Sh^t People Say About (History) Graduate School

[Safferz]

there's also the assumption that grad students pay for their degrees. i don't know where this came from, but almost across the board, unless someone's had a family member in grad school, they think i'm paying to go. when i explain that, no, they pay me, they cover my tuition, and i work for them (as a TA), their tone changes. there's this impression that academia is an elite leisure activity. part of it is the attack on higher education from the right, and part of it is because, frankly, academia is still overwhelmingly elitist and increasingly disconnected from the working class. we don't exactly help our cause by staying locked in the ivory tower.

I was talking to the director of my minor program last week, and he was shocked to learn that my PhD will be funded and that funding is the norm, rather than some special scholarship for a handful of students. I don't want to think about how many senior undergrads he may have discouraged with such info (and it wasn't the only thing he was wrong about), when they come to him for advice on graduate school.

[TMP]

Times have really change in academia. Even professors cannot believe how much support Ph.D. students are getting these days. Back in the 1970s, very, very, very few female academics got any kind of funding support, and they've had to pay their way through. It will be a while before the public catches up.

It's incredible how much my parents' views of the PhD have changed since I received my funding packages and explained how this or that works. They just realized that Christmas is likely to be the only time that I can be home for more than a few days- summers are already booked for research and language study. As professionals in their industry, they already understand the importance of conferences as networking and professionalization opportunities. Things like that- the three of us try to make connections between our worlds (they're in finance/investments). They've been incredibly supportive. Even they already have a lot of respect for my (new) adviser because she's taken such good care of me already and going to be responsible for my career.

They've been so surprised by a number of things what really goes in the "Ivory Tower." Like, they didn't know that professors take a huge pay cut when they go on sabbaticals. They've been really open to learning as much as possible about academia. Now, my grandfather, on the other hand.... well, hopefully my experiences will change his perceptions a bit (professors make too much money, etc).

The only thing they wish is that academics would connect better with the public, like shake off that elitist attitude and speak plain English. There's a reason why there are a number of people who don't or can't stand listening to Obama.

[StrangeLight]

i just finished my third year and my mother is STILL surprised that i work during spring break. of course i work during spring break, that's when i catch up! my dad didn't finish high school or his GED and my mother never went to college, so they have no frame of reference for what i do. even when they worked (which they don't do anymore), my dad would skip off for hours to play golf (one of the perks for working for his own parents, i guess) and my mom only worked 20 hours a week. we have an extremely difficult time talking about my work so i've actually told them they can't talk to me about it anymore. they want to be supportive but they're the exact opposite.

"oh my god, you have to read how many books? in how much time? how are you going to do that? i'd kill myself."

"what do you mean you didn't go out on the weekend? how are you ever going to meet people?"

"what, so the other students don't go out every weekend either? i thought that was just you. i don't believe that. they must be out having fun."

me: "yeah, so, i talked to my advisor, and she wants one more draft, so it'll probably be done in a week or so."

mom: "oh my god, this is the worst thing that could have happened. what are you going to do?!? oh fuck, this is awful. what is she, insane?"

me: "calm the fuck down."

mom: "yeah, ok. but really, that is terrible. what is wrong with her? why does she need another draft? i would just quit. i would kill myself."

me: "yeah, let's not talk about this anymore."

mom: "i'm just trying to help."

me: "yeah, but you do the opposite of that."

[annieca]

a lot of people just don't realize that academic work is labour. they think of grad school as an extension of college: getting hammered, skipping class, and cramming for finals. they think of professors as people that make a ton of money (not usually), get summers off (nope, that's when the heavy lifting of research happens), and just lecture for a living (which is maybe 40% of how they spend their time).

I know I get the "Why go to grad school" almost exclusively from non-History majors. And my college, History is the hardest non-science/social science major. And we definitely do the most writing.

I think fellow History majors are also way more realistic about job prospects than say, my English major friends. They don't ask why I'm going to grad school because they know it's one of the ONLY ways I won't end up living in a van down by the river.

[jsolo25]

Echoing the general sentiment here, I think a lot of the comments that have bothered me have been from people who think I'm getting paid to complete some sort of extended Bachelor's Degree. In this economy of course I am incredibly grateful to receive compensation for something I have such a passion for, but it's still a job, and just like it would be in any other job (probably more than most I have had) you have to earn you keep. Trying to convince my unemployed or sporadically employed friends that I didn't win the lottery has been a mostly fruitless endeavor.

The other consistent annoyance has been the incredulous questioning about my academic interests: "Why are you doing Brazilian history? You're not Brazilian." The thing is, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't receive so many questions if I was going into fields like UK, Central/Eastern European or East Asian history despite having no familial ties to any of those regions... Look at me, already getting that Latin Americanist chip on my shoulder.

People also can't understand why I am continuing to push myself so hard studying Portuguese after having done so much work with it in Undergrad and study abroad opportunities. It's incomprehensible to them that someone who can speak very fluently would need to dedicate so much time to improving. In my opinion, strengthening your use of a language is a lifelong process (1st languages included) and it's certainly a major component for us non-Americanists.

Despite the somewhat off-putting questions I'm genuinely excited to start the program and be surrounded with people who push me to constantly improve and grow as a historian... really couldn't picture myself doing anything else.

Edited May 3, 2012 by jsolo25

[runaway]

The other consistent annoyance has been the incredulous questioning about my academic interests: "Why are you doing Brazilian history? You're not Brazilian." The thing is, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't receive so many questions if I was going into fields like UK, Central/Eastern European or East Asian history despite having no familial ties to any of those regions... Look at me, already getting that Latin Americanist chip on my shoulder.

As a Latina immersed in Central/Eastern European/Jewish history, I can vouch for that. The only surprise I ever get is, occasionally, "Oh wait... you're not Jewish?"

[aec09g]

"So what's your safety school? Like, what program are you for sure going to get into?" /:

"Are you and your boyfriend going to break up?" [because I got into a program? No.. >.< ]

[Sigaba]

During the (impoverished) debates prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, someone told me that because I study history, my questions/concerns were less--somehow--relevant.

[NeutralKate]

I study Russian history [specifically the fall of the USSR and Gorbachev's reign], and I'll be starting my program at UB in the fall, so I'm subject to the same four lines again and again...

1. "Oh, cool, so you're Russian, right?" [no.]

2. "Buffalo is SO cold. It's probably just like Russia!" [um... Russia is a pretty big country, with some semi-tropical zones...]

3. "So, you're going to be a professor!" [Nope. NGO, baby!]

and the most commonly heard statement, usually from academics from other fields..

4. "You might want to rethink that focus. The 1980's is just too recent!." [Well, the downfall of the USSR has it's roots in the formation of the USSR and can even be attributed to Russian cultural norms dating from well before that. Also, I'll let my thesis committee decide that one.]

[R Deckard]

During the (impoverished) debates prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, someone told me that because I study history, my questions/concerns were less--somehow--relevant.

I found this hilarious.