Congratulations! At long last your are a graduate student.No more pushing for "the man," no more pesky courses, no more worries about how to pay for your education...

Yeah! Right! And if you believe that, here's a list of things you should know.

Things you should know about being a graduate student.

1. Although grad students have a great deal more freedom than undergraduates, hard work (sometimes not fun, not rewarding, boring, buzz-killing hard work) is involved.
2. Working hard does not automatically make you a success, but it is a prerequisite.Hard work and responsibility are hallmarks of people who care about what they are doing.
3. Care, simple as that. Passion, enthusiasm, excitement: they should describe you and infect others around you. Let passion drive your work. If it doesn't, remember that...
4. Having fun and taking periodic (short) breaks to recover is more effective than non-stop work, and ultimately more productive: Life is about a good balance, and burning out is likely if you forget this: The happy student is the productive one.
5. Speaking of which, classes are still required: have fun, be responsible and make your advisor proud. You never know when something (or someone) in class will be helpful.
6. Get priorities: money and time are precious - never more so than as a student. Ask yourself what you really need, what is really important. If you leave these till last, they will not happen.

Things you should know how to do.

1. Write and publish papers.
2. Write and get grants.
3. Review well and responsibly.
4. Teach effectively.
5. Think flexibly about a broad array of things.

People whose work and history you should know intimately.

• Richard Aslin
• Lakshmi Gogate
• Lila Gleitman
• Kathy Hirsh-Pasek & Roberta Golinkoff
• Peter Jusczyk
• Elissa Newport
• Daniel Swingley
• Janet Werker