wildviolet

A colleague of mine shared a book that I think is worth looking into: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/041592913X?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=041592913X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 Where We Stand: Class Matters by Bell Hooks

We haven't officially started classes yet, but I have attended orientation and planning meetings for my TA and RA positions. I think grad school is terrific! Finally, I've found people who are similar to me in terms of passion and intellectual ability. Imposter Syndrome? Not yet. I feel like most of us are on par with each other--no one is much better or much worse than the others, and we all have different perspectives and experiences to add to the conversation. At the same time, we're all here because we have a passion for improving education for all students. I think the days will become very busy. In my program, PhD students take two to three classes per semester and have 1/2 time (20 hours per week) assistantships in the form of research and/or teaching, some of which requires commuting to local school districts. On top of all of that, some of us are trying to organize social outings and get-togethers. I'm very fortunate--the more experienced PhD students are happy to mentor, share their insights about the program and local area, and talk endlessly about issues in education. It's going to be an awesome five years!

Nowadays I'm partial to dresses with cardigans, flowy knee-length skirts, pearl earrings, floral patterns, cozy sweaters, and a bit of lace. I guess the romantic in me is coming out.

Thanks, guys! That was really helpful advice. So I have a meeting with my advisor soon to talk about general stuff, and I think I'll bring this up casually, just mentioning that I'm working on a paper with my MS advisor.

My blog is sort of anonymous. I give my first name, state which region of the United States I live in, and what general field I'm studying. I also talk a lot about personal stuff. I've seen other bloggers not remain anonymous, mostly because they stick to academic topics. So, I suppose it depends on what kind of blog you want to have and whether you care if random people on the Internet decide to look you up.

Hi all! I completed my MS thesis last summer and presented the results at a poster session at a mid-level conference in my field this past January. Now my MS advisor wants me to turn it into a paper and submit it to a mid-level journal. We didn't discuss authorship, but I assume she will be second author. So even though she said writing this paper was entirely up to me, of course she will get something out of it. I haven't written the paper yet but I figure why not? Now I am just starting a PhD program at a new university with a new advisor. Do I tell my PhD advisor? As in, by the way I have this paper that I'm going to submit to this journal based on my thesis work with Professor X? I guess part of my dilemma is that I'm now at a top research university working with a top researcher and I'm submitting to a mid-level journal. My MS was completed at a large local state university that does not award PhDs. Am I making too much of this? Honest responses are always appreciated.

So we had our first day of orientation today and... I wanted to share what I saw in terms of the way female faculty dressed. I saw: --cleavage (2x) --underwear (lowrider pants that were probably a size too big) --5-inch platform heels (I kid you not) --bright colors and patterns I'm at an R1, and these ladies are well-regarded scholars in their field. So I feel perfectly comfortable in my 3-inch heels and navy knee-length dress.

Yes, really! It's the last item on the agenda for tomorrow. Of course, this means A's picture is already up on the wall, so I can go and look at it whenever I want.

So I had my first real day of grad school today, and I'm proud to say that my university is very diverse. We have black women on our faculty, working as post-docs, and studying as grad students. We have international students and people from all over the country. Maybe it's my field. Or maybe it's a conscious effort on the part of the university to recruit and retain a diverse population. At the end of the day, it gives me hope. Small steps.

Go for it! My understanding is that V is more important than AW (my V was higher than my AW as I didn't try too hard on the AW). But, your scores are good! No reason not to try for your top choices. Good luck!

CageFree--I'm not arguing with you. I'm trying to share my views on the topic (based on my own experiences and education), and I'm responding to statements that you've made. I think we may have differing views of what a "label" is. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think your view has negative connotations, including the stereotypes traditionally associated with those labels (that have become widespread in our culture, keeping in mind that stereotypes have become stereotypes for a reason). Having a name for something is not the same thing as "name-calling." For example, if you saw me walking down the street, the first thing you'd think is: "young Asian woman." What else are you supposed to call me? By labeling me as such, you are acknowledging my cultural heritage, including how society views me, how I view myself, how institutions such as universities view me, etc. (and to clarify I am not saying that every society or every person views it the same way). The question is not whether it is right or wrong--it is what it is. The key is acknowledging that labels do exist and to find ways, large or small, for people to overcome these initial impressions, to truly connect with each other, to feel less alone in this world. We are all complex human beings and in no way does one label define who we are for all time. But, I think we have to at least recognize that race and gender do play a role in our everyday human interactions and perspectives. Another way to put it, being in the social sciences, is that there is no such thing as "objective." Everything is subjective, so the key is to recognize that subjectivity and examine how it influences your perspectives. This is a huge idea in qualitative research, which I was introduced to only a few years ago, and I think it's a valid worldview. So, to summarize, saying that one is "color blind" or "shedding labels" or "objective" pretty much means you've given no value to how our most basic of identities, our genetic/racial/gender heritage, has shaped our minds, personalities, and perspectives. Peace.

That's my plan! Seriously, though. Chili is one of the things I've perfected (to my liking, at least), so I'll make a huge batch with my enamel cast iron pot and freeze for later. Other things that I make that way are Indian mixed vegetable curry and tomato soup. To save money, homemade is the way to go.

My grad school course materials will cost much less than my undergrad books (and that's because I was a science major and had to pay major bucks for those heavy tomes and their answer guides)!

I'm kind of in the same situation. The days do seem long, don't they? Anyway, I have two kids, but I left them with their grandparents for the month of August while I get things set up and attend orientation and meetings. I spend a lot of my day alone (not lonely though). So, here's what I've done to cope: 1. Put on the music and sing along. 2. Read a book aloud and record it, then play it back (okay, this might be a weird one, but I'm working on my public speaking skills and want to hear how I might sound to others). 3. Call friends or family. I guess hearing the sound of my own voice is better than not hearing anything at all! That's what's been working for me so far, but orientation is next week, so I hope to make new friends soon. There's a thread somewhere about making friends in grad school if you're interested (sorry, too lazy to find it right now). Grad programs are what you make of it--people here have been really friendly, so I'm making my apartment company friendly so I can invite people over for dinner.

If you're worried, you could contact the school to see what they have to say. My numbers aren't too different, and I took it last summer: V164, Q159, AW 5.0 (but I didn't care about this one, and I don't think my school did either). Higher scores definitely make you more competitive for fellowships/scholarships.

Definitely employable inside and outside the academy.

My program generally looks like this: Years One to Three--1/4 time RA, 1/4 time TA, 2-3 courses per semester, summers to do with as you want (some people go home, others are awarded summer research fellowships to work on their own stuff, particularly first years, some continue to do RA). Years Four and Five--dissertation research and writing, TA and RA positions still available unless you get full fellowship funding. I'm glad my program makes us do the RA and TA positions--virtually everybody does this. Later, we can apply for full funding so that we can just focus on our own work. I have a small fellowship, so it helps but I still need TA/RA.

I agree with hitomimay. Because my MS was thesis-based, I had no problems demonstrating that I had already done research and was familiar with literature reviews, IRB, etc. If I were you, I would take that time to do a bit of journal reading to see what research people are doing. That way, you have some idea as to what is considered "researchable." You have to be very focused and clear about your reasons for wanting to do research. Good luck!

No, we shouldn't shed labels. This is the same as being "color blind," which is an ideology that promotes the disregard of race. Can you tell me that a black girl growing up in this country will see herself the same way as a white girl? You should look up studies they've done where they give a black girl, about age 6 or so, two dolls: one white and one black. And they ask her to point to the "good" one. Which one do you think she chose? Then, they asked her to point to the one that looked like her. And it is very sad to see the look on her face when she points to the black doll. One of my best friends is black, and she has a little 5-year-old girl. They live in a predominately white, middle-class neighborhood because her mom is a business manager and her dad is an engineer. One day, she asks her mom why she's the only black girl in the neighborhood. Kids notice things like this very early on. Do you think this has no effect on how she views herself? And what about others and how they view her? Being color blind may not be as bad as being an outright racist, but it's basically taking the approach of "looking the other way" or "saying/doing nothing." I used to consider myself "color blind" before I had some training about cultural proficiency (or culturally relevant teaching) and realized that by being "color blind" I was really not recognizing a part of people that was very important in their upbringing. I'm not saying race is the only factor. Of course, there are many others such as gender and socioeconomic status (which is why the social sciences are so complex).

Thanks for the video SeriousSillyPutty! I watched the whole thing... so in the video "O" stands for only, other, odd, overwhelm, overachieve. It did a great job of summarizing the primary issue that the OP asked about, which is how her race and gender may affect her experience in a white and male academic culture. She already has experience being the "O" and I doubt it will be much different, even in a graduate program where you may anticipate people being more open-minded. I also agree that there is no easy remedy.

Of course you can! Just don't wear it to your first day of orientation! Actually, I'm thinking anxiously about what to wear on the first day of orientation. At the end of the day, they take a photograph of each of us (pretty much top half) and post it on a big wall in the department. I'm not terribly photogenic... better use a lot of Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder!

Yes, good point Vader! I, too, am a morning person. I'm taking two courses this semester, and they are both in the evening from 4 to 7 PM. So I suppose my most productive time will be before lunch. Then I might take a stroll around campus (or the building if it's too cold), chit chat, and get some coffee before class. Hmmm... I think that means I'll either need a late lunch (1 or 2 PM) or I'll have to schedule work in during the weekends.

In my MS program, there was no option--thesis only. I met people in other programs who had the option and many people chose comps because it was easier. Now, I don't know if this is true in computer science. But, I am very glad that I wrote my MS thesis. First, it gave me the opportunity to develop research, writing, and presenting skills, which led me directly to applying for the PhD. Second, it gave me the opportunity to explore a topic of my own interest. And, best of all, I have a black hardbound book with my name on it!

Ha ha, I agree! I started teaching high school when I was 22, and I had one class of mixed juniors and seniors. Yikes did I feel green! And, despite wearing heels, makeup, and a dress, I got yelled at twice for being in the hallway during class. I had to sheepishly say that I was a new teacher.

Sorry everyone--I'm jumping into this conversation late, but it's a topic that's important to me, so I wanted to share my thoughts. This statement is loaded, and I wanted to address it. First, you can't control how other people see you. It's kind of like a game of "I think that you think that I think" . . . I was doing some people watching at the airport today and wondering why people were dressed the way they were. The overweight, balding man with the navy blue blazer and shiny black shoes? Was he trying to look more professional as a way to compensate for his body because he thought that I, or any one else for that matter, would think better/more of him if he looked sharp? In turn, this made me think about how I wanted to present myself at orientation next week--by dressing a certain way, I try to send a message to other people about myself, but there's no way I can guarantee that they will pick up the same message that I'm trying to send out. So basically people will see you through their own perspectives, which have been influenced by their upbringing, values, experiences, etc. Unless you can get into the heads of every person you meet, you really can't "control" how they "see" you. What you can control is how you respond to them. And, I also want to add that however people interact with you may or may not be based on your being a black woman. It may have more to do with who they are. We all have multiple identities and one or more of them may be at play at any given time in any given situation. If any one is interested in learning more, you can search for: James Paul Gee, Identity Theory (he focuses mainly on education but it works in any context). I'm appalled at the second half of your statement . . . treat you as such? The implication to me is that generally black women are treated poorly (and CafeFree's statement supports that). Let's be honest here. Out of all the different combinations of race/gender, our society views black women as one of the lowest. I think the OP is right to be concerned about her identity as a black woman in a predominately white and male culture. I think it's darn courageous of her, and I wish her the best of luck. I'm with you, 1Q84. I agree 100%. Being "color blind" belittles the effects of race/ethnicity on people's lives. I could go on and on... so many examples of work that has already been done on this topic, yet we are as divided as ever. To the OP, as an ethnic minority woman, the only advice I can offer you is what I hope to do for myself--to watch, listen, observe, speak up when I can, take action when I can, and play the game really really well. Once you're in a position of power, you can change the game for others. It's starting to happen here and there, but if you look at the majority of universities and colleges, especially in certain fields, you will find that the majority culture is white and male.