statement and research statement, and X College wants me to write a whole new document addressing how my teaching fits in with the liberal arts tradition. Oh, and don’t [...]

Whether you are applying for academic jobs, applications to graduate schools, or something else, the importance of a good cover letter to an application cannot be overestimated. The cover letter is the first thing your application reviewer will see; it announces your interest in the position and briefly describes why you are attracted to, and should be considered for, the [...]

Graduate students, if you’re interested in honing your research and teaching skills this summer, IHS has some great opportunities: Liberty & the Art of Teaching Workshop The Liberty & the Art of Teaching Workshop  taking place June 28-30 at Towson University in Towson, MD welcomes teachers, both new and experienced, to discuss and experiment with best practices for the university [...]

Whether you are interviewing for faculty positions or for grad school, here’s a piece of advice on handling interview questions: every question is a request for you to tell your interviewer more about you. Questions such as, “Tell us a bit about you,” or “Tell us more about your research interests,” obviously fall into this category. Other questions – “How [...]

Recently, I attended and presented research at a fairly big national conference. As a graduate student, one already feels somewhat like an outside at a conference attended mainly by faculty. But at this conference, I felt even more like an outsider as a classical liberal because anti-market and even anti-liberal (small “l”) positions were very frequently voiced both in presentations [...]

ATTENTION GRADUATE STUDENTS: PUT DOWN THE RAMEN PICK UP A PEN APPLY FOR THE IHS HUMANE STUDIES FELLOWSHIP Step 1: Don’t stock up on ramen at Rico’s Discount Mega Mart. You won’t be needing it. Step 2: Instead, apply for the IHS Humane Studies Fellowship by Thursday January 31, 2013! Email me, Aaron Gordon (agordon @ ihs.gmu.edu) if you have any concerns. Step 3: Get money for grad [...]

Education Director at the Institute for Economics Affairs, and former IHS program officer, Steve Davies with some advice for those of you preparing for interviews on the academic job market. Steve Davies: The Job Interview from Kosmos on Vimeo.          

Given the characteristics of the academic calendar, most grad students will find themselves with a about 3-4 weeks of “down time” between the end of the fall semester and the resumption of classes in mid January. This winter break is largely unique to academia, extending beyond the typical Christmas-to-New-Years holiday period found in most other professions. When conscientious grad students [...]

In an older blog post on EconLog, Bryan Caplan lays out some guidelines for writing non-fiction that other people will actually want to read. This is great advice to think about when writing for broader audiences as a public intellectual, but it is just as important for academic writing: 1. Pick an important topic.  If someone asks you, “What are [...]

The applications for Humane Studies Fellowships went up last week. If you’ve been thinking about applying, but just haven’t gotten around to finishing your application yet, check out this profile of HSF winner John Thrasher for inspiration! The Humane Studies Fellowship offers grants of up to $15,000 for students intent on advancing classical liberal ideas. We fund students from a [...]