crazygirl2012

I've actually heard of undergrads leaving their name and phone number on their teaching evaluations at the end of the semester if they wanted to ask their TA out. Once the semester is over, it's totally fine! The degree to which people gossip about it (if at all) probably depends on the the university and the department. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it.

One of my best friends applied to a more competitive subfield than I did. She did great as far as interviews and wait lists go, but despite being a weaker student, I got into grad school and she didn't. When my other best friend (same subfield as mine, amazing student) and I were getting interviews, the one who didn't finally told us that it was incredibly awkward when we tried to avoid the topic. She was happy for us, she wanted to hear about this important time in our lives, and she would let us know if she changed her mind and didn't want to hear about it anymore. That worked great-- we remained honest with each other throughout the process and it turned out totally fine.

There was one girl who applied to yet another subfield and didn't get any interviews or acceptances. We don't know why. She's a great student. But she and I had a very tentative friendship after years of issues (long story!), and it did fall apart after a relatively trivial argument we had a couple weeks ago. Without the added tension from the grad school issues, I think we would have been fine.

In general, my response has been to ignore it. Nearly everything has been said behind my back anyway. That's generally how things work around here! I tried to be very conscious of everything I said. I'm quite insecure and I still worried constantly about being viewed as arrogant. From what I've been told, people didn't think I was, so I guess I succeeded in that regard.

One of my best friends applied to a more competitive subfield than I did. She did great as far as interviews and wait lists go, but despite being a weaker student, I got into grad school and she didn't. When my other best friend (same subfield as mine, amazing student) and I were getting interviews, the one who didn't finally told us that it was incredibly awkward when we tried to avoid the topic. She was happy for us, she wanted to hear about this important time in our lives, and she would let us know if she changed her mind and didn't want to hear about it anymore. That worked great-- we remained honest with each other throughout the process and it turned out totally fine.

There was one girl who applied to yet another subfield and didn't get any interviews or acceptances. We don't know why. She's a great student. But she and I had a very tentative friendship after years of issues (long story!), and it did fall apart after a relatively trivial argument we had a couple weeks ago. Without the added tension from the grad school issues, I think we would have been fine.

In general, my response has been to ignore it. Nearly everything has been said behind my back anyway. That's generally how things work around here! I tried to be very conscious of everything I said. I'm quite insecure and I still worried constantly about being viewed as arrogant. From what I've been told, people didn't think I was, so I guess I succeeded in that regard.

I'm a graduating senior starting a Ph.D. program in the fall. I come from a small college and a pretty ambitious department. A lot of us applied to grad school. This entire semester, I've seen a lot of drama related to grad school admissions. Lots of anxiety, bitterness, mixed feelings about each other's success, and just plain cattiness and backstabbing. It's disappointing. I'm pretty satisfied with how I've handled it, mostly because I've been the major target for criticism. I'm not going to whine on here about the nasty things people say, but I am curious to know if others have encountered this problem at the end of undergrad.

For what it's worth, my true friends have been great! We've had our issues, and we've all said things we now regret, but we've worked through it and are genuinely happy for one another.

I'm a graduating senior starting a Ph.D. program in the fall. I come from a small college and a pretty ambitious department. A lot of us applied to grad school. This entire semester, I've seen a lot of drama related to grad school admissions. Lots of anxiety, bitterness, mixed feelings about each other's success, and just plain cattiness and backstabbing. It's disappointing. I'm pretty satisfied with how I've handled it, mostly because I've been the major target for criticism. I'm not going to whine on here about the nasty things people say, but I am curious to know if others have encountered this problem at the end of undergrad.

For what it's worth, my true friends have been great! We've had our issues, and we've all said things we now regret, but we've worked through it and are genuinely happy for one another.

Try ordering online through a store that you have in your town as well as in your new town, so you can check everything out before you order it. Win-win!

I can definitely sympathize. I was respected and liked in undergrad, but also known for being a bit inconsistent and highly anxious. You're not being too sensitive-- the things they've said about you are hurtful. Your doubt about the program and your place in it is understandable. I believe that if you really, really wanted this, you could turn things around and prove yourself, but it would take a lot of patience and diligence. I would suggest being really honest with yourself about how willing you are to devote yourself to changing your reputation. Maybe the place is just toxic for you and staying there wouldn't be healthy. Maybe it would be a character-building experience that, overall, would be positive. Likely, it would be a mix of both. Look into other options, preferably ones outside of Arizona, before you make your decision. This is a tough question that none of us can really answer for you. You just have to be as honest with yourself as possible.

I'm starting in August, and I'm nervous too. Doing anything new can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. Of course we don't know if we can do it-- we haven't done it yet! But confidence takes time to build. It sounds like you love what you do and you're very willing to work hard and to find new ways to get things done. You'll be fine.

Thank you, crazygirl2012, for your nice response. I did go to the interview after all. One of the professors was so nice that he made up for the other one! I was notified that i was considered for the program within an hour after the interview--they just have to get the official okay from the department head.

As for rumors: I didn't know that people were paying attention to undergrads! I thought we were just peons. And I know how you feel for being labeled "anxious" and "inconsistent." Honestly, that would describe me, too! But I'm glad to see that you've been accepted into a program. Social Psychology sounds fascinating!

Well, I like to realize that grad school isn't suppose to be easy- it's suppose to challenge you and make you question your abilities. There is something to be said about feeling like you can't do it, but pushing through it and saying to yourself "you can do it" .

I think it's really important also to have a balance. I make sure I have down time and get out with friends...I vent and scream...and sometimes cry. But I love my topic, I am interested, and i take one day at a time.

You will be fine! Grad school is an amazing experience where you grow and realize how strong, determined and motivated you are. If you find something difficult and hard, be happy- it means you are learning and gaining experience! If you knew everything, there would be no point in doing grad school!

Sounds like you're making an odd request, hence his confusion. It's very unusual to ask for reference letters "just for your reference". Typically they are written privately, and provided for things such as scholarships and grad school applications (as you know). He may be uncomfortable providing you with a letter just for you to read. I would agree with him in thinking that it is an odd request. Perhaps you should wait until you actually have a good reason to ask for a reference letter.

Oh, you're definitely not alone. I've been crippled by self-doubt many times this quarter. I'm finishing up finals this week, and every day I spend at least an hour psyching myself up to write because otherwise, I will be paralyzed by the fear that my work just isn't good enough. Roughly, it goes like this: "it doesn't have to be perfect. it doesn't even have to be good. think of this as a draft. etc."
Calmingmanatee.com also helps:

Sorry for the giant picture! This is my lovely, 9-year-old golden retriever, Tuscany. He lives with my mom and she's slightly obsessed with him. I'm planning to adopt a cat in grad school and name her Vienna, after my favorite Billy Joel song. I love dogs, but I won't be home often enough in grad school to give him/her enough exercise. It wouldn't be fair to the dog.

It sounds like you're doing great! I'd echo what everyone else has said. Also, is your advisor the type to snap at people when she gets stressed? I don't know the situations in which she freaked out on you, but they were probably not entirely a reflection on you.

There is nothing wrong with not having work experience through the educational process. However, if you want to have experience or just really feel what it is like to work in your field there are many ways to get it. As mentioned above, over the summer you could get a job working at summer camps/ summer schools. They are almost always looking for young able-bodied people. Another way is to maybe subsitute teach somewhere. Depending on where you are living, you can either go through a school district or a specific school and be on their list. I know from my experience subsitute teaching here in Florida in the states you can easily get on if you have a college degree, you can work whenever you want because you sign up for your own jobs, and they always need people to work in special needs classrooms. Even if it isn't a physical education classroom you will probably find it to be a good learning experience to spend time in classrooms with kids of different disabilities to learn their behaviors. Normally when you sub you are in the with a paraprofessional so it won't be all on your own.

Good luck!

Hi Seán,

Welcome to the world of grad school! Where you never quite sure of your abilities, if you're on par with the rest of your class, or if you're doing anything right! I think your concerns are what a lot of students feel like- before, during and after they graduate school. A lot of students have never taken a break to gain work experience, so I might not stress too much about it. I would suggest that you take up opportunities to get more practical experience- such as RA work or even TA work...or if there are some small part-time positions linked to your degree.


From my experience in my PhD, people who have not had work experience are not at a disadvantage. However, once you graduate, you will want to have some sort of skills/experience to put on your resume for jobs- this will make you a better contender for positions.

I am making the assumption that the experience you wish you had is work, perhaps you could clarify what experience you feel you are missing!

In the end, I think this is a common feeling a lot of students don't have...if this is something you really want to do, don't let nerves/fears stop you

A PI can also mean Principal Investigator -- as in the lead researcher for a project, where POI is usually something like "Person of Interest", i.e. someone that you are interested in working with for grad school.

Agreed. I felt guilty when I was filling out applications and answered that I had never been on disciplinary probation, because I was given a similar sanction for underage drinking as a freshman. When I talked to the dean who gave me the sanction, she said that I could honestly answer "no", so I did. If they only ask about felonies, there's no need to disclose the DUI.

For as small as my major and minor departments are- I only really talk to one person and we applied only had one school in common and from what I can tell in my major, there wasn't a lot of competition for the programs (not a lot are going into straight cultural anthro, some are going into forensics, arch, different subfields, peace corps, med school, etc).

I am starting to feel awkward now that we are less than 2 weeks to graduation and what we're doing next is the main topic to come up. People in my minor keep commenting on how impressive it is that I got in- while they are going to an in-state program that are "good enough". It's not like I could do anything about where they go but it just makes me feel kind of guilty

Do what you can to minimize the temptation to reinvent the wheel.
Do your level best to learn from those who have gone before you and have asked similar questions.
Consider the utility of incorporating your questions into ongoing discussions.
When assessing the guidance you've received, consider the background, the expertise and the experience of the person who offered it.







If I sound snarky it is because this BB is going through a phase in which newer members are repeating questions that have been addressed many, many times. While this trend provides opportunities to get great guidance from experienced graduate students such as jullietmercredi, it also provides opportunities to miss equally sound guidance from experienced graduate students such as jullietmercredi.

IMO, this trend represents a "lost opportunity" for many of you to start the transition from being undergraduates to being graduate students. As graduate students, you will often encounter an implicit expectation that you are doing the leg work to find the answers to your own questions, and from there generating additional questions and answers. (In some quarters, this leg work is called "research".)

Additionally, some of you who are in your twenties may be walking into a buzzsaw as new graduate students. Your cohort is developing a reputation for having attitudes of entitlement and self-absorption. (Consider how members of the generation of 1965 talk about the OWS and Tea Party movements) Regardless of the accuracy of this perception (Christopher Lasch had the same complaints back in 1978), perception is reality.

While it is your choice as to what questions you want to ask and how you want to ask them, do not be surprised if those who are most capable of helping you decide to tune you out. If you think this can't happen to you, ask yourself why you're asking strangers on the internet for guidance rather than going into a professor's office and getting mentored?

My $0.02.

About your dog: I think that depends entirely on you and your program. I am in a social science program where the majority of my analysis and writing can be done from home, and I prefer to work from home or from a library (as opposed to my cube in the windowless cube farm). When I was taking classes I was generally there from 9-6 or so, but now that my coursework is finished I am rarely at the school itself. I go for meetings, seminars, interesting kinds of things and I do most of my work remotely. My time is verrry flexible, and if my building didn't prohibit it I would get a dog in a heartbeat. Another thing to keep in mind: a dog can be a great comfort when you're all stressed out over graduate school.

Advice?

Age:
-Don't feel like you have nothing to offer just because you are younger. I was 22 when I started graduate school. You got accepted to the program for a reason, and chances are you are just as equipped as any older students are to successfully complete the program, just in a different way.

-Your older classmates may be just as terrified as you. Talk to them. You have a lot in common. You are, after all, in the same place.

-You will feel like an imposter, like you don't belong, or like you are constantly behind. Or all three. It's normal. It will pass. (Well, sort of.) People of all ages go through this.

Adviser related:
-If you are lucky enough to get both research interest fit and personality fit perfect, congratulations! But sometimes, personality fit is more important than research interest fit as long as the research isn't too different. A great adviser is interested in your career development, likes you as a person, advocates for you, and wants to hear your ideas. Even if his or her research is quite different from yours, they may give you the autonomy to work on your own projects and just supervise you. A bad personality fit will drive you nuts, even if you love his or her research. Consider that when evaluating your adviser fit. (This will vary by field: research fit may be less important in the humanities, more important in the natural and physical sciences. Social sciences are somewhere in-between.)

-Don't be afraid to be straight up blunt with your adviser when it comes to asking about your progress. Ask if you are where you should be both academic program wise and getting-a-job-after-this-mess-wise.

-Be proactive. Advisers love when you draw up an agenda for your one-on-one meetings, come with talking points and progress to share, have concrete questions to ask, and have overall shown that you have been thoughtful and taken control of your own program. Of course, this won't immediately come easily to you, but in time you will work up to it. Every semester I type up my semester goals, and at the beginning of the year I type up annual goals. I show them to my adviser and we talk about whether they are too ambitious, or whether I need to revise them, and how I can meet them.

-Don't expect your adviser to actually know what courses you have to take to graduate. They will know about comprehensive exams and the dissertation, but a lot of professors don't really keep up with the course requirements, especially if their program is in flux. Get you a student handbook, and find out what you need to take. Map it out in a grid, and check off things when you finish them. Show this to your adviser every semester. You may have to explain how such and such class fills a requirement.

-Nobody loves you as much as you, except your mother. Keep this in mind as you take in advice from all sources, including your adviser. Your adviser is there to guide you, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything he says.

Studying:
-You will have to read more than you ever did before, in less time than you ever have before, and you will be expected to retain more than you ever have before. The way that you studied in undergrad may need some tweaking. Be prepared for this.

-Corollary: you may find that your methods change with age or interests or time. I preferred to study alone in college, but in grad school, I prefer to study in groups. It keeps me on task and the socialization keeps me motivated. You may find that you shift from being a more auditory learner to a visual learner or whatever.

-You will feel behind at first. This is normal.

-At some point you will realize that your professors don't actually expect you to read everything they assign you. This, of course, will vary by program, but there will be at least one class where the reading is actually impossible to do in one week. The point is to read enough that you know the major themes and can talk intelligently about them, and then pick some of the readings to really dig into and think more deeply about.

-For most programs, don't worry so much about grades. If you stay on top of your work and do what you're supposed to, you will probably get an A. How much grades matter varies from program to program. In some programs, a B is a signal that you are not up to par, and more than a few Bs will warrant a discussion with your adviser or the DGS. My program isn't like that - A, B, it's all meaningless. My adviser doesn't even know what my grades are. But at almost all programs, a C means you need to retake the course, and two Cs means you have to convince the DGS not to kick you out.

Extracurricular activity: What's that? No, seriously:
-A lot of your time will be unstructured. You will have coursework, but most grad classes meet once a week for two hours and you may have three classes. You may have meetings with your adviser every so often and some seminars or things to catch (like we have grand rounds and colloquia that are required), but a lot of time will be unstructured. However, since you have so much more work than you had in undergrad, you actually will have less free time than you had in undergrad. This may initially cause you great anxiety. It did for me. Some people love unstructured time, though. (I don't.)

-Because of this, you'll have to be planful about your non-grad school related stuff.

-TAKE TIME OFF. DO it. It's important for your mental health. However you do it doesn't matter. Some people work it like a 9-5 job. Some people take a day off per week (me) and maybe a few hours spread across the week. Some people work half days 7 days a week. However you do it, there needs to be a time when you say "f this, I'm going to the movies."

-Find your happy place, something that keeps you the you you were when you came in. I love working out. It gives me energy and I feel good. I stay healthy. I also love reading fiction, so sometimes I just curl up with a good book, work be damned. You have to give yourself permission to not think about work, at least for a couple of hours a week. You may also discover new hobbies! (I never worked out before I came to graduate school.)

-Your work will creep into all aspects of your life, if you let it. This is why I hate unstructured time. You will feel guilty for not doing something, because in graduate school, there is ALWAYS something you can do. ALWAYS. But since there will always be more work, there's no harm in putting it aside for tomorrow, as long as you don't have a deadline.

-You may need to reach outside of your cohort for a social life. None of my close friends are in my doctoral cohort. I've met master's students in my program, master's students in other programs, and I know a few non-graduate students I hang out with, too. Go to graduate student mixers. (If your university doesn't have any, organize some, if you like planning parties.) Join a student group that doesn't take up too much time. I had a doctoral acquaintance who kinda laughed at me because I joined some student groups other than the doctoral student one, and I was usually the only doctoral student in those groups, but I met some close friends (and future job contacts) and had a good time.

-DO NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR WANTING A LIFE OUTSIDE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL. This is paramount. This is important. You are a well-rounded, complex, multifaceted human being. NEVER feel bad for this. Everybody wants some kind of life outside of work. Yes, you may loooove your field, but that doesn't mean you want to do it all day long. Some other doctoral students, and perhaps professors, may make you feel bad about this. Don't let them. Just smile and nod. Then disappear when you need to.

Career:
-This is job preparation. Remember that from Day One. Always be looking for ways to enhance your skills. Read job ads and find out what's hot in your field, what's necessary, what's in demand. For example, in my field statistics and methods are a hot commodity, and they're not a passing fad. I happen to really like statistics and methods, so I have pursued that as a concentration of mine.

-Don't be afraid to take on volunteer work and part-time gigs that will give you skills that will be useful both inside academia and out, as long as it's not against your contract. Your adviser may be against it, but he doesn't have to know as long as it doesn't interfere with your work.

-If you want to work outside of academia - if you are even *considering* the possibility - please please definitely do the above. Even if you aren't considering it, consider the possibility that you won't get a tenure-track job out the box and that you may need to support yourself doing something else for a while. You will have to prove to employers that you have developed usable, useful skills and this is one of the easiest ways to do it. But don't overdo it - get the degree done.

-For more academic related ones - always look for opportunities to present and publish. Presentations look good on your CV. Publications look better. When you write seminar papers, wonder if you can publish them with some revision. Write your seminar papers on what you maybe think you may want to do your dissertation on. Even if you look at them three years later and think "these suck," you can at least glean some useful references and pieces from them. Discuss publication with your adviser early and often, and if you have the time and desire, seek out publication options with other professors and researchers. But if you commit to a project, COMMIT. You don't want to leave a bad impression.

-If you can afford it, occasionally go to conferences even if you aren't presenting. You can network, and you can hear some interesting talks, and you may think about new directions for your own research. You can also meet people who may tell you about jobs, money, opportunities, etc.

-Always try to get someone else to pay for conference travel before you come out of pocket. Including your adviser. Do not be shy about asking if he or she can pay. If he can't, he'll just say no. Usually the department has a travel fund for students, but often it's only if you are presenting.

-If you are interested in academia, you should get some teaching experience. There are two traditional ways to do this: TAing a course, and teaching as a sole instructor. If you can help it, I wouldn't recommend doing a sole instructor position until you are finished with coursework. Teaching takes a LOT of time to do right. You should definitely TA at least one course, and probably a few different ones. But don't overdo it, if you can help it, because again, it takes a LOT of time. More than you expect at the outset. If you are in the humanities, I think sole instructor positions are very important for nabbing jobs so when you are in the exam/ABD phase, you may want to try at least one. If your own university has none, look at adjuncting for nearby colleges, including community colleges. (I would wager that the majority of natural science/physical science students, and most social science students, have never sole taught a class before they get an assistant professor job. At least, it's not that common n my field, which straddles the social and natural sciences.)

-Always look for money. Money is awesome. If you can fund yourself you can do what you want, within reason. Your university will be thrilled, your adviser will be happy, and you can put it on your CV. It's win-win-win! Don't put yourself out of the running before anyone else has a chance to. Apply even if you think you won't get it or the odds are against you (they always are), as long as you are eligible. Apply often. Apply even if it's only $500. (That's conference travel!) Money begets money. The more awards you get, the more awards you will get. They will get bigger over time. If you are in the sciences and social sciences, you should get practice writing at least one grant. You don't have to write the whole thing, but at least get in on the process so that you can see how it's done. Grant-writing is very valuable both in and outside of graduate school.

-Revise your CV every so often. Then look and decide what you want to add to it. Then go get that thing, so you can add it.

-The career office at big universities is often not just for undergrads. I was surprised to learn that my career center offers help on CV organization and the academic job search, as well as alternative/non-academic career searches for doctoral students. In fact, there are two people whose sole purpose it is to help PhD students find nonacademic careers, and they both have PhDs. This will vary by university - some universities will have very little for grad students. Find out before you write the office off.

-It's never too early to go to seminars/workshops like "the academic job search inside and out", "creating the perfect CV," "getting the job," etc. NEVER. Often the leader will share tips that are more aimed towards early graduate students, or tidbits that are kind of too late for more advanced students to take care of. This will also help you keep a pulse on what's hot in your field. It'll help you know what lines you need to add to your CV. And they're interesting.

Other:

-Decide ahead of time what you are NOT willing to sacrifice on the altar of academia. Then stick to it.
I'm serious. If you decide that you do NOT want to sacrifice your relationship, don't. If it's your geographical mobility, don't. I mean, be realistic, and realize that there will always be trade-offs. But you have to think about what's important to you for your quality of life, and realize that there is always more to you than graduate school.

-If you don't want to be a professor, do not feel guilty about this. At all. Zero. However, you will have to do things differently than most doctoral students. Your adviser will probably never have worked outside of the academy (although this may vary depending on the field) so he may or may not be able to help you. But you have a special mission to seek out the kinds of experiences that will help you find a non-academic job. Test the waters with your adviser before you tell him this. My adviser was quite amenable to it, but that's because I told him that my goal was to still do research and policy work in my field just not at a university, AND because it's quite common in my field for doctoral students to do non-academic work. If you're in a field where it's not common (or where your professors refuse to believe it's common, or it's not supposed to be common)…well, you may be a little more on your own.

-Every so often, you will need to reflect on the reasons you came to graduate school. Sometimes, just sit and think quietly. Why are you doing this to yourself? Do you love your field? Do you need this degree to do what you want to do? Usually the answer is yes and yes, and usually you'll keep on trucking. But sometimes when the chips are down you will need to reevaluate why you put yourself through this in the first place.

-To my great dismay, depression is quite common in doctoral students. Graduate work can be isolating and stressful. Luckily your health insurance usually includes counseling sessions. TAKE THEM if you need them. Do not be ashamed. You may be surprised with who else is getting them. (I found out that everyone in my cohort, including me, was getting mental health counseling at a certain point.) Exercise can help, as can taking that mental health day once a week and just chilling. Don't be surprised if you get the blues…

-…but be self-aware and able to recognize when the depression is clouding your ability to function. Doctoral programs have a 50% attrition rate, and this is rarely because that 50% is less intelligent than, less motivated than, less driven than, or less ambitious than the other 50% that stays. Often they realize that they are ridiculously unhappy in the field, or that they don't need the degree anymore, or that they'd rather focus on other things in life, or their interests have changed. All of this is okay!

-You will, at some point, be like "eff this, I'm leaving." I think almost every doctoral student has thought about dropping out and just kicking this all to the curb. You need to listen to yourself, and find out whether it is idle thought (nothing to worry about, very normal) or whether you are truly unhappy to the point that you need to leave. Counseling can help you figure this out.

-Don't be afraid to take a semester or a year off if you need to. That's what leaves of absence are for.

Lastly, and positively…

…graduate school is great! Seriously, when else will you ever have the time to study what you want for hours on end, talk to just as interested others about it, and live in an intellectual community of scholars and intellectuals? And occasionally wake up at 11 am and go to the bank at 2 pm? Sometimes you will want to pull out all of your hair but most of the time, you will feel fulfilled and wonderfully encouraged and edified. So enjoy this time!

Hi there,

I am sorry you are having a difficult time and have been ill this past year. Working through being diagnosed and treating an illness during school is hard, stressful, and tiring.

Outside your illness, there seems to be an apparent misunderstanding of your expectations and perceptions of a PhD. A PhD is never easy and is not suppose to be easy. It's a prestigious degree that takes years, many hours, tears/sweat/sanity...etc to finish. You should never regard it as being easy, nor should you think you should choose the "easy" route.

A PhD is also an independent and self-directed learning experience. This is a process where you begin to learn how to do research, formulate skills, and show to your advisors and committee that you are ready to begin a career. I know what it's like to be in a situation where you feel your supervisor isn't invested in your project- but in all reality, that's not their job. The true reality is that YOU have to be invested in that project, and YOU have to continually become the expert, advocate, and progressor with it. Your supervisor is not there to hold your hand, their job is to mentor you, make you think beyond your capacity, make you question your choices in design/methods/etc., and be your supporter. I would not expect my advisor to give me literature to read for my proposal - NEVER. They might recommend me a book or article if they come across something, or I might seek out their recommendation on a specific topic if I am finding it difficult to find information, but I would never expect them to hand me a list of readings to develop my thesis on- this is your job, and a critical skill you should learn.

It sounds like your first major hurtle is developing a literature search. If you are stuck on finding literature, head to your library and they can help you. You will find there are a lot of services at your institution that can help you with various steps of your degree...I have even met with additional professors to get their input and guidance on certain things or specific methodologies questions.

The biggest thing to remember is this is your degree, and you have to have the initiative and motivation to take the reins and drive it to success.

As ticklemepink has suggested, perhaps you should sit down and really think about what you want out of your PhD, you interest in your dissertation, and where you see this degree taking you.

Best of luck

Anyone else have to GOOGLE prevarication?

And I think you should back off. You didn't read the theses, you don't know the program or even the university. Or me, for that matter.

"impart" "wisdom"

Please.

Most people overestimate the inspiration that's required for graduate work, and underestimate the perspiration.

You need to have a solid mind, a good grasp of basics, and some original ideas... But that's often overshadowed by the huge mountain of work that you need to slowly chip away at.

You can get a lot farther in graduate work (and even acdemia) by being hard-working and just "pretty sharp" than you can by being brilliant but less motivated.