Making Mistakes and Sounding Stupid

[lslavic12]

Does anyone else ever say something stupid? Or make incorrect statements about the things you are supposed to know about because now, it's your specialty? Or mistakes about things you should know on a "101 Level"? When undergrads or others ask you something and you get it wrong (and sometimes another grad student is there to correct you). Oh well, I guess it's the best way to never get it wrong again! Every once in a while I do this, now two weeks into my first year of grad school. It's a bad feeling, shame filled, but then again laughable because it brings me down from and shrinks my head back to normal size! Don't you think?

[fuzzylogician]

Everyone makes mistakes, and no one is perfect. If you said something wrong to your undergraduate students, just fix it. Don't get hung up on the mistake but make sure they have the right information. You can be very matter-of-fact about it and unless you make a big deal out of it, they won't either - they trust you to teach them and that's what you're doing. If you're screwing up in front of professors, get used to it. That's how you learn. Ask questions, even stupid ones, and don't be shy. Just because you're in grad school to study X does not automatically make you an expert on X. (But on the other hand it's also a good idea not to jump into a conversation with very strong opinions about things you're not sure about. Better to ask than to make statements.)

[Dal PhDer]

I learned early on that I don't know everything! I also learned early that I tend to have verbal diarrhoea...for example, during my MA defence, [my topic was on physical activity accessibility] and my external said "do you think you're making the assumption that if it's in their neighbourhood they'll use it? Do you not need to test that relationship" ...without summarizing what I said, I ended up making reference to living next to a liquor store and still not being an alcoholic.I got laughs, but thinking back, probably not my best choice of words...hehe

I think it's human nature to make mistakes and/or say something stupid. You have to not let it drag you down or define you. Also, it's great when you finally realize that it's okay not to know an answer, and just say it. There was a question in my defence where I had to answer "That's a great question and something I should know, but I do not. All I can say is that you've brought attention to an area in which I need to give further focus to. I will email you next week and give my answer to that question". They were pleased! I didn't try to BS my way around something that it was obvious that I didn't know!

You're only in your first year of grad school- give yourself a break! You're allowed to be wrong or say something silly! You, me, the students in your class and everyone on here have already, or will at some point, done it!

Don't be so hard on yourself! You've got to be pretty smart to have gotten into grad school!

[imonedaful]

during my MA defence, [my topic was on physical activity accessibility] and my external said "do you think you're making the assumption that if it's in their neighbourhood they'll use it? Do you not need to test that relationship" ...without summarizing what I said, I ended up making reference to living next to a liquor store and still not being an alcoholic.I got laughs, but thinking back, probably not my best choice of words...hehe

That is hilarous. haha.

During my first week as a PhD student one of my professors told us that "graduate school involves a lot of people telling you that your work sucks, get used to it." He went on to talk about how everybody still gets rejections from papers they submit to conferences and everybody has been told they are wrong or are not the best at something but it is all apart of the learning process. I know it stings a little bit when you actually hear you are not fantastic at everything (haha) but in the long haul it will make you better.

[Usmivka]

Knowledge isn't static. I am constantly having to re-reason my way to a conclusion. And many times I find a flaw in my earlier "facts" or assumptions. Just because someone said it in a class doesn't mean it is accurate. I say lots of foolish things, but every once in a while one of those foolish things turns out to be more correct than the "101 level" stuff.

Edit: In fact I'm pretty sure my post here is pretty stupid...I can't even follow what I'm trying to say. So let that be an object lesson! Or something.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Usmivka

[Tall Chai Latte]

Mistakes aren't stupid as long as you know what you did wrong, and learn from them. It's a process of self-improvement. Even the professors make mistakes.

[ladyling]

Oh man, I do that all the time, generally in front of very smart people. I just try to remember that no one else thinks about my mistakes nearly as much as I do. I think of all the times I've seen someone give a talk where they mix up some terms and how I've always assumed it was just a simple mix up or slip of the tongue, and it calms me down. Probably that's what other people do, too.

Like everyone's said, correct yourself if you need to, otherwise just let it go.

[victor.s.andrei]

That is hilarous. haha.

During my first week as a PhD student one of my professors told us that "graduate school involves a lot of people telling you that your work sucks, get used to it." He went on to talk about how everybody still gets rejections from papers they submit to conferences and everybody has been told they are wrong or are not the best at something but it is all apart of the learning process. I know it stings a little bit when you actually hear you are not fantastic at everything (haha) but in the long haul it will make you better.

That reminds me of something I saw scrawled on the fridge of a friend's house at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (He was a graduate student there and now works for U.Va.)

[lslavic12]

Thanks so much! All of you had such wonderful things to say. I have to say, my mistakes motivate me more to work and study, and I think if I didn't make them, sometimes I would never realize I didn't know! Does that even make sense? Any way, good to know everyone has these experience!