Well-being is a Vital Part of Graduate School
Graduate student well-being is a priority for the Graduate School and Ohio State. In a community of caring, the Graduate School, academic units and Office of Student Life work together to proactively create healthy environments for graduate students.
Earning a graduate degree demands high levels of mental acuity and a deep, personal investment in time and energy to navigate a heavy and often difficult workload. Simply put, it cannot be successfully achieved without a commitment to academic work as well as to one’s wellness. In recognition of the interconnectedness of wellness and student success, the Graduate School offers the following framework to help graduate students apply Ohio State’s Ten Dimensions of Wellness in ways that directly support their academic success.
All graduate students should become familiar with and engage in the Ten Dimensions of Wellness prescribed by Ohio State for helping Buckeyes reach their full potential. The same ten dimensions directly affect graduate students and their abilities to succeed in graduate school. Specifically, making degree progress, becoming career ready, and completing a graduate degree require students to practice dimensions of wellness to do the following:
- Advocate and take care of themselves
- Be prepared for academic rigors and diverse career pathways
- Form healthy relationships with peers, mentors, and others for teamwork, networking, and socialization
- Have purposeful and meaningful impact as leaders and citizens of the world.
The Four Pillars of Graduate Student Wellness
A helpful framework for conceptualizing the interconnectedness between graduate student success and wellness is to think about the above requirements for success – self-care, academic and career preparedness, interpersonal relationships and social interactions, and purpose and meaning – as four aspects (or pillars) that uphold overall graduate student success. Each pillar is fortified by engaging in specific wellness dimensions (e.g. emotional wellness, digital wellness, creative wellness, etc.) and access the comprehensive campus resources that Ohio State provides for graduate students. When graduate students attend to these four pillars, through daily routines, goal setting, etc., each pillar grows stronger and more robust, while graduate student wellness becomes increasingly resilient, leading to a higher likelihood of academic success. It is important that graduate students attend to all four pillars and not just some of them, since the Four Pillars of Wellbeing are interconnected and impact each other.
Self-Care
Wellness Dimensions
Emotional, Physical, Spiritual
Wellness Topics
Self-advocacy, health and safety
Learn more below
Academic and Career Preparedness
Wellness Dimensions
Intellectual, Career and Creative
Wellness Topics
Thriving in scholarship, research and career planning
Learn more below
Interpersonal Relationships and Social Interactions
Wellness Dimensions
Financial, Social, Digital
Wellness Topics
Balancing roles, managing money and time, setting boundaries
Learn more below
Meaning and Purpose
Wellness Dimensions
Environmental, Social, Spiritual
Wellness Topics
Building a supportive and meaningful environment
Learn more below
Pillar 1: Self-Care
Self-care pertains to the intentional participation in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health to avoid illness, burnout and help maintain a state of overall wellness. Physical health involves a regular sleep schedule, eating nutritious meals, as well as staying hydrated and engaging in regular physical activities. Mental and emotional health involves having personal time, setting boundaries, reducing isolation, and finding a mentor. It also means time management and finding ways to create balanced schedules and break down large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. Graduate students who practice self-care understand the importance of utilizing resources, such as counseling services, when things become stressful and challenging. They understand that spiritual and religious health involves nurturing meaning, purpose and inner peace. Graduate students understand the importance of self-care to manage the demands of graduate school, enhance resiliency, and support academic success.
This pillar encompasses three of the Ten Dimensions of Wellness and the resources associated with it.
- Emotional Wellness
- Physical Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
Examples of graduate student self-care:
- Take time for yourself.
- Share your thoughts, feelings and struggles with someone you trust
- Seeking professional help when needed.
- Eat healthy food
- Find daily ways to stay active
- Get rest
- Accept others
- Explore what religious or spiritual home might fit with your values and beliefs
- Engage in mindfulness or meditation
Pillar 2: Academic and Career Preparedness
This pillar pertains to finding a disciplinary path that aligns with graduate students’ values and interests and engaging in professional development for career preparedness. Graduate students attending to this pillar are self-starter who understand the importance of taking charge of their graduate education. They seek out faculty mentorship, read the literature of the discipline, and do more than what is expected in their scholarship and research. They seek opportunities to become career ready by attending career fairs, trainings, workshops and engaging in career-related experiences such as internships. Graduate students understand that they will need to be lifelong learners to stay relevant and to upscale, especially with ever changing technology. They understand that their career path will impact their financial wellness, and they seek out opportunities to learn about budgeting and financial management.
This pillar encompasses four of the Ten Dimensions of Wellness and the resources associated with it.
- Intellectual Wellness
- Career Wellness
- Financial Wellness
- Technology Wellness
Examples of graduate student academic and career preparedness:
- Engage in research
- Attend professional workshops and conferences
- Seek out faculty mentorship
- Attend career fairs (virtual and in-person)
- Engage in co-ops and internships
- Explore career options
- Stay informed about changing technology
- Seek out graduate scholarships and fellowships
- Create a budget to manage your finances
- Address financial problems
- Use project management apps (e.g. Omnifocus, Todolist, etc.)
- Engage in educational opportunities that enhance your degree
Pillar 3: Interpersonal Relationships and Social Interactions
This pillar relates to the building and nurturing of healthy, positive relationships with family, friends, peers, colleagues, advisors, mentors and others in the graduate students’ social network. They understand the importance of building interpersonal skills, such as active listening and emotional intelligence, to foster collaboration, communication and teamwork. Since graduate school can be stressful, graduate students understand that the various relationships they are engaged in can provide emotional support and a sense of belonging. They are aware of the importance of being in healthy relationships, with clear boundaries, effective communication and problem-solving skills. They also are aware of the importance of having balance between their professional and personal lives.
This pillar encompasses three of the Ten Dimensions of Wellness and the resources associated with it.
- Social Wellness
- Digital Wellness
- Creative Wellness
Examples of graduate student interpersonal relationships and social interactions:
- Stay engaged with family and friends
- Evaluate your social support system and if it still meets your needs
- Learn about mentoring-up
- Use a collaborative platform to meet with mentors
- Utilize technology to stay connected with family and friends
- Seek out opportunities to engage with students from other majors
- Attend art events with family and friends
- Take a cooking class to make new friends
Pillar 4: Meaning and Purpose
Graduate students engaged in this pillar cultivate a deeper self-awareness about their values, life experiences and spiritual/religious belief to find purpose and direction in their lives and career. This means that graduate students regularly assess their actions and long-term goals. They cultivate resiliency by seeing challenges as opportunities to grow rather than obstacles. They also find purpose in volunteering on and off campus. Living with purpose improves graduate students’ mental and emotional health and serves as a buffer effect when dealing with academic challenges. Furthermore, living a purpose-driven life can generate ripples that can positively affect local, national and international communities.
This pillar encompasses three of the Ten Dimensions of Wellness and the resources associated with it.
- Environmental Wellness
- Social Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
Examples of graduate student meaning and purpose:
- Explore who you are and what is important to you
- Assess what your spiritual/religious values and beliefs are
- Be curious
- Promote environmental awareness
- Engage in sustainability efforts
- Build and maintain mentor relationships
- Create a mentor-map
- Establish and maintain meaningful relationships with co-ops and internships.
The Four Pillars of Graduate Student Wellness help graduate students understand how to create balance, satisfaction and success in their academic, professional and personal lives.
Student Wellness Center
Support and resources for students taking steps toward a healthier and more successful life.
Wellness Center Student Wellness Guide Ten Dimensions of Wellness
Graduate School Wellness Opportunities
Graduate Student Well-Being Mini Grant for Graduate Programs
The Graduate Student Well-Being Mini Grant is an initiative of the Graduate School at Ohio State University. Mini grants will be award of up to $3,000 to Graduate Coordinators to develop, implement, or improve a college or department wide or program specific wellness initiative that supports graduate and professional students’ well-being. These initiatives can be new or revising existing well-being initiatives. The goal is the promotion, awareness, or enhancement of Ohio State University’s Ten Dimensions of Wellness, focusing specifically on graduate students’ health and wellness.
Graduate Coordinator Wellness Program of the Year Award
The Graduate Coordinator Wellness Program of the Year Award is Ohio State Graduate School’s recognition of innovative wellness workshop(s), event(s), or programming that had a significant positive impact on graduate students.
2026 Application extended to March 17.