Forging connections and building community are essential skills for graduate students to acquire as they develop as emerging scholars. These so-called soft skills are necessary components for graduate students looking to find and amplify their scholarly voices. Academic conferences offer an invaluable opportunity to develop those skills, as well as an arena to present research and learn from and with other scholars. Conferences can, however, seem overwhelming at first blush. This post will help demystify the conference-going experience, offer some general tips and tricks, and provide specific information on how graduate students can successfully navigate the 2025 MLA convention.
Why Go to Conferences?
Conferences allow scholars a chance to develop and share their research with a broader public, explore advances in pedagogy, and learn about trends, innovations, and the state of their field. They are also a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and meet other scholars. Finally, they are a good excuse to escape the library and the seminar room to explore a new city and make connections with other members of our shared academic community. So how to start?
Start Small
The prospect of attending a large, national conference can certainly be daunting, particularly for graduate students early in their careers. The size of those conferences, both in the number of attendees and the program itself, can seem bewildering. Consider starting small. Graduate student conferences are an excellent venue to practice presentation skills and get a feel for the flow of a conference panel. These conferences offer valuable insights into the research of your peers and provide a great opportunity to solicit feedback in a lower-stakes environment. Participating in a regional or discipline-specific conference is also an excellent way to develop your scholarship, connect with other scholars in your region, and learn about advances in your subfields. Finally, you do not need to present at national conferences such as the MLA in order to attend. In fact, attending national conferences early in your graduate career is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with the broader discipline, learn from scholars in a wide variety of specialties, and make connections in your field and beyond. Many conferences provide financial support for graduate students to defray the cost of attending. Check to see if such resources are available; it is also worth checking to see if your department, graduate school, or student government offers conference grants to keep costs manageable.
General Tips and Tricks
There is no shortage of articles and resources on how to successfully navigate an academic conference. These tips and tricks range from the practical (stay hydrated, wear comfortable shoes, find time to regroup and recharge) to the professional (how to write and deliver a conference paper, networking tips). These tips are broadly applicable across a range of conferences, from a one-day seminar to a multiday convention. To get the most out of your experience at larger conferences such as the MLA Annual Convention, it is worth taking advantage of the programming and specific resources tailored to graduate students.
Navigating the 2025 MLA Convention
The 2025 MLA convention will take place in New Orleans from 9 to 12 January. Across the four days, thousands of MLA members will attend hundreds of panels, seminars, keynotes, and social events. While the size and scope of the convention can seem dizzying, the MLA’s executive director, Paula Krebs, invites graduate student attendees to think about what a larger convention can do that a smaller disciplinary or regional conference cannot. As the annual meeting of the umbrella organization for languages and literatures, the MLA convention provides many opportunities for scholars to explore their specific area of focus as well as chances to engage with ideas and meet scholars from other linguistic, temporal, thematic, or theoretical fields. It also provides an overview of the state of our discipline and an opportunity to think, learn, and socialize together.
Advice and Resources
The MLA has developed a series of resources and programming to ensure graduate students and other scholars have the best convention possible. With so much to see and do, the convention program will be your best friend to navigate the event. It’s a good idea to take your time and read through the sessions, starting with those that are of interest to you. There are multiple ways to locate relevant sessions or discover something new in the online program. You can use the subject index, seek out sessions sponsored by MLA forums or allied organizations, search by keyword, or look up names of colleagues and other scholars presenting at the convention. From there, you can save sessions to create your own personal calendar to guide you. Don’t forget to download the convention app for your Apple or Android device!
There is a curated list of sessions specifically designed for graduate students, including Graduate Showcases highlighting research in English and world languages as well as Graduate Discussion Groups on Articulating Your Skill Sets to Different Audiences and Managing Time and Expectations. Don’t miss the Public Humanities Incubator Showcase, where this year’s cohort of graduate student participants will present on their mentor-supported collaborative projects in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Additionally, the MLA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Humanities has programmed panels on graduate student labor and navigating the US job market for international students.
We especially encourage graduate students to attend the Beyond the Professoriat panels for students in English and world languages and to visit the Professional Development Hub for a variety of programming related to professionalization, the job market, and career readiness inside and outside academia. The Innovation Room, housed in the Professional Development Hub, showcases exciting research and pedagogy in a poster-style session that encourages interaction with our presenters. All attendees will also be able to sign up for one-on-one mentoring sessions with members of the Association of Language Departments, the Association of Departments of English, and the Modern Language Association to focus on career goals. In these thirty-minute sessions, mentees can seek advice on both academic careers and diverse career pathways for humanities PhDs.
Take It Easy
With such a packed schedule, it’s important to take some time to unwind and grab a coffee or tea in the Graduate Student Lounge (Burgundy, First Floor), a calm, safe space available to graduate students throughout the convention. We also encourage graduate students to explore the exhibit hall to check out exciting new publications and chat with the editors representing various academic presses. Take advantage of all that New Orleans has to offer! Whether you’re exploring the city’s famous gastronomy with other attendees or signing up for one of the cultural excursions, be sure to make your stay in the Big Easy a memorable one.