Any interaction that you have with your letter writer is fair game for inclusion in a letter - explicitly or implicitly, for better or for worse. This means you should be taking every opportunity to demonstrate:

• reliability

• responsiveness

• professionalism (including good time management skills)

• positivity

• honesty

• proactivity / independence

E-mail is how academia communicates, and a very easy way to endear yourself to your advisors, colleagues, and potential collaborators is to manage your e-mail well. What does this mean?

• reliability

• responsiveness

• professionalism (including good time management skills)

• positivity

• honesty

• proactivity / independence

Welcome! You’re in good company, as a large proportion of successful academics are neurodivergent.

• If you need accommodations, get them through DRS.

• Access the D Center.

• Consider joining Autistics @ UW or Huskies for Neurodiversity

• Read Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley or Thriving with Adult ADHD by Phil Boissiere

• Read The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin

• Work with your advisor, GPA, and GPC to develop strategies that work for your brain.

• Develop a file folder system on your hard drive and for your e-mail.

• Gmail bad, Thunderbird good.

• Keep a lab notebook on paper or on your computer (e.g., Evernote).

• Back up your computer onto at least one additional physical disk and one additional cloud-based space.

• Use the system you developed at the beginning of the quarter (calendar, to-do list, weekly meeting to bring them together).

There will come a time that you want something big. Here’s how to get it:

• Build the relationships (see advice on letter writers above).

• Be direct.

• Do not manipulate - people can sense this a mile away, and it dissuades their cooperation.

• Give them an out - if people feel cornered, it dissuades their cooperation.

• Use face-to-face meetings for high-stakes conversations (not e-mail or text).

• Do not demand - collaborate. (Don’t say “no”, say “let’s go!”)

There is always more to do than there is time to do it. If that’s so, how do you stay balanced?

• Align your time with your priorities.

• Write every weekday.

• Sleep at least 8 hours per night.

• Find ways around your writing resistance.

• Say no to things that don’t advance your goals (enough).

• Cultivate your mentoring network.

• Don’t aim for perfection - aim for grit.

• Connect with your source of science joy as often as you can.