The Agony of Grad School

#1

Post by bkovitz » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 4:34 PM UTC

The Agony of Grad School
false-epiphany.com

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#2

Post by psyklic » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:01 PM UTC

It seems like this author is taking four classes and teaching an additional one. So, he complains that he needs to task switch too often. (How is this different from undergrad?)

He should just wait a year or two for classes to be over with so that he can concentrate more on research ...

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#3

Post by timr » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:05 PM UTC

I feel bad for the guy, but I think his problem is a bit of a personal issue. He should seek out help from a doctor on how to manage his attention disorder.

Lots of people make it through graduate school while teaching and taking multiple classes. It isn't easy, but it certainly isn't impossible.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#4

Post by codyrobbins » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:41 PM UTC

timr wrote: post #3

I feel bad for the guy, but I think his problem is a bit of a personal issue. He should seek out help from a doctor on how to manage his attention disorder. Lots of people make it through graduate school while teaching and taking multiple classes. It isn't easy, but it certainly isn't impossible.

Yeah, I agree. The time fragmentation in grad school makes it a bit difficult to put a lot of time and effort into any one thing, but I never found it as excruciatingly impossible to concentrate as this guy. The environment is definitely manageable.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#5

Post by rawr » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:42 PM UTC

I concur. With the title of your blog.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#6

Post by philwelch » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:42 PM UTC

psyklic wrote: post #2

It seems like this author is taking four classes and teaching an additional one. So, he complains that he needs to task switch too often. (How is this different from undergrad?) He should just wait a year or two for classes to be over with so that he can concentrate more on research ...

Actually, as an undergrad I find it troubling too. I usually pick out my hardest class and pretend that's my primary task for the term and regard the others as annoyances.

Summer session--where you only take 1 or 2 classes at a time for six weeks at my school--always worked out better for me.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#7

Post by bkovitz » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:45 PM UTC

rawr wrote: post #5

I concur. With the title of your blog.

The title of the blog, or the title of the article?

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#8

Post by gwern » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:47 PM UTC

codyrobbins wrote: post #4

timr wrote: post #3

I feel bad for the guy, but I think his problem is a bit of a personal issue. He should seek out help from a doctor on how to manage his attention disorder. Lots of people make it through graduate school while teaching and taking multiple classes. It isn't easy, but it certainly isn't impossible.

Yeah, I agree. The time fragmentation in grad school makes it a bit difficult to put a lot of time and effort into any one thing, but I never found it as excruciatingly impossible to concentrate as this guy. The environment is definitely manageable.

Does he officially have ADHD? I felt increasingly horrified as I read through that post - everyone gets distracted but his level and inability to focus seems to be way past normal and into the pathological.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#9

Post by asciilifeform » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:48 PM UTC

Now try the agony of not being in grad school.

Re: The Agony of Grad School

#10

Post by lutorm » Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 5:53 PM UTC

The real agony of grad school starts when the classes are over and you have nothing do distract you from working on your used-to-be-interesting-but-now-not-so-much research project .all. .the. .time...

Plus it was at that exact time that my RSI hit. Classes had apparently proven enough of a variation in tasks that when I started doing research all the time, 99% computer work, it rapidly went downhill.