Why we're meant to go to grad school

[bsharpe269]

I have a hard time understanding the mindset that academia should pay as much money as a standard job. It is not a standard job... you are in training and are being paid to take classes and do research or teach. You usually only work for the university for 20-30 hours a week and then otherwise, are focussed on your own research or classes. Grad school basically pays 20k a year + tuition (10k+) a year and only requires around 30 hours a week of work. This is a great deal.

 

People from low income families have tons of opportunities in the USA. I come from a low income, 1 parent house. My parents had me at age 20 and didnt go to college. My sister is 21 and already is married with a child, no college. My mom worked as a server and we lived in government housing, food stamps, all of it. None of this has prohibitted me from going to college, doing research, getting REUs, etc. I was an IB kid in high school, made good grades, and took lots of college credit classes in high school which allowed me to graduate college early and take out less loans. The government offers some grants to people from low income families to help with tuition. They really go out of their way to make sure people have opportunites. Scholarships for college are everywhere and I worked my butt off to get some of these. I worked all throughout college and still managed to do plenty of research. REUs pay well and give you great research experience. If your grades/experience aren't good enough to be offered one then this is your own fault, not a fault of the academic system. I am sure that it was a bit harder for me than someone who is getting money from their parents but that is ok. I got through college on my own, without help and still ended up with decent grades and tons of reserach. If you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it, then academia is accessible to everyone.

 

This country gives so many opportunities to lower income kids who want to go to college. I understand the mindset of wanting to take care of your family but please realize that you are making the choice to do that and it is not the responsility of grad schools to pay enough that you can support your parents, siblings, or whoever. Would that be great? Of course! In reality though, it is not the responsiblity of the government, school, or tax payers to make sure that anyone who wants a phd can afford it. It is a business, like anything else, and it would not be sustainable if it were to pay way more so that anyone can go. There exist food stamps, government housing, medicaid, ets so that kids do not have the burden of supporting their families.

[Roll Right]

I have to say, VictoryDance, that I'm surprised you're so keen on celebrating the dominant narrative of capitalist meritocracy and individualism. I think everyone here would agree that you probably worked very hard to achieve your current position as a graduate student. Yet to claim that anyone can achieve a similar position if they "play their cards right" is pure hogwash. You ought to consider the ways in which your position in society has allowed you to realize your particular wants and needs. Maybe you believe that you've done so by comparing yourself to others who have "created social barriers" for themselves. Yet this merely plays into your self-congratualotry narrative by positioning yourself above others who have families, or above others who went to college directly after high school, or above others who bought into the "rat race" of life. Such posturing doesn't explain anything. Instead, it blames individuals for their own plight. But you don't judge, you just point out how others have made the wrong decisions while you've made the right ones. You must be a huge proponent of rational choice theory.

 

Also, I don't know what country VictoryDance is studying in, but in the United States there is a processes of neoliberal reform sweeping across the academic landscape. This process has attempted to increase the profit rate of Universities by offsetting operating costs on individual students. One aspect of this process is reducing or eliminating graduate student tuition waivers and graduate student stipends. Overall, this process of neoliberalization has done wonders for the salaries of University administrators, but it has mired graduate students in debt. So that is another reason why it is not merely a question of "playing your cards right". Often times, the University system doesn't give a shit about your cards. Its usually more interested in extracting profits from you.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Roll Right

[victorydance]

I have to say, VictoryDance, that I'm surprised you're so keen on celebrating the dominant narrative of capitalist meritocracy and individualism. I think everyone here would agree that you probably worked very hard to achieve your current position as a graduate student. Yet to claim that anyone can achieve a similar position if they "play their cards right" is pure hogwash. You ought to consider the ways in which your position in society has allowed you to realize your particular wants and needs. Maybe you believe that you've done so by comparing yourself to others who have "created social barriers" for themselves. Yet this merely plays into your self-congratualotry narrative by positioning yourself above others who have families, or above others who went to college directly after high school, or above others who bought into the "rat race" of life. Such posturing doesn't explain anything. Instead, it blames individuals for their own plight. But you don't judge, you just point out how others have made the wrong decisions while you've made the right ones. You must be a huge proponent of rational choice theory.

 

Thanks for putting words in my mouth.

 

No where did I say anyone can achieve a similar position, but rather that it is possible.

 

Secondly, I never said I made the 'right decisions.' I was a delinquent in high school and graduated with a C average. I missed out on copious opportunities for scholarships because I put myself in that hole. I made my journey way harder than it needed to be.

 

How is stating that there are self-constructed barriers to grad school representing a narrative of self-congratulation? There is are no right ways to live your life, but there are definitely strategies to offset financial or social barriers in life at every angle. 

 

The simple fact of the matter is that if you choose to start (intentionally or not) a family at an early age and then bitch about how grad school isn't accessible except for the rich then I have no pity for you. The same thing about making crass decisions about attending university when you cannot afford it. 

 

 

 

Also, I don't know what country VictoryDance is studying in, but in the United States there is a processes of neoliberal reform sweeping across the academic landscape. This process has attempted to increase the profit rate of Universities by offsetting operating costs on individual students. One aspect of this process is reducing or eliminating graduate student tuition waivers and graduate student stipends. Overall, this process of neoliberalization has done wonders for the salaries of University administrators, but it has mired graduate students in debt. So that is another reason why it is not merely a question of "playing your cards right". Often times, the University system doesn't give a shit about your cards. Its usually more interested in extracting profits from you.

 

Well, I don't know. Maybe this is true, but every university I am applying to offers tuition waivers + stipends. Some places funding is short and not guaranteed for students, but these 'reforms' haven't done any damage to where I want to go.

[Academicat]

[Roll Right]

Yes you're right, the thread has been hijacked...let's bring it back to its original topic!

[Macavity]

Grad school is a magical place where my predominate personality flaws are turned into virtues.

[Mattie Roh]

There's this buzzing inside my head. Thoughts, I guess. A distracting, constant stream that gets in the way of everything in my daily life. The graduate work I do stops this. That's the best way I can explain it.

 

I have research goals. I think a PhD will help me shape these and lend me credibility. But mostly, I like the fact that, when I'm busy with research, the noise stops for a little while. If that isn't a sign that this is the right direction for me, what is?

[seeingeyeduck]

Thanks for putting words in my mouth.

No where did I say anyone can achieve a similar position, but rather that it is possible.

Secondly, I never said I made the 'right decisions.' I was a delinquent in high school and graduated with a C average. I missed out on copious opportunities for scholarships because I put myself in that hole. I made my journey way harder than it needed to be.

How is stating that there are self-constructed barriers to grad school representing a narrative of self-congratulation? There is are no right ways to live your life, but there are definitely strategies to offset financial or social barriers in life at every angle.

The simple fact of the matter is that if you choose to start (intentionally or not) a family at an early age and then bitch about how grad school isn't accessible except for the rich then I have no pity for you. The same thing about making crass decisions about attending university when you cannot afford it.

Well, I don't know. Maybe this is true, but every university I am applying to offers tuition waivers + stipends. Some places funding is short and not guaranteed for students, but these 'reforms' haven't done any damage to where I want to go.

Just keep in mind that there is always an inherent disadvantage to being poor since rich people don't have to reconsider going straight to college or not having a family or house. Wealth makes very thing affordable and manageable since you can simply buy mobility or child care services freely.

So it's a bit contradictory to say that Lowe income folks have the choice to succeed and all they have to do is to limit and narrow down their life choices in a way that affluent people don't have to. It's not much of a choice!