It is time again for the International Studies Association Annual Conference. With thousands of attendees, a phone book full of panels, and a slough of receptions, dinners, meetings, and opportunities, the whole thing can be a bit overwhelming as a grad student (and for everyone else too!). You’ve likely received advice on how to present your work in 10 seconds or less- but what about the rest of the conference? Here are a couple of key tips for surviving the four days and getting the most out of the experience.
Before we get to the real essentials (food, shelter, and clothing), let’s start with networking:
In addition to all the obvious tips (always wear your name tag, ask your supervisor to invite you along to some key dinners/meetings, hang out in the common areas and just generally act like you are speed dating, but for a job and contacts rather than for a mate) here are some more unconventional tips for making an impression:
- Do get up and head down to the lobby if you have jet lag and can’t sleep at 4am. There is always the potential that you’ll be invited to join a tequila tasting/debate on the norm diffusion/poker game, or that you’ll see your academic idol passed out in the lobby- who wants to miss that for reruns of ‘What Not To Wear’ in the hotel room?
- Do Google image all of your academic idols. If you end up behind Ole Waever in the Starbucks lineup you don’t want to miss the chance to (quickly) introduce yourself and tell him you use his work in your thesis. Also, if Ole comes to your panel, and you don’t recognize him, and he asks a difficult question about securitization (hey, it is possible!) you don’t want to a) accuse him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about b) go into detail about what an idiot you think Ole Waever is c) ask him if he’s related to Kevin Bacon because there is something familiar about him. On that note, Don’t (ever) use the coffee lineup, receptions, or the bar as an opportunity to ask someone like Ole to explain what they mean by social security or to tell them what aspects of their theory you think they got wrong. You may be right, and you may be brilliant, but there is a fine line between making an impression and burning a bridge/looking like a total douche.
- Don’t follow the advice “ask a question at every panel, but start by talking about your research first.” People who tell you to do this want you to fail. Yes, you should ask questions if and only if you have a strong, relevant question- let’s be honest, that won’t be at every panel. And, yes you should always introduce yourself first. But no one wants the Q&A time hijacked by someone pitching their own research- save that for the bar or receptions.
Ok, on to the other essentials:
Clothing
Choosing what to wear at a conference can actually be quite difficult as a graduate student. You want to look professional, you have no money, and you don’t want to end up looking like a little kid dressed in his/her parent’s business attire. So…
- Do remember that a full-on formal business suit isn’t necessarily the standard for men or women- especially if you are under 25. I cringe thinking about the big boxy androgynous-looking suits I wore to my first ISA. I thought I was so cool and professional but I’m sure I looked like the ‘professional’ clearance rack at Filene’s Basement threw up on me. Think- ‘what would I wear to give a guest lecture at my university’ NOT ‘what did Russel Crowe wear in a Beautiful Mind or Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile?’ Remember, navy is not mandatory, no one carries a leather briefcase with code locks, and everyone can tell the difference between real and fake pearls.
Food and Booze (or, how to get through the conference with less than $200)
The obvious ‘do‘ is to attend as many receptions as possible through the conference and graze the food. What you should also know, is receptions rarely have enough food for all the attendees, so arrive early. In fact, you can hit up one or two receptions before they actually start, fill your belly (and grab some wine) before you eventually settle on the final destination (the hotel staff setting things up recognize your ‘help me, I’m a broke grad student’ smile and leave you to fill your plate in peace). Oh, and the Feminist Theory Gender Studies reception ALWAYS has the best food (and, my opinion is also the most welcoming reception and best place to meet great and interesting people- even if this isn’t your area). Also,
- Do sign up to participate in any pre-conference workshops that seem remotely relevant to your topic. These can be a great way for you to interact with people in intimate settings- and they provide food!
- Don’t overdo it on the booze. Yes, it may be free at some receptions (not many!) but it is tough to network and hand out your card when you are completely blotto. In fact, though most aspects of the conference can be enhanced by a glass of wine or two, I recommend grad students stay sober. You’ll be 10 steps ahead of your woozy competition and you’ll actually make it to the 8am panels. There will be plenty of time to indulge when you have a job and the last thing you want to be remembered for is blurting out “I f@cking love feminism” to Ann Tickner or “I think norms are an urban myth” to Kathryn Sikkink.
- Do keep a stash of protein/granola bars, fruit, yogurts in your room and in your conference bag. This can help you avoid the $4.99 cake/cardboard muffins on offer in the halls and keep you from passing out before the receptions.
Shelter
At this stage you’ve already secured accommodation…..right?
Well in case you haven’t, Do offer to share with fellow grad students to cut down costs; however, Don’t think that stuffing four grad students into a single room will necessarily be a success. Don’t get me wrong, some of my best ISA memories involve late nights chatting it up with my ISA roomies, but unless you are discerning on this, you could end up with a snorer, an alcoholic, an insomniac, a ‘What Not to Wear’ addict, and limited access to the shower. Sometimes the best option is a single room at the hostel down the road from the conference.
What are your ISA survival tips?
Remember that you are not shirking if you don’t attend a panel at every conference session. I generally make a habit of going to one panel per conference that a) I am not actually on; b) I am not attending because I have students/friends on the panel that I want to support; and c) I am not attending because of The Show (which means: a big name panel of mooseheads doing their usual thing; attending those as a grad student is to see The Show for the first time, attending them later on is so you can participate from the audience, and either join The Show or put on a Counter-Show of your own). But only one, and I am not always successful at doing even that, because these conferences get very long very quickly. Skip a session where there’s nothing that really interests you, go take a walk, listen to some music, read a novel. You will be better in the other sessions for having taken the time to drop out. And besides which, all the really important stuff happens in the bar after the last panel session of the day, and you want to be awake and alive for that…
You will forget all this good advice when you get there. Here is all you need: you will be lost, alienated, and out of place. Embrace this. After all, how many times in our lives are we lost, alienated, and out of place all at once.
Don’t take it personally if the presentation you have been feverishly preparing has less than 3 attendees or it turns out you’re on a smashemup panel with 4 other folks who do completely different things. It’s still good practice, you’ll still meet people and you’ll still learn stuff.
have to admit that it happened to me in the past and honestly, I haven’t found a quite productive way of coping with it. And because of this, I like the ECPR model much better.
Never been to epcr. How does it work?
Panels take place within sections. Rather than roam about (which you can also do) most of the participants in the section attend the panels in the section. Better from a get-to-know people perspective, plus one might actually get feedback on a paper!
Get to meet some foreigners! You never know if you’re want to apply for a grant some day, get a fellowship, etc. and it might be useful to know people in Australia or wherever. (Met some Australians at the last ISA, and they told me that the West Coast of the US is considered a ‘quick trip’ so they always attend.) ISA offers a good opportunity to talk with Europeans doing securitization and the like.
Do some background research on who edits what journal, particularly if it’s one you’re interested in someday publishing in. IF you meet people who edit these journals, ask questions like: what types of articles are you seeing a lot these days? What do you regard as some interesting trends in the field? (And the perennial: what subjects are being done to death?) Yes you can describe something you’re working on and ask if it would be a good fit with their journal. This can keep you from wasting time submitting to the wrong places down the road. It’s also helpful to learn about journals that have bad track records in terms of things like turn-around times.
I thought we were supposed to dress like we’re in “Mona Lisa Smile.” When did the rules change?
If you were ever associated with Wellesley, then you’re still allowed, right?
My ISA wardrobe is inspired by Repo Man.
Most women’s suits lack pockets, thus, we have nowhere to stash business cards for handy use. So I always kept a few of mine in the back of my nametag for easy access.
Also, I try to go to at least one panel per conference that’s outside my area of interest that just happens to look kind of interesting. You never know what you’ll need to teach or what will become relevant to your research.
Finally, there is free breakfast at the Active Learning in International Affairs Section (ALIAS) section meeting (usually Friday morning). :-) Plus it’s a FANTASTIC group of folks and a great way for grad students to meet people outside the R1 track.
Can I also put in a plug for the GDS reception? A good place to accomplish almost every task recommended in the post.
I would second Leanne’s suggestion of attending a panel totally unrelated to your research and/or research orientation. More focused conferences generally have more homogeneity among topic or orientation. ISA is fun because of this diversity. At worst, you will just be exposed to a different way people do international studies, at best you will generate new ideas for your research and collaborate across these artificial divides.
Be curious, be friendly, be humble.
Seek out other young students instead of persistently attacking your academic idols (Nye and Mearsheimer won’t remember you as much, just say hello and move on).
Don’t buy books until the last day…just trust me on this
Lastly, be nice to the staff. Everyone’s got a story.
If you cannot get in with the it crowd network with other grad students from better schools than your own.
great – everything i despise about academia in one article…
and btw: who did ever benefit research-wise from such an event?