Reputation from slacktivist - The GradCafe Forums

slacktivist got a reaction from resDQ in Faculty perspectives October 5, 2016

I am also transferring from a graduate program this year and dealt with complications from depression and anxiety during my studies. I spent a lot of time thinking about this issue, just as you have. The initial instinct is to feel pressure to disclose your mental illness, but also worry about what that signals about your ability to complete the program, and, more broadly, how it means you are damaged goods in a career where intellectual output is the primary determinant of success.

A few things to say:

1) Mental illness is a chronic disability. You do not need to apologize for having it. This is something I often forget or am hesitant to acknowledge. No one would give a second thought if you experienced complications from a physical disability. The more unapologetic you feel about your condition, the better you will be able to advocate for yourself.

2) Disclosing your mental illness is entirely up to you. Part of advocating for yourself is establishing boundaries around disclosure. It is your decision alone. You do not need to give into perceived pressures to explain yourself to professors at these graduate programs. In my materials, I simply wrote that I experienced complications from a chronic disability.

3) Do not assume that, because professors are very smart people, they understand the nature of chronic mental illness and how to deal with it in a healthy way. Professors understand the episodic depression that otherwise healthy people suffer as a result of the pressures of graduate school. They may view your chronic condition through that lens and simply encourage you to be tough. While graduate school requires tenacity, this is useless advice for dealing with your disability.

Similarly, professors with chronic mental illness may not be good role models for you. I had an advisor who was junior faculty and wildly successful (two highly acclaimed UP books, several top-3 journal hits within four years after the PhD, media attention on their research), yet they lived a miserable, unhealthy lifestyle. They gained 40 pounds their first year out of graduate school. You may accept that tradeoff to achieve similar levels of success, but do not assume that you have to make a tradeoff between self-care and professional success. I tried to emulate their example and suffered greatly for it.

4) When it comes to the application, your best move will be to demonstrate that you have a firm understanding of what the research enterprise means. Let your SOP walk through what your broad question is, any projects you have done, different questions you might explore. Showing professors that you understand this process and have interesting ideas will go a long way to trumping any concerns they might have about grades.

5) When you continue your studies, the first thing you need to do is build a support system and treatment plan. Find a therapist and psychiatrist in your new location. Register with your university's disability services center and discuss accommodations you might need for your coursework or assistanship duties. Write up a Wellness Recovery Action Plan and review it with your family, doctors, and disability services staff.

If you end up choosing to disclose to an advisor or department head, the support and treatment work you've done will likely diffuse a lot of the tension you may feel about disclosing. You're showing them you're proactive. They don't have to feel like they need to function as your therapist. They're in a better position to provide the type of support that advisors do for students through the ups and downs of graduate school, though perhaps with some empathy from knowing you have this condition and you are managing it.

slacktivist got a reaction from elw in Faculty perspectives January 6, 2016

I am also transferring from a graduate program this year and dealt with complications from depression and anxiety during my studies. I spent a lot of time thinking about this issue, just as you have. The initial instinct is to feel pressure to disclose your mental illness, but also worry about what that signals about your ability to complete the program, and, more broadly, how it means you are damaged goods in a career where intellectual output is the primary determinant of success.

A few things to say:

1) Mental illness is a chronic disability. You do not need to apologize for having it. This is something I often forget or am hesitant to acknowledge. No one would give a second thought if you experienced complications from a physical disability. The more unapologetic you feel about your condition, the better you will be able to advocate for yourself.

2) Disclosing your mental illness is entirely up to you. Part of advocating for yourself is establishing boundaries around disclosure. It is your decision alone. You do not need to give into perceived pressures to explain yourself to professors at these graduate programs. In my materials, I simply wrote that I experienced complications from a chronic disability.

3) Do not assume that, because professors are very smart people, they understand the nature of chronic mental illness and how to deal with it in a healthy way. Professors understand the episodic depression that otherwise healthy people suffer as a result of the pressures of graduate school. They may view your chronic condition through that lens and simply encourage you to be tough. While graduate school requires tenacity, this is useless advice for dealing with your disability.

Similarly, professors with chronic mental illness may not be good role models for you. I had an advisor who was junior faculty and wildly successful (two highly acclaimed UP books, several top-3 journal hits within four years after the PhD, media attention on their research), yet they lived a miserable, unhealthy lifestyle. They gained 40 pounds their first year out of graduate school. You may accept that tradeoff to achieve similar levels of success, but do not assume that you have to make a tradeoff between self-care and professional success. I tried to emulate their example and suffered greatly for it.

4) When it comes to the application, your best move will be to demonstrate that you have a firm understanding of what the research enterprise means. Let your SOP walk through what your broad question is, any projects you have done, different questions you might explore. Showing professors that you understand this process and have interesting ideas will go a long way to trumping any concerns they might have about grades.

5) When you continue your studies, the first thing you need to do is build a support system and treatment plan. Find a therapist and psychiatrist in your new location. Register with your university's disability services center and discuss accommodations you might need for your coursework or assistanship duties. Write up a Wellness Recovery Action Plan and review it with your family, doctors, and disability services staff.

If you end up choosing to disclose to an advisor or department head, the support and treatment work you've done will likely diffuse a lot of the tension you may feel about disclosing. You're showing them you're proactive. They don't have to feel like they need to function as your therapist. They're in a better position to provide the type of support that advisors do for students through the ups and downs of graduate school, though perhaps with some empathy from knowing you have this condition and you are managing it.

slacktivist got a reaction from AuldReekie in Profiles and Results, SOPs, and Advice (Fall 2015) April 16, 2015

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Community college, M.A.-granting university ranked around 60th in its region by U.S. News
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science
Undergrad GPA: 3.3
Type of Grad: M.A. from a U.S. News top-50 Ph.D. program
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: V: 169 Q: 160 AW: 4.0
Letters of Recommendation: Two from undergraduate advisors, one from M.A. professor
Research Experience: One semester as undergraduate R.A.
Teaching Experience: One semester as T.A., one semester as grader
Subfield/Research Interests: American politics
Other: Multiple conference presentations, undergraduate scholarships, undergraduate award for best paper presented at a regional conference
RESULTS
Acceptances: Three (top-6, top-25, unranked — all fully funded)
Waitlists: Two (top-25, top-40)
Rejections: Seven (two top-25, five top-40)
Going to: Top-6

LESSONS LEARNED
1) Research matters. A lot. I had a great writing sample that fit well with the program I chose, as well as a history of winning awards for my research. I was able to write compellingly about my research agenda and clearly identify faculty I could work with. I'm now heading to a program that is ideal for my interests.

2) It seems if you have some previous research you can hang your hat on, then the objective indicators in your file will matter less. Look at my file. I failed out of college at one point! I got a B and a C in graduate school. My GRE writing score was mediocre. The GRE was the one objective indicator that admissions committees could look at and believe I could be successful in their program.

3) I threw in the application to the top-six school because I really wanted to go there, not because I had any expectation of getting in. Don't be afraid of taking a calculated risk and apply to top programs if they seem like a really good fit for your interests.

SOP
Wrote about undergraduate and graduate projects, discussed the development of my research interests, and tied my development to a single broad, thematic question that drives my research.

slacktivist got a reaction from law2phd in Profiles and Results, SOPs, and Advice (Fall 2015) April 16, 2015

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Community college, M.A.-granting university ranked around 60th in its region by U.S. News
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science
Undergrad GPA: 3.3
Type of Grad: M.A. from a U.S. News top-50 Ph.D. program
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: V: 169 Q: 160 AW: 4.0
Letters of Recommendation: Two from undergraduate advisors, one from M.A. professor
Research Experience: One semester as undergraduate R.A.
Teaching Experience: One semester as T.A., one semester as grader
Subfield/Research Interests: American politics
Other: Multiple conference presentations, undergraduate scholarships, undergraduate award for best paper presented at a regional conference
RESULTS
Acceptances: Three (top-6, top-25, unranked — all fully funded)
Waitlists: Two (top-25, top-40)
Rejections: Seven (two top-25, five top-40)
Going to: Top-6

LESSONS LEARNED
1) Research matters. A lot. I had a great writing sample that fit well with the program I chose, as well as a history of winning awards for my research. I was able to write compellingly about my research agenda and clearly identify faculty I could work with. I'm now heading to a program that is ideal for my interests.

2) It seems if you have some previous research you can hang your hat on, then the objective indicators in your file will matter less. Look at my file. I failed out of college at one point! I got a B and a C in graduate school. My GRE writing score was mediocre. The GRE was the one objective indicator that admissions committees could look at and believe I could be successful in their program.

3) I threw in the application to the top-six school because I really wanted to go there, not because I had any expectation of getting in. Don't be afraid of taking a calculated risk and apply to top programs if they seem like a really good fit for your interests.

SOP
Wrote about undergraduate and graduate projects, discussed the development of my research interests, and tied my development to a single broad, thematic question that drives my research.

slacktivist reacted to Darth Game Theory in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

...I get to do research again. Hol-y shit.

slacktivist reacted to Darth Game Theory in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

I'm in, off the waitlist at Michigan. I can't believe it.

slacktivist got a reaction from Bubandis in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

I'll be attending Michigan this fall! Unbelievable.

slacktivist reacted to ZajoncSays in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

I just got off the waitlist at Michigan so it's likely I'll be seeing you there!!

I'm still in shock!

slacktivist got a reaction from Gusvalo in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

I'll be attending Michigan this fall! Unbelievable.

slacktivist reacted to Bubandis in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 15, 2015

I've declined my Texas - Austin, and, Stony Brook offers. Hope that this allows someone to receive a last minute offer.

People might think I am a bit crazy on the SB choice, but they seriously need to improve the stipend....that'd be too stressful for me. Plus, I really liked my visit to UVA and think that it will be great fit.

Regardless, it's the 15th at last! Woohoo! Congrats to everyone who got in this cycle

slacktivist got a reaction from rwillh11 in Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle April 14, 2015