Blog

Making it work

Making it work

Makerspaces, corgis, and my Grad School Puzzle

June 1, 2020 | Alan P.

What if I told you that a grad school education could include the finer details of wooden corgi carving? If you told me that a year ago I would immediately respond with skepticism — “right, because that’s a productive use of time”. Yet, today I would argue that such education is not only possible but […]

Adapting to a pandemic world

Adapting to a pandemic world

And how to make a difference in the process

June 1, 2020 | Morgan J.

I am the absolute worst at working from home. During college I often did my homework not only from home, but also while all nice and cozy in my bed – needless to say, those days are long behind me. When I got to grad school, I vowed to have some sense of normalcy about […]

My year in the wild

My year in the wild

Why I Chose to Go into Industry Before Pursuing Grad School

May 26, 2020 | Annick D.

Once I realized I wanted to be a professor, grad school felt inevitable. It was a question of when I wanted to spend at least five more years in school, not if I was going to do so. I spent my last couple years of college deliberating whether I was going to apply to graduate […]

A thermodynamic model of friendship

A thermodynamic model of friendship

Keeping up with friendships is energy-intensive

May 26, 2020 | Ashwin N.

Disclaimer: I have not taken a physics class in years, and the unavoidable inaccuracies in the discussion that follows should in no way reflect poorly on the professors/department that bestowed a physics degree upon me back in the day. Friendships take energy to maintain. Entropically speaking, the preferred arrangement is total disorder, an every-person-for-themselves world. […]

The buddy system

The buddy system

How checking in weekly can keep your goals on track

May 26, 2020 | Kathleen L.

Graduate school is overwhelming and lonely at times. In addition to producing good research, graduate students have to balance networking, taking classes, staying updated on advances in their field by reading papers, and managing personal life goals. Everyone has a research advisor and, usually, labmates with whom they can discuss research concerns, but it’s not […]