General Conferencing Advice for Grad Students

Mental and Physical Health Advice

• Conference venues are typically cold. Really cold. Wear long sleeves or bring a jacket. In general, bringing an optional additional layer (one more layer than you think you will need) that you can keep in your bag if you don’t need it, or throw on if you do, is a good strategy.
• Because of the epic levels of air conditioning, your eyes might feel really dry (like they are made of sandpaper) and/or turn super red and veiny. Bring eye drops (not ClearEyes, which uses vein constrictors, but “eye lubricant”). Use them morning and night, and maybe bring them with you in your bag (in a baggy so they don’t spill on your stuff) and use them throughout the day. If you wear contacts, you might decide to skip them, but see how you do and what your comfort level is. 
• It’s also very easy to get dehydrated during a conference, especially after flying in and given the AC. Bring a water bottle. Conferences usually have water available, but panels are long and you need to hydrate during a panel, not just between. I also bring cough drops because my throat tends to dry up, even drinking epic amounts of water (plus, I do a lot of talking at conferences). 
• Conferences can be over-stimulating (socially, intellectually, and sensorially), especially if you are prone to anxiety or overstimulation. Many organizations now have dedicated quiet rooms for people to go to if they are feeling overwhelmed or just need a break.
  • Scheduling yourself some alone time every day is a good strategy. 
  • If you are prone to overstimulation, you might find it difficult to sleep at night during conferences. If you have a winddown practice, don’t skip it; if you don’t have a winddown practice, think about what will help you to relax. I bring packets of chamomile tea, which I can brew using in-room coffee pots. I also meditate. Reading something light before bed also helps. 
  • Conferences are also intellectually overstimulating, which is both good and bad. Often, I’ll have so many ideas during a conference. I’ll feel really energized at times. But as soon as I get on a plane and go home, I start to deflate. So I try to leave myself time throughout the conference and especially on the last day to brain dump or write out some of my ideas in greater detail. 
• Try to schedule yourself some time to exercise (to your comfort level), whether this means walking to get your morning coffee a few blocks away, even if there is a coffee shop in the conference hotel, or doing pushups or yoga in your room, or going for a walk around the city. This will help keep your immune system in good working order, your head clear(er), burn off some anxiety or nervous energy, and generally keep you comfortable and happy (or at least more than you would be otherwise). 
• Conferencing often involves a lot of sitting and standing for long periods of time. Especially if you are prone to back pain, make time for back stretches. I use The Founder.
• Conferences can be really exhausting (especially if you’re going to a lot of panels, networking, going to dinners, etc.). Try to schedule yourself some down time when you get back, at least a day or two if at all possible. Try to avoid agreeing to stressful things and deadlines after the conference (or finish the work before the conference). More rote activities are better. Typically, I’m just spent for about a week after, especially if I’m not able to follow my own above advice.
• Conferencing often means changing time zones, especially for us in Hawaii. Prepare for this at least several days before you leave, by adjusting your bedtime and wake time. If you are scheduling meetings during the conference, give yourself ample time in the mornings and evenings. I used to schedule coffee meetings, but given the time change and a really busy schedule during the day (that usually winds me up so it’s harder to fall asleep at night), I no longer do early morning coffee meetings. Sleep is essential for getting the most out of your conference—and not getting sick in the process. Aim for 8 solid hours and be happy with 6-7 hours. 

Professional Advice

• My advice on how to conference will vary quite a bit from conference to conference, because of how they are organized and the variable quality control. In general, seek out people who do work you find interesting—folks whose research you’ve read and liked. Go to their panels. Depending on your career stage (and theirs), you might also request a meeting. 
• When you attend panels, how should you take notes? However you want: but make sure you take notes! Panels are a great time to learn about literature, theories, and methods/techniques you haven’t heard of before (take notes on citations to interesting sounding work) as well as cutting-edge research (what seem to be popular topics, frameworks, questions, methods, etc.?). Sometimes you’ll see something you want to cite for your own research, or someone’s project will inspire ideas for your research because it’s similar but different. 
• Panels are also a great time to practice your evaluation of research, but keep this part to yourself. Think about what you would have done differently in the presentation, or what you really liked about a presentation (did you just learn a great new strategy for presenting?). What is the relationship between the research and the literature—was it well motivated, was the contribution clear? Think about the presented research design—does it seem sound? Think about the data collection and analysis—was it comprehensible and does it make sense? How about the findings—are you convinced or have questions you need answered or see unaddressed limitations? Do you find the contributions useful? Again, keep these to yourself, especially any critical points. The Q&A is great for asking genuine questions, but don’t use this as an opportunity to embarrass the speaker or show that you (think you) are smarter than they are. If you like the project and you see a problem with it, see if you can ask a related question that gives the speaker a chance to address the problem without putting them on the spot or calling them out (if not, you might chat with them afterward privately and see if they are aware of it or maybe brainstorm how to fix the problem or give them the chance to explain why it’s not a problem). But always be a supportive audience member; if you don’t like a paper and feel insulted by how bad it was, just don’t ask any questions and focus on the better presentations. 
• If you attend ASA, go to the section receptions. This is a good opportunity to meet other grad students. 
• In general, try to go out to dinner at least one night with a group of grad students with similar or overlapping interests—ideally a group where you know one or two people and you don’t know at least one or two others. It’s a great opportunity to chat, learn the ropes, and develop friends. (But don’t feel pressure to go to bars and such or any place you don’t feel comfortable. I always bail when a group decides to go for a night cap—I’m an early riser, so that’s a good excuse.)
• When it comes to socializing, see my twitter thread. There is an etiquette to interaction and violating that etiquette can make things really awkward for you and others. I explain my understanding of that etiquette there. 
• What to wear? Wear what you are comfortable in.
  • These days, people wear a range of attire, and it does tend to vary from conference to conference (I’d say ASC is the most formal, followed by ASA in the middle, and LSA as the least formal) and even subgroup to subgroup within a conference (for example, law professors at LSA and the poli-econ or comp-hist sociologists tend to be the most formally dressed). 
  • My preferred conference attire for myself is dark blue jeans, dark athletic or hiking shoes, and a blazer over a shirt of some kind (earlier in my career, I would wear a button-down, long-sleeved shirt; now I just wear a solid-color shirt). Some people feel more comfortable in a suit-type outfit (this will be on the more formal end of the spectrum at all conferences, especially if you are male-identifying and wear a tie, but more informal if you skip the tie and leave the top button open) and others will feel more comfortable wearing whatever they wear on a daily basis. I like to split the difference. (Importantly, while dressing up can make us feel pretty bad ass, how we feel is also shaped by the context and you can start to feel out of place if you are too dressed up at a conference.)
  • The exception is if there is a special event or role I’m supposed to play—for example, people presenting or receiving awards, or giving a special address, tend to dress up a little extra. I have seen some folks dress up for receptions, especially at ASC, but generally I don’t think that’s necessary—most folks wear what they were wearing earlier in the day. 
  • The key thing about attire is most people are less judgmental about what people wear to conferences these days and, given the spectrum of what people wear, it’s easier to blend in. It’s important that you feel comfortable—this means, if you would be uncomfortable dressing up, then don’t do it, and if you are going to feel overly insecure if you dress in a way that you feel is more true to yourself (let’s say this is more informal and/or unconventional), then it’s okay to deviate from your norm. Again, the key is that you are comfortable. And I mean this physically and mentally/socially—don’t wear something that is going to destroy your feet or not be warm enough or is really itchy and distracting to you. 
  • Speaking of distracting, one caveat: try to wear quiet clothing (some material is really loud when you move) and accessories (some earrings and bracelets can be really loud, as can decorative attachments to backpacks) so you don’t distract others around you; and if are going to style your hair big and beautiful or wear a broad-brimmed hat, try to sit to the side so you don’t block someone’s view.