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I read a couple of threads and tweets about 1st year in US grad schools Also this great thread by Beatrice about the French system: @undercoverhist/1199662831051907074?s=21 When I was in high school I was offered to do a classe prépa, but I refused because of the extreme workload Thread ⤵️ @Undercoverhist/1199662831051907074Permalink
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I’m hardworking and not the kind to give up on things I’m working on, which I think are qualities imo But since when refusing to work 80h/week in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle & mental health turns anyone into being unfit for "success"? Or even lazy as I was accused ofPermalink
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I’m really sorry but there is somewhere in this debate a confusion between "accepting deeply inacceptable and unhealthy demands" and "being talented for X" (research in our case) Especially when research is such a non-linear and creative processPermalink
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I think I understand why this first year existed in the first place: to provide grad students with an opportunity to upheld their technical skills But is it really necessary? And even if the answer is "yes", what about the benefits vs costs analysis of the current system?Permalink
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As pointed by @cantstopkevin, the current system is insanely costly in terms of mental health for grad students And I also wonder if it really helps to improve research skills and output? (It’s a legit question, not a rhetorical one)
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I was "asked" to overwork as hell during my PhD, and at first I complied. And then I had a burnout and it took me six months to recover after I was *this close* to quit. This burnout completely destroyed my ability to overwork, even for short periods of time.Permalink
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This is a problem 1) to finish my PhD 2) more generally, because sometimes you just *need* to overwork for a couple of days But it’s been almost 4 years and I honestly don’t think I will ever recover this ability So was it a good idea to force me into this?Permalink
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Mood +3 🙂
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Because I can’t overwork anymore, I’m actually *less equipped* for research (and other things) compared to if I were given a healthier work schedulePermalink
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I speak for myself but obviously, how many other PhD students have been broken because of this system? How many important but non-technical skills have been destroyed in favor of technical ones? Who are we selecting exactly with this system? And to do what?Permalink
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I have no answers to those questions, but at the end it’s all about what kind of academia we want – and how much effort we are ready to put into changing it if we don’t like its current equilibriumPermalink
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Also: I’m first gen. No one in my family even remotely started a PhD. I had to work more than other students just to access a PhD. I had to go into dept (which added a lot of stress to my already stressful PhD).Permalink
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I’m pretty sure if my parents were uni profs l would have never accepted to overwork as I did. Or I would have done it differently. My point here is: I won’t be surprised if the current system is even more costly for non privileged kids.Permalink
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If it’s the case, on top of being of questionnable efficiency in terms of teaching research, it would mean the current system would be unfair. And by no means a meritocracy. Once again: is it the kind of academia we want? It’s up to anyone to ask oneself this question FINPermalink
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Mood +2 🙂
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I forgot to mention Kevin’s thread, here it is: @cantstopkevin/1199794710770077696?s=21 @cantstopkevin/1199794710770077696Permalink
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