Productivity. Accountability. Community.
Finally, a focused grad school rhythm that works for your life (and your brain).
Best Semester Yet
A 4-month accountability and productivity program to help you end the procrastination-burnout cycle and start thriving in grad school.
If you’re over the constant chaos of to-do lists, late nights, and academic guilt spirals…
Best Semester Yet is your reset button.
Simple systems. Real support. Gentle structure that actually works.
You’ve read the productivity blogs. You’ve bought the fancy planner.
But grad school still feels like:
Half-finished everything 📝
Chronic catch-up mode 😵💫
Guilt about procrastination 🙈
And no time to just breathe
You don’t need more pressure.
You need a plan that fits your real life.
This is for grad students who are:
Juggling research, teaching, coursework, and maybe caregiving, too
Motivated but overwhelmed
Tired of doing it all alone
Craving a doable structure that keeps you focused without burning you out
Join the waitlist for Best Semester Yet→
Here’s what’s inside
Best Semester Yet
A 4-month accountability & productivity program to help you stop spinning, start finishing, and protect your energy along the way.
Led by Dr. Toyin Alli & Dr. Briana Betke, you'll receive:
🗓️ Monthly Focus Planning Sessions
Create a plan you can actually stick to—based on your priorities, deadlines, and energy.
🤝 Weekly Co-Working Sessions (x2/week)
Hop on, set your intention, and get work done with other humans who understand.
🧵 Weekly Accountability Thread
Check in, celebrate wins, and gently course-correct.
🎧 GROUP COACHING Pep Talk Private Podcast
Voice notes to ground you, encourage you, and hype you up when you want to quit.
💬 BONUS: 1-on-1 Mini Support Session
One personal check-in with Dr. Toyin or Dr. Briana when you need it most (you’re not in this alone).
🎧 bonus: social events
Join us for game nights, book/tv discussions, and vibes with your grad school support system.
By the end of Best Semester Yet, you’ll:
✅ Know what to focus on each week (and why)
✅ Make real progress on your big goals
✅ Feel less scattered, more grounded
✅ Build habits that actually stick
✅ Stop saying “I’ll do it later” and finally get it done in a way that feels aligned, not forced
This isn’t hustle culture in a cap and gown.
It’s intentional progress, with permission to be human.
T I M E T O G E T I T D O N E .
23%
OF POSTGRADS don’t complete THEIR PROGRAM.
But it’s not like schools hand out refunds.
(Even if you’re fully funded, you don’t get that time back.)
Best Semester Yet helps you stay on track, manage your workload,
graduate, and build your grad school support system.
Obsessed with our students
Katherine
PhD in Linguistics
"I have more clarity about how I want to spend my time and the kind of professional I’m growing to be, and I’ve been able to extend the support that I so badly needed to others and actually make an impact on their journey."
Shani
PhD in Psychology
"When you’re in academia whether as a traditional or non traditional student it’s nice to have a cohort that you can lean on for support, accountability and connections.
I enjoy the workshops (planning sessions, how to get through grad school etc.) because you are working with others and sharing experiences. I’ve learned that planning with structure and prioritization helps get work done. I’m not the only one sometimes feeling overwhelmed.
It’s a safe space where we all thrive.
Lastly, it helps a lot for me as an online doctoral student. Gives me human interaction and the process does not feel doubly isolated."
Mary
Master’s in Sustainability
"Toyin’s planner helped me create a solid structure each week, where I could put in self-care and me-time to prevent and stop the cycle of burnout."
Hadiya
Master’s in Sustainability
"I love your videos and Notion planner!!! I start grad school this fall, and my advisor was so impressed when I was able to use your planner to compile some potential research topics and present them and a meeting schedule during our first advising meeting."
Sydney
Master’s in business administration
"I've passed 3 classes being a part of this group. The strategies you teach has helped organize me and incorporate strategy and wellness which has resulted in me seeing success."
Laura
Master’s in Sociology
"I’ve learned how to prioritize my to-do lists based on my larger goals for the semester and how to work in productivity chunks.
Before this program, I often worked at the last minute and was extremely overwhelmed by my workload.
Toyin’s guidance has made things so much more manageable and I’m definitely much more consistently productive with way less stress."
TRUSTED BY STUDENTS AT
👩🏾🏫👩🏽🔬 MEET YOUR COACHES
Toyin Alli, PhD | Founder & CEO, The Academic Society
Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Georgia
When I was in graduate school, I quickly realized that smarts weren’t enough—I’d need to use every ounce of organizational skill and undergraduate research experience I had, plus mental notes from when my mom earned her PhD while I was growing up.
I built on that foundation so I could thrive in graduate school. And now, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned as a student and a professor with you.
Briana Betke, PhD | Community Manager & Grad School Coach, The Academic Society
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Oklahoma
I’m a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oklahoma. I completed my PhD at the University of Texas at Austin in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program with a focus on Disease Ecology. I study global trends in anthropogenic roosting ecology and how this behavior influences associations between bats and viruses.
Additionally, I’ve been a community manager and grad school mentor for the Academic Society for over a year and I can’t wait to support you in your journey.
“Is this for me, Toyin?”
Best Year Yet would be a great fit for you if any of the following resonate (whether you’re been in grad school for years or this is your first semester):
You’d like a cohort to lean on for support, accountability, and connections—ideally with some good ol’ online human interaction after long days and nights of solo research.
You suspect that structure & prioritization skills would make your life easier … but they haven’t always come easily, especially when you’re overwhelmed.
You’ve spent days feeling busy nonstop, but you aren’t actually checking things off your to-do list (and some of those to-dos have been there for months).
You frequently work at night and on weekends but go to bed feeling guilty you didn’t get any writing done.
You experience imposter syndrome, even though you hold a college degree and you got into a graduate program in your field.
You don’t have time to take care of yourself, even though you know life would be easier if you regularly took walks/worked out/decompressed/cooked for yourself/did whatever helps you feel relaxed.
Frequently Asked Questions
for all my researchers-at-heart
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This is implementation support, not a course. You don’t need more content—you need connection + structure.
You’ll also find accountability via our weekly goal-setting and daily co-working, which helps our members with motivation and productivity. While you will need to invest a little bit of time up front, you’ll ultimately save time and reduce overwhelm when you put the strategies I teach into motion.
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Absolutely. As you transition from coursework into writing your dissertation or thesis, you’ll have a lot of unstructured time with only self-imposed deadlines.
Brushing up on your time management skills and building a daily structure for yourself will be crucial. The lessons and accountability inside of Best Semester Yet will support you as you complete your final years in grad school…on time!
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Yes, this program serves master’s students, PhD students, and EdD students. It’s not necessarily designed with professional program students in mind.
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Communi. Communi is a community platform that promotes learning and engagement. It’s not a social media platform and has its own website so you won’t get distracted by friends, family, and influencers posting on social media.
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Students find the accountability that you get inside the group invaluable. You can share your weekly goals, celebrate your wins, and work together in the co-working space. Students find it’s easier to be motivated when you have a group of like-minded scholars cheering you on!
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$150 or 4 monthly payments of $40. Waitlist members join the VIP list and get to enroll early for a reduced price.
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You are welcome to cancel within 7 days of joining if the program is not a good fit as long as you haven’t used your one-on-one coaching session.
Ready to join Best Semester Yet?
Let this be the semester where everything clicks.
Where your energy is protected.
Where you finally get to say:
“This was my Best Semester Yet.”