Tips for Grads: Maximizing your graduate experience with DiscoverPD

By Foram Gathia, PhD student

DiscoverPD is an essential resource for master’s and doctoral students offering a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance your professional development. This online platform is tailored to support graduate students in their journey through academia and beyond, ensuring they acquire the skills and experiences necessary for a successful career.

DiscoverPD provides a self-assessment tool that helps you identify your strengths and areas for growth across eight core competencies. These competencies include leadership, communication, career development, and more, ensuring a well-rounded approach to your professional development. By evaluating your current skills, DiscoverPD allows you to create a personalized development plan, setting clear goals and identifying resources to achieve them.

The platform also offers access to a wide range of workshops, seminars, and events specifically curated for graduate students. These events cover diverse topics such as effective teaching, research methodologies, grant writing, and career planning, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to excel in both academic and non-academic settings.

Additionally, DiscoverPD features a robust database of resources, including articles, videos, and tutorials on various aspects of professional development. Whether you need tips on time management, guidance on networking, or strategies for job searching, DiscoverPD provides the tools and information to support your growth.

Furthermore, the platform encourages continuous reflection and reassessment, allowing you to track your progress and adjust your development plan as needed. This dynamic approach ensures that you remain proactive and adaptable in your professional journey. Log in now to begin the journey with DiscoverPD!


Tips for Grads is a professional and academic advice column written by graduate students for graduate students at UW­–Madison. It is published in the student newsletter, GradConnections Weekly.