Graduate students not only occupy a strange place in the university (see
Reason 10), they occupy a strange place in the world. Though it is meant to be only a transitional period, graduate school has become so drawn out (see
Reason 4), that you may find yourself in this strange place for many years. How is it strange? It is strange in a number of ways. There is the relative poverty that comes with the knowledge that you could be doing something else. There are the real ways in which you are removed from adulthood (see Reasons
12 and
15), and there are the perceptions (fair or unfair) among others that you are not really doing what an adult should be doing (see
Reason 24). There is the constant uncertainty of not knowing what you will be doing next year (see
Reason 17) or what you will be doing when you have finally earned your degree (see
Reason 8).
The sense of alienation that comes with being a graduate student is not only something that you feel. It is something that the people around you feel. People don’t know what to make of graduate students. They find it difficult to relate to them. Many don’t understand what it means to be in graduate school, and those who are familiar with academe often have vaguely (or even explicitly) negative opinions of graduate students. In popular culture, references to graduate students are few, but they can be quite
revealing.
That video's priceless! "Bart, don't make fun of Grad students, they just made a terrible life choice!"
ReplyDeleteGreat video -- and several Futurama writers have science PhD's so at least we know someone is providing accurate information to the TV writers in the animation universe.
ReplyDeleteI'd also add that the alienation continues even if you successfully become a professor. People are even more uncertain what to make of you, and are generally more scared/hostile. And this includes members or your own family.
Most of the reasons so far seem to be about other (shallow) people's perceptions of you as a grad student. Yeah, if those people are important to you and you care what people think then maybe going to grad school in these kind of areas isn't for you. To me the key question is opportunity cost in time and money and to what degree you lock yourself into a career path where jobs and geographic location are very uncertain. All the rest is very secondary. But then I'm not in the humanities and I was only 3 years in my PhD program and have hardly ever encountered any negativity from anyone towards grad students or professors. There was once one girl I went on a date with who said she "despised PhDs". I just thought "what an idiot" and didn't see her again. But then I come from a middle class background where intellectual achievement was respected. And I can tell taxi-drivers or whoever I meet in day to day life - "I teach economics".
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of times people don't consider the psychological aspects of going to grad school. You shouldn't have to pay tuition in order to pursue your passion, you can just start a business or do self-study if you have self-discipline.
ReplyDelete@mOOm: While it's important to try to divorce your life from what other people think about you, what other people think of you can still take a toll, especially if people you respect don't respect you. People going into grad school should be aware of this.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wasn't personally affected by what others thought about me while in grad school, I couldn't help but notice the weird position I was in at the time, as well. It really is a weird position to be in: you're sort-of a student, yet you're a teacher too.
Hell, I got shit for going to college in the first place. While a sophomore I ran into my former best friend from back in junior high, and he said "I'm joining the Marines. You're going to college like a faggot."
ReplyDeleteFortunately I had the last laugh. The Marines wouldn't take his ass because of his criminal record.
You should stop using those stupid videos such as the Simpsons. They are stupid people and why should we care what they think?
ReplyDeleteI have to agree. The day I live my life according to what Homer or Bart Simpson say is the day pigs will fly over the campus.
DeleteIf you are concerned about what the Simpson's think of you, you are fully qualified for a stay in an institution (hint: I did not mean an educational institution)
I think you missed the point of this post. if you are in grad school and you have not felt your strange place in the world then you are not self aware.
DeleteIt is what it is. Or isn't it?
ReplyDelete