I love this thread, too. I have definitely felt out of place and out of sync at times. Not only was I not the traditional age, but I was not from a family who understood basic university jargon. Everything from financial aid terms to understanding what it meant that my mentor was under review for tenure when was in his lab... made me feel like Eliza Doolittle. Now I work in the medical scene and at times the education and travel experiences of the people have truly developed them more differently than they realize. Many times the wealthier kids would be exposed to their parents colleagues and enfolded into their parents social and work scene. Those opportunities didn't really exist for me during my upbringing and certainly not during the years I was at home with my children. However, genuine people are everywhere and it's easy to spot them. My new advisor tried to help me feel comfortable saying he was also from a working class family, but then neglected to explain to me the difference between a fellowship and an assistantship - and I didn't want to seem dumb, so I didn't ask him. Thankfully -- we have google and each other here!
