Manage your time wisely
To survive your graduate program, you may have to juggle school with your job, social life and other activities. It can be challenging to find the discipline you need to complete your school work, and good time management skills are crucial. Schedule a nonnegotiable time every day to complete your school work. Think of it like brushing your teeth; this is something you don't skip or reschedule no matter what.
Take ownership of your assignments
In graduate school, assignments aren't given as busy work; they are part of the research you conduct for your own scholarly pursuits. When you have a vested interest in what you write about, you're more likely to devote your time to the task and do more comprehensive work. In addition, looking at your writing assignments as research will allow you to get feedback from faculty on the direction you're taking in your graduate work.
Remember what you read
Graduate school typically involves quite a bit of reading. You won't remember much of what you read if you don't take notes. However, if you write down everything, you'll never get through the pages. The same goes for highlighting. Students often highlight more than necessary while reading, making it a chore to later sift through the important information. Think of taking notes as summarizing the important information. At the end of every section, stop and consider what you've read. What are the main points? Is it important for you to record them? Doing this will instantly get you thinking about the material, and putting it into your own words will help you remember it.
—Grad School Hub