Cohorts

[studentaffairsgrad]

Hey everyone!

I'll be boarding the grad school cray train this fall, along with a small cohort of about 20 other students. Just wondering what the dynamic is amongst your own cohorts? Can't live without them, or turn your back and they sabotage you? Just curious to hear other people's experiences and advice on how to deal with your fellow cohort people. I heard it can get pretty cut-throat. Ridiculous stories welcomed!

[eklavya]

you will meet all kinds of people. don't get offended very often as there will be some ignorants in the bunch. talking about cutthroats, there aren't very many in my field because we try to help each other. but every once in a while, you do bump into one. if they ask for help, help. otherwise, don't get involved in their lives/research, because when time comes, they will back-stab you. also, you will see plenty of dumbs who don't even know that there is a right click in the mouse (trust me, i've seen some). or the types who pay (yes sir, pay a third party) to do their lab AND class work. (see, we are nice, and therefore don't report this to the teachers... mainly because we know that these kind of students will most probably end up flunking their PhD/jobs/whatever and end up doing miserably in their lives). but it is very pathetic that they can't even do their own work. there are also types who think the whole university and grad school thing is about memorizing. they don't think like scientists or philosophers or inventors - for example, their presentation slides (showcasing their research or lab work) will be full of info copied from journals/wikipedia/google, and all they will say during their presentation is 'i am not going to go through all these. i will email my slides to everyone in the class, and you can go through them'. really? that's how you go about publicizing your research? there will also be types who need attention. a LOT of it. if you don't say hi to them (because you are busy doing your work or something), they will stop communication with you whatsoever. there will also be the types who like to play loud music on their ipod and laptops, in front of the group. they think what they watch is funny and awesome, and your opinions don't count - you have to watch/listen to the crap. if not, communications halted.

phew. that looked like a rant!

i assure you, it isn't.. just my recollections of some 'precious' moments in my lab.

anyways, in a nutshell, be yourself, watch the view, and enjoy the ride.

[IRdreams]

I've got a pretty supportive cohort at my school. But I don't know that that is the norm. For example, junior faculty here have noted that my school is a "hug fest" compared to where they graduated, which pretty much the same tiered schools so that's not effecting the outcome.

[poco_puffs]

Man, I have an amazing cohort. We arranged our own meet-ups early on (outside of school functions) to try and establish some connections with each other, and I'd say more than half of the students in my year got involved at some level. We have a facebook group for notices about social events or movie nights, questions about school, requests for information rides etc. There's a grad lounge for our department where all of the people without offices hang out, and it has turned into a major socializing and destressing zone. A few people have had some rough terms, and the group has really stepped up to help with taking notes, running errands, and doing study groups/buddy sessions for the stressful nights.

I know not every cohort is like that, so I'm thankful, but I also think that it's worth it to be friendly and proactive about connecting in the first few weeks/months. These people are going to know better than most others what your life is going to be like for the next few years, and that can be a wonderful resource (as long as it's not just shoptalk 24/7, of course). It doesn't have to be a hug-fest, as a previous poster mentioned, but I think you can be warm and engaging with people in a way that encourages some trust and goodwill. Even if not everyone responds to that approach, it will help you connect with the people who you can depend on or turn to in the near future.

[Thales]

There will likely be a few dickish members of your cohort also. I never realized that grad school was a bit like elementary school until I got here.