Navigating graduate school is hard. Whether it's negotiating with your advisor, managing work-life balance, overcoming homesickness, or resolving inter-personal conflicts, we are here to help. No problem is too small.
About REFS
We are graduate students formally trained in conflict management. We can help you explore your options and guide you on a path through whatever conflict may arise during your graduate experience. REFS is not meant to be the only solution to every situation, but rather, we are a stepping stone to the many great organizations which are available to you.
As Joint Program students ourselves, we are familiar with how difficult graduate school can be, especially when living between two institutes. As such, we are prepared to point you toward a variety of resources both at MIT and on the Cape. As your peers, we are happy to provide support in whatever form is most beneficial to you, whether it be acting as mediators, providing emotional support, directing you to the office of your choice, or just being a friendly listener to vent to. We have also compiled a list of resources available to Joint Program students that you can access by going the "Resources" tab of our website.
We are happy to schedule one-on-one meetings or talk over phone or email. To set up a meeting with the first available JP REFS, email jp-refs@mit.edu. If you would like to meet with a specific person, our emails are listed on our contact page.