the purpose of this post is to make explicit the unwritten rules, norms, and quirks of academia.
Expect to feel lost and out of place for a bit. Although you might think that graduate school is just a logical extension of what you've done as an undergraduate, it is in fact very different. You will frequently have much less structure to your classes, and they will often meet only once a week. You might only have one assignment for the whole semester. And you will almost certainly experience impostor syndrome—the sense that someone will soon discover that you aren't as smart as your fellow graduate students. Believe it or not, everyone of your fellow students has felt this way, is currently feeling this way, or will feel this way at some point. Know that it's okay to feel nervous and worried; if you cry in someone's office in the first week, you won't be the first (and neither was I). You will eventually acclimate more to your new program and location, even if you don't think so. You should also familiarize yourself with your university's mental health services.
Recognize that graduate school is a job. Hopefully every other job you have in your life will pay better than graduate school. But thinking about your school work as more "work" than "school" will help you stay focused. Working a regular schedule (dare we suggest 9-5?) in a regular location (your apartment, Starbucks, the library) will help you manage what will at first feel like an overwhelming load.
"Networking" is not just a word for MBAs. While you might think that the "life of the mind" should be played out by yourself, it's important to know that networking matters as much between scholars as it does between business students. Get to know the people in your cohort, in your program, and in the field on a national level. When you go to a conference, use your time productively by mingling with the other participants. You'll be amazed at the opportunities this can lead to. As I've mentioned in a previous post about attending conferences productively, mingling has led to invitations to write a review essay, to participate in a large project archiving and cataloging electronic literature, and hanging out with senior scholars in my field.
Recognize that graduate school should not be your entire life. Just as you wouldn't want to go in to work morning, noon, and night, every day of the week, for six years straight, you should learn when your "work day" is over in graduate school. Just because you're pursuing a masters or a doctorate doesn't mean that you should give up your other hobbies and loves. Get out and exercise; work on your yo-yo; write for a campus humor magazine; form a band; be active in your local garden co-op. What you do doesn't matter so much as that you do something besides graduate school.
Understand that you're not locked into a particular field, project, or personality. When you arrive at grad school, you will likely have a sense of what you want to work on. After all, this is what you discuss in your statement of purpose. You'll hear that some people change their topics or even fields, but you might think that that will never happen to you. It might not, but it's absolutely okay if it does. Likewise, you're not obligated to work with the faculty members you initially thought would be your mentors. Be open to the new subjects that your coursework will provide you.
Plan ahead for more than one job. Graduate school is for the most part designed to prepare you for a tenure-track job at a university. But we hope we're not the first to let you know that finding a job in academia is very, very difficult. We want to wish you the very best in this pursuit but simultaneously want to suggest that you remain as open as possible to other paths of employment. Such positions could include what Bethany Nowviskie and others have taken to calling "alt-ac," alternative academic careers that include, as Bethany puts it, "administrators with varied levels of responsibility for supporting the academic enterprise; instructional technologists and software developers who collaborate on scholarly projects; journalists, editors, and publishers; cultural heritage workers in a variety of roles and institutions; librarians, archivists, and other information professionals; entrepreneurs who partner on projects of value to scholars, program officers for funding agencies and humanities centers, and many more." And you need not feel bound to the academy by your degree; there are many people with advanced degrees in any number of fields outside of higher education.
Unfortunately, graduate schools are not yet very good at preparing you for these alt-ac or "non-ac" positions. So to keep your options open for the future—and since it is your future, you have every right to keep as many options open as possible—we suggest pursuing internships or part-time jobs outside of your program. Working part-time in administration as a graduate student can help get your foot in the door for a post-graduation position. Interning for a non-profit off campus can help you show that you have "real world" experience working in teams and outside of the university structure. Take opportunities where you can find them to build transferable skills. Furthermore, we'd suggest seeking out alt-academics on your campus and graduate-degreed non-academics in your wider world to get their perspectives on other things one can do with a graduate education outside of the tenure track.
Build an online profile. Whether you pursue jobs on or off the tenure track (or both), you can count on the fact that people will be Googling you (or Binging you—who knows what will happen in 6+ years?). For this reason, you want to start now in building an online profile so that you'll like what they find. You can start by Googling yourself to see what information is out there already. Then work to grab your own space on the web, whether it's a blog, wiki, static website, or space on Twitter (or all four). In these spaces you should keep your updated CV, materials related to courses you've taught, first drafts of your work, or anything else to help colleagues and potential employers understand your research, teaching, and skill profiles. As guest ProfHacker and friend Dave Parry wrote in a post on academic branding, you want your profile to "demonstrate to the world what type of scholar you are, and what you do." I personally recommend using your real name, as it will establish your online foothold that much more strongly.
Once you've established your own foothold, follow Julie's advice on surviving graduate school via social media and "immerse yourself in the academic community." Become an active participant on blogs in your field. Knowledge production moves fast today, and it's just as important that you know what is being said on blogs as in journals—seriously. Being present on blogs, Twitter, and other places where scholars of like mind congregate is an important method for networking. And as Amy wrote previously about using social media to network, you'll likely be surprised what opportunities will present themselves...
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