Surviving Linguistics: A Guide for Graduate Students, Reviews

Surviving Linguistics: A Guide for Graduate Students
Third Edition
Monica Macaulay

Overview | Contents | Reviews | Order form

xviii + 226 pages
publication date: June 2025

ISBN 978-1-57473-048-7 paperback, $36.95
ISBN 978-1-57473-248-1 paperback 10-pack, $240.00

Advance praise for the third edition (2025)

"Surviving Linguistics is an up-to-date and accurate guide to the linguistics graduate school experience. Prospective students should read the text as they plan to apply; current students should read the book so they can work smarter, not harder; faculty should read the book as an essential guide to teaching and mentoring the next generation of linguists."

—Anne H. Charity Hudley, Stanford University

"Not only does this new edition have a fantastic new chapter about 'jobs in industry' the entire book has been reframed to invite students to think about their graduate school experience as professional development. From chapter 1, the reader is being nudged to think about 'professional presence,' and each chapter supports that goal by highlighting essential durable skills being cultivated during grad school—for example learning how to be open to criticism—which will become essential to their future professional selves, no matter which career they choose. For example, the idea of a conference gets revisited several times and from different vantage points: from being a way to learn about and participate in the field, to a way to make yourself known (and build trust), to maybe even something that you might think about organizing one day!

I particularly appreciated the exploration of the skills we develop by teaching: organization, time management, communication, cultural competence, etc. because I talk to so many people who love teaching but perceive academia as the only place where they might one day express those gifts. The options for a linguistics grad are myriad. Deep exploration begins with asking oneself, 'Which aspects of X do I particularly enjoy?'

And yes the new chapter!! Full of great ideas, encouragement, and humor—it can stand alone as a resource and should be required reading for professors and mentors seeking to advise students and prepare them for the world of work.

Playful and collaborative—this book is inclusive, inviting, and community-building. In giving us the guidelines for supportive and collaborative participation, Macaulay reminds us that community is built, and that we all can do our part in fostering and maintaining ours!"

—Anna Marie Trester, Career Linguist

"Surviving Linguistics is a great resource for grad students at any stage of the journey: from program applications to job applications. The book demystifies many aspects of the 'hidden curriculum,' with advice about, for example, establishing an online presence, networking, and seeking out mentors. The new chapter on jobs in industry is a particularly welcome update to the new edition, and the numerous pointers and links to other resources have been updated and expanded. Highly recommended!"

—Becca Morley, The Ohio State University

Reviews of the second edition (2011)

"This updated edition is a valuable and user friendly resource for students at different phases of their graduate studies as well as those considering linguistic graduate studies."
—Amelia Tseng, Language in Society 41:4, September 2012

"One of the strengths of this text is the friendly, approachable tone and clarity with which Macaulay writes... this guide can serve as a reference for readers both during graduate school and beyond."
—Mandy R. Menke, Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 4:2, Fall 2011

"Changes in the current edition include updates and new information that improve an already exceptional and highly practical text..."
—Benjamin Schmeiser, Linguist List 22.3093, August 2011

Advance praise for the second edition (2011)

"The new and improved second edition of Professor Macaulay's book contains a wealth of useful information, practical suggestions, and valuable resources about the field of modern linguistics. The book should be required reading for any student pursuing a graduate degree in linguistics."
—Travis G. Bradley, University of California, Davis

"We have been providing a copy of Surviving Linguistics to all our first year graduate students for years, finding that it answers common questions and prompts important conversations with students about issues they weren't even aware of before reading the book. Faculty should have this on their shelves as well, for its multiple perspectives on our field and rationales about standard practices. The updated information in this second edition will make the book even more successful in the socialization and professionalization of linguistics graduate students."
—Caroline Wiltshire, University of Florida

"Surviving Linguistics has been a terrific resource for our Proseminar in Linguistics. Macaulay's book provides many excellent starting points for discussing research methods and professionalization with those who are relatively new to the field and of diverse backgrounds, as are many of our incoming graduate students. We have found the sections on learning how to write like a linguist — including how to appropriately discuss examples and how to write an effective abstract — to be especially valuable, as well as the sections on conference presentations and proposal writing, which contain timely updates in the second edition."
—Michael White, The Ohio State University

Reviews of the first edition (2006)

"Although she focuses on the particular needs of graduate students in her field, Macaulay (linguistics, U. of Wisconsin-Madison) gives common sense advice that applies to other disciplines."
—Reference and Research Book News 21:3, August 2006

"Anyone beginning graduate studies in linguistics or considering studying linguistics at the graduate level should own Surviving Linguistics by Monica Macaulay. In lucid language Macaulay covers everything from applying to graduate school to applying for jobs. In between, she gives wonderful guidance in the important aspects of writing in linguistics, obtaining funding, and presenting at conferences."
—Southwest Journal of Linguistics 25:2, December 2006

"This is a much-needed 'how-to' book for aspiring linguists... This volume should be required reading for first year students."
—eLanguage, June 2010

Advance praise for the first edition (2006)

"This book satisfies a real need in our field; it answers questions that our grad students repeatedly ask me, and offers much better answers than I typically do. Macaulay is general where she needs to be general and specific where she needs to be specific, and covers an impressive range of areas, most of which grad students learn about mainly through hearsay. Surviving Linguistics should be standard equipment for anyone trying to enter academic life in our field."
—Norvin Richards, MIT

"Macaulay's book will be an invaluable asset to all students in — or considering — graduate programs in linguistics. She writes clearly and straightforwardly about common issues faced by linguistics graduate students, including common phenomena that are not usually discussed explicitly, such as the 'impostor syndrome.' Chapters on the types of writing linguists do, as well as how to go about doing them, submitting them to conferences, getting them published, etc., are thorough but not intimidating, and include helpful exercises. Throughout, Macaulay also provides useful suggestions for additional print and online resources. Overall, this is an excellent guide which no graduate student in linguistics should do without."
—Tami Kaplan, LSA Committee on Language in the School Curriculum

"Macaulay's book is a great help for those contemplating grad school in linguistics or those already there. As an undergraduate advisor and a graduate mentor, I frequently interact with both types, and now have a great resource to recommend. This book is like a well-written travel guide for voyagers of good intention but with little foreknowledge of the adventure they plan to undertake or preparation for it. This book provides exactly what they need: it tackles all the details that are assumed but seldom discussed; it provides practical tactics for success in all major aspects of graduate life; it gives good advice about avoiding difficulties and dealing with realities; and perhaps most importantly, it prepares the voyager for the culture shock of joining a community with established norms that are functional and unavoidable, but non-intuitive and potentially frustrating for the non-initiate. With its help, graduate students can look forward to an easier path from stumbling tourist to comfortable resident in our community of scholarship."
—Ed Rubin, University of Utah