T-4 days, or the blind leading the blind
A couple of very nice, very motivated students at SJSU have asked me to give an informal presentation at an informal gathering of SLIS students in the East Bay this Friday. In theory, I'm to discuss developing a good relationship with one's advisor (even some of the locals never end up meeting their advisor face-to-face, and many don't contact their advisor unless there's problems), getting active/published and how/why to push the thesis/special project option.
But I'm feeling a bit evil and very tired and APA style is threatening to swallow my soul. And Mr. Emrich has graciously provided me with a metatheme for my talk:
Yes, academia is one big hazing party, though aside from fraternities and sororities the non-consensual buggery and abuse is rarely balanced out with fun and frolic.
Yeah ... I think I can get behind this statement. So along these lines, I've come up with a title for my talk: "Gonzo librarianship 101 -- guns, drugs and Nixon optional : how to win friends, influence people and get the degree and the education you deserve while driving everyone else stark raving mad ..."
The title alone should take 5 minutes (10 depending on how young or sheltered from the deranged influence of Hunter S. Thompson my audience is). The statement of purpose should induce at least 1-2 minutes of stunned silence. After that ... I got nuthin'. Well, not quite nothing, but I'm trying to stay within the middle ground between a Stephen Covey lecture and a drunken best man who's just snorted a line of coke and is about to give the official reception toast.
Thus, I beseech you for your input. What did you do, or want to do, in grad school that you would pass on to others? Not just that 'what they don't teach you in library school' meme, I mean concrete, make-or-break stuff that isn't just going through the motions until you get your union card MLS degree.
Comments
I wish I'd had someone sit me down and say, "How long will this thesis take you to write? Triple that."
I wish I'd read Thinking about graduate school in the humanities? before I started writing my thesis and been more realistic about future career prospects.
My supervisor was great, really encouraging and wonderful, but I wish I hadn't completed my degree by distance. Too isolating. Email discussions when you're trying to flesh out the core of your thesis are just not the same as a coffee and a 2 hour chat.
Write papers out of your thesis. I didn't and regret that, since it would have saved so much time on research.
Celebrate at the end. Really celebrate. It's a major achievement, and you should recognise it.
Posted by: Fiona | March 29, 2004 06:35 PM
Some of the important things I'd say about graduate school (from an unsuccessful Ph. D. student):
1. Go to every special lecture in your subject that you can. You get learning from the classes that you go to, but you get your real education from those folk. They'll tell you what the outside world is interested in.
2. Keep a record of what you've done. It will come in really handy when you need to explain why a project is three months late.
3. Don't complain that your professor's projects are boring. Remember the golden rule: them that has the gold, makes the rules.
4. Graduate school always takes longer and more work than you think. It's called "gradual" school for a reason.
5. Know the difference between dedication and foolhardiness.
6. You never know what tidbit of information will come in useful. I'm a programmer, and I've gotten jobs because I speak Spanish, and because I've read Gödel, Escher, Bach. Be open to everything.
7. Don't forget what your long-term goal is in graduate school. For 90% of us, it's the real world, not academia. Keep your toe in the real world.
8. If you're a full-time student and not working summers, you're not really learning.
9. If you're a part time student and working, you ARE doing the right thing. Don't let anyone get you down.
10. Sometimes, the answer is to change where you physically are. Sandwich shops are your friend. All-night coffee places are your temple of worship.
11. You might be there for an MLS (or other Master's), but still learn what you can along the way.
12. Yes, it will be over someday.
Posted by: Chip Unicorn | March 29, 2004 06:37 PM
Thank you for all of the great advice.
I'm not sure if I'll actually be pushing the thesis option all that hard. I'm not sure I'm even a good role model for the thesis option at this point. My IQ and attention span is starting to hit the Velveeta range ...
Posted by: misseli | March 31, 2004 09:48 AM