On Ask a Humanities Grad Student
@theharpoon Note that you said "finding your own funding," rather than taking out loans. If other (money granting) organizations have confidence in you and your work, sure, that can offset the lack of confidence from your program of choice. But taking out loans because a program/organization won't fund you? Ridiculous.
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On How Murder Ballads Helped
@Speaking of cake, I have cake YESSSS THE CHILDE BALLADS.
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On Ask a Humanities Grad Student
@Sunny Schomaker@twitter Today is definitely a step-before-a-bus day for me. I am addressing wedding invitations and cleaning my bathroom (<3 u, bleachie) instead of writing my Last Seminar Paper Ever.
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On Ask a Humanities Grad Student
@the angry little raincloud CHURCH. especially re: 1 & 2.
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On Ask a Humanities Grad Student
The best question I was asked: Could you possibly even think about doing anything else? When I answered NO and meant it, then my MA advisor told me she'd write my letters for PhD programs. The answer is still usually no, but usually it's not capslock.
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On My Library's Copy of the What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys
I was a late bloomer, etc., so my mom never really gave me the talk. Or, she did, but it was too early for me to care I guess? I never had books. The thing I came across that wowed me (ha) was a Rudy Ray Moore record mixed in with my mom's hippie music. Oh man. An astrological trip, indeed.
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On Five Reasons to Watch RuPaul's Drag Race
I mainlined seasons 2-3 in two days (and then searched through free tv sites for terrible copies of season 1) when I was supposed to be writing seminar papers. My life is so much better for having done so.
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On Five Reasons to Watch RuPaul's Drag Race
@megalosaurus Whaaat? How did I not put that together?
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On Ask a Clean Person: Tackling a Major Clean-up, Part One
@taxine Yeah, I will second that. This seems super useful, Jolie, but I am afraid I will still be paralyzed with fear when I go home to help my parents (terrible hoarders, oh god) clean out the house in a few months. There are definitely no corners any more, or carpet spaces, etc. I have tried to do this before, but by the time I have one room outfitted I am exhausted and the rest of the house is worse, etc. They are not like, revolting cat shit everywhere hoarders, but they are definitely not super clean, keep-everything-ever-ever people, and they have lived in that house for almost 33 years...wait, this is turning into a confessional of some kind, and I am not prepared for that. But this is why I appreciate your ACPs so much, you know? I have to fight this shit pretty hard in my own life, too.
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On Ask a Humanities Grad Student
@oeditrix I get what you're saying. I do! And also, it's not super harsh or anything, because I probably should have added more context to my original post. But!
The question my advisor asked wasn't about getting a job or making a living. It wasn't about feeling special. It was about going into a PhD program/eventually gaining a PhD. And that's it.
Going to graduate school and getting a job are separate things--and a graduate degree, as several (dozens?) of people here have said, is not always a means to an end (or a desirable good-city, tenure-track end). I'm getting a PhD precisely because I "want it." There is no other way I wanted to spend/could think of spending this five-to-seven years of my life, up a creek or not. I know that's not enough to get me a job, especially in my particular field, and I came into my program with eyes wide open re: the job market, etc. The be all, end all, for me, is not being *^~a professor~^*, or even getting a tangentially related job. I came to graduate school because I wanted to study and learn. I want a PhD. If I end up with a job? Oh, hey! Party! But a job? That's not the reason I'm here. That's not a good reason to be here. I'm here for the work. I'm here for my life now, not making a living three or four years from now. Maybe that's financially irresponsible or whatever, but it's true.
(Incidentally, I totally said this to the people who interviewed me for admissions and funding at my current institution just like I'm saying it to you. And I got full funding, plus.)
I do agree that this question (and the context of this question) might not work for everyone, but my advisor (who is actually one of the least ignorant academics I know, re: all the concerns in this thread, and absolutely a no bullshit kind of lady) asked me precisely what I needed to be asked at the time.