The Grad School Experience..Beware..
The Grad School Experience..Beware..
Written on October 10, 2021.
I have a couple more months before I submit my thesis and I plan to wrap everything up and get my degree within the next 3-4 months.
Grad school has been a long winding journey with lots of ups and downs. Mostly ups. Off late, I started reflecting on how my grad school experience has altered me socially without me fully noticing how that change manifested over time. When one's day-to-day interactions are with people in similar academic circles it is quite easy to fall into the trap of thinking that is how the rest of the world works. Here are some things that you might have noticed in yourself (although it might not have been clear to you what those thoughts were at the time)
Do you find yourself cringing when someone without a Ph.D. degree calls themselves an expert? If you do, STOP! Just because you think that getting a Ph.D. is the hardest thing out there, it isn't. Try being a salesperson, or a middle school teacher, or an entrepreneur. People don't need to be quantitatively skilled or 'know the math' to be an expert. Experiential wisdom comes in different ways.
Don't treat day-to-day social interactions as fault-finding missions. You don't have to be in 'reviewer mode' at all times. It doesn't make you look scientific, it just makes you a shitty person. Day-to-day interactions are not academic presentations.
If you are doing sciences (particularly the 'hard' sciences), do you think of yourself as the ultimate truth seeker? Do you think you have developed this amazing sense of objectivity when it comes to dealing with truth with your stat skills? Guess what, p < 0.001 doesn't equal truth. It is much more nuanced and a number of socio-cultural factors come into it.
Every pursuit is significant and meaningful in its own right and important to the pursuant. Talk to and understand people outside of your day-to-day academic circles. It is ok to take your scientific hat off from time to time as it would help in giving you a different perspective on how academia works at times. The more you associate your self-worth with your Ph.D., the harder it is going to be able to do that.