What I wish was made explicit to Me My First 2-Years of Grad School Pt1.
The route to success for those who have achieved greatness is one that is well-traveled. measures to take: First and foremost, you need to know exactly what you're aiming for. To achieve your objectives, you must do something about them. The most important thing to remember is that you must take the steps that you feel will have the best chance of achieving your goal. You should train your acuity so that you can rapidly determine whether your activities are bringing you closer to your objectives or farther away from them. Regardless of whether your activities stem from your ideas or from your everyday routine, you must know exactly what you're receiving out of the experience. It's important to keep track of the things that are helping and hindering your progress toward your objectives. It's the fourth phase in the process of becoming a more flexible person who is able to adapt their behavior till they achieve their goal. Never stop trying new things until you discover something that helps you get closer to your goal. Please, don't give up!
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Establishing a strong
network of friends and family is an important aspect of your graduate school experience, so
don't leave it up to people who don't want to put in the effort. For those who
are fortunate enough, education opens doors to new homes. As a youngster, you
were supposed to be the "clever child" who "made it," which
meant that you exchanged your genius for financial stability that your family,
friends, and community lacked. Many people won't understand this. So, find a
community and a support system as soon as possible. If your group is very
competitive and you don't feel safe being vulnerable among them, you may want
to explore for people outside your group
Expect to struggle at a
lot of things. Even
if you've had a lot of positive comments about your intellectual abilities
before to entering graduate school, you may find that the same thing that
helped define your identity and provided you with so much support outside of
academia is now the one thing that makes you want to cry. Even if you don't
realize it, you're probably worse than everyone else in graduate school in some
aspect of life. Furthermore, certain abilities may only be learned during a
period of failure. You have to show up every day and suck and know that you
stink until you eventually cease stinking and become a fantastic teacher. This
is the case with teaching. However, sucking is inevitable. Sucking should thus
be seen as diagnostic data rather than a humiliating ritual. Mastering new
skills and knowledge is what you're there for, not to show off your abilities.
Learning is a process that takes place over
time. In order to learn anything, you have to put in the effort over
time. This may sound obvious, but expressing it is different from believing it.
The simple act of donning running shoes is just part of the marathon
preparation process for many people. They're also aware that, say, creating a
computer program, you'll need to use a lot of technical jargon. Others think
they are complete idiots since they didn't get a single word of Foucault or Habbermas in
their introductory course.
Apply to a lot of things
all the time. Accept rejection as confirmation that you're actively applying
to a wide range of opportunities, such as summer and language stipends,
conference travel, and so on. A lack of rejections indicates that you have not
applied to enough places. Small and huge money jars should be sought for.
Learn to collaborate. Whether it's for exam
prep, writing groups, or any other activity, learn to cooperate with other
kids. In the humanities, collaboration is not often as evident as in the
physical sciences, when people submit joint publications and so on.
Nonetheless, our work is collaborative.
Seek guidance from your
advisors.
They are the ones who bear the burden! Recite the above sentence many times in
your head. You're not getting in the way of anyone's daily activities. They are
obligated to advocate for you, support you in exploring countless
opportunities, and assist you in securing your future success. If they don't
know what you need, they won't be able to help you! Even if you think you don't
need help with X, others may disagree. Several prods are necessary since there
is so much going on.
You aren't a good judge of your own work and talents at times for
a variety of reasons. To begin with, you have no idea what kind of thinker
you'll become, how strong your thesis will be, or how you'll learn to put
things together when you start, so it might be difficult to appraise your own
work and abilities. Make sure you know how to get out of an evaluative mindset.
In the grand scheme of things, the things you think are a sign of grad school
success are often not. So, you and his advisors have no idea whether the brilliant
student in your class who looks to know all about Foucault will have anything
to contribute to the profession. So, stop comparing yourself to others and
judging your fitness for this unusual work in these different settings. (like
who said what in a seminar). Whether you're unsure if this career path is right
for you, there isn't enough data to make an informed decision.
Learn To Say NO (sometimes). Do not feel compelled to assume
responsibility for every piece of negative feedback that is directed at you. In
the end, you have to determine whether or not you can "do you" and
where you must make big adjustments. When no input is metabolized, poor work is
the outcome. When all of the information has been processed, you are left
without a voice or the capacity to communicate.
Befriend a few happy American white guys (this shouldn't be
difficult at a university) and use your anthropological skills to learn
about their lives and culture. Requests are made by them. They're always
asking for help! For them, their work is rarely embarrassing or cringe-worthy,
since they don't see it as their own. Most of the time, they don't think of
themselves as unqualified or inadequate for any given work. Regularly, they
devote time to physical activity and other hobbies. They delegate a large
portion of their work to other individuals! Do not strive to copy them, but
take notice of the things that are easy for them to do. Assuming that you're
not a white American guy, I will presume that you aren't in good health. All of
these obstacles are faced by many white, American guys in academia, and the
"well-adjusted, American white man" personality type may help them as
well.
Make friends and spend time with people who aren't academics. If you don't, not only
will you be unable to interact with real people when you enter the workforce,
but you will also be unable to maintain a healthy balance between the
narcissism of graduate school and constant reminders that you have obligations
to other people, who love and need you and are dealing with a variety of
difficult situations (aging parents, sick children, difficult relationships et
cetera). Many people don't care whether you finish your conference paper or not
since they feel something else is more important. Having a family while in
graduate school is a given for some people. A family will always be part of
your life, even if you don't have children yet (in graduate school or later in
life) (extended, queer, non-bio, etc.). Knowing that you have obligations to
others and must show up helps you develop better time management skills because
it means that you are aware that you have a portion of your time already
committed to others and that you must complete this task in the next 45 minutes
or you will fail to meet your obligations.
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