Advice to your past self!

[Marshalltown]

If you could go back in time and give yourself advice on applying, choosing, or preparing for grad school - what would it be?

[TMP]

Learn to get comfortable with silence in a conversation during a meeting or class.

[vestigialtraits]

I'd tell myself to apply to more than one program and compromise on the location a bit.

[MarineBluePsy]

Applying...... save up more money and don't burn through all your vacation/sick days at work!  The process is way more expensive than you think it is and you'll need that vacation/sick time when interviews come up suddenly.

Choosing (based on where I did my Master's)....... getting out of your comfort zone is a smart move, stop second guessing it.

Preparing (based on my Master's)..... *ahem* you have resting bitch face, try to smile more!

[rising_star]

I would tell myself that maybe money is more important than you think it is when it comes to funding. And to relax because it all works out in the end.

[lupine]

In choosing a program, trust your gut. It knows better than your head.

[TakeruK]

2 minutes ago, cedarmusings said:

In choosing a program, trust your gut. It knows better than your head.

I was going to actually write something to the same effect. I'd say: Both qualitative impressions (e.g. gut instincts) and quantitative impressions (e.g. stipend offer) are important. Past-me used to value quantitative things a lot more because past-me didn't know how to handle qualitative things. Dear Past-Me, don't be afraid to listen to your gut---it may not be a quantitative measure, but it's still a data point! It turns out pretty much all of your gut instincts were right (I did end up going with my gut in the end, so everything went well, but I felt a little uneasy about it, which doesn't help imposter syndrome!)

[juilletmercredi]

Honestly, I'm not sure I would tell past-me to go to a PhD program, if I had the chance.

Assuming that I would, though, I would tell past-me to apply to more PhD programs. I only applied to one, because I was afraid I wouldn't be competitive anywhere (I was planning to get a master's first).

I'd also tell past me to take 2-3 years off after undergrad and before graduate school to work in my chosen field (public health). I think then past-me would've had a better handle on her own research interests and been better prepared to hit the ground running in graduate school wrt publications.

[shadowclaw]

I would probably start by giving advice to 17 year old me and tell myself not to go to one of the most expensive schools in the state just because it happens to be 20 minutes away, has the major I want, and is practically an ivy. Shop around. Actually apply to other schools. Maybe at least visit the damn school before I send in my deposit. Do something to prevent myself from getting tossed into a toxic environment that sent me on a long miserable path that basically wasted 7 years of my life and thousands of dollars in student loans. Not to mention damaged my undergraduate record so much that it was almost impossible to get into good grad program.

Maybe I would convince 17 year old me to put off college for a bit, save money, then see the world. Have experiences. Figure out what I really want to do, then go to college.

Basically, a redo of my undergraduate experience (which spanned 10 years) would have helped more than anything.

[MastersHoping]

As a Canadian citizen, I probably would've advised myself to go to a Canadian master's degree program for much cheaper than the expensive private school I go to now, and gone to an American Ph.D with significantly less debt. 

While my school is good and the program is great too, the costs are just prohibitively high. I also really dislike some of my classmates, one of whom I unfortunately used to live with, so I probably would've advised myself not to have lived with that person. 

[Crucial BBQ]

On January 22, 2016 at 3:57 AM, shadowclaw said:

 

Maybe I would convince 17 year old me to put off college for a bit, save money, then see the world. Have experiences. Figure out what I really want to do, then go to college.

Basically, a redo of my undergraduate experience (which spanned 10 years) would have helped more than anything.

I did just that; saw and experienced more life by the time I was 21 than most will in an entire lifetime.  I have no regrets, but I am now old--I didn't step foot onto a college campus until the age of 23 and that was me just wondering through a community college with no real direction.  Then, and after some time had passed (how much time is secret  ) I applied to and was accepted into a university on the other side of the country, paid the deposit, moved, only to end up in a 2-year AS program at yet another community college because I liked that program more (still do not regret this one either.  That community college had a research vessel that went out often and I was able to do things that "marine bio" students typically do not do until grad school).  

I then applied to a few universities as a transfer student, got accepted to one awesome school but turned it down to attend a "lesser" university in Boston because I so wanted to so to school in Boston and that is where my original university was, anyways. That move I do regret.  I had to take a Bio III and one more intro class before I could move on.  Essentially, I was junior freshman. I ended up transferring into a second university after one year and once again had to start at the beginning;  this time it was a freshman seminar (I kid you not) and a "lab techniques" course that I had to wait a year to take as there was only one section offered.  It filled up quick, and as a transfer student I lacked the priority.  Really.  Sucky.  I do not regret transferring into that school as it turned out to be an awesome place to study but I now realize I should have just stayed at the first school.  My grades where also horrible throughout.  Despite As, they were bad.  But for what I lacked in grades I surly made up with in experiences (volunteer, paid RA, labs, field, built a robot for competition from scratch, unpaid RA, and so on).

Despite an impressive CV for someone with only a B.S. I would tell my younger self to focus more on grades and less on the "ECs".  At the time I firmly believed that experiences (in particular research) trump GPA when it comes down to grad school admissions--largely because that is what I was told by "experts"-- I now see that is not true in an of itself.  Thankfully, "industry" does not give a hoot about GPA and your feathers-in-hat and credentials are the name of the game.  

 

*Also*

I would recommend to my younger self to also seriously consider taking Calc I and Calc II during my A.S. program.  One of the holdups at my first transfer university was that I could not move onto some upper level courses until having taken Calc II first. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Crucial BBQ
Green eggs and ham.

[AP]

This is a great thread! Thanks @Marshalltown!!!

Ok, my past me has done a lot of the stuff you said! Phew! (Applying to multiple programs, not burning my savings, pay attention to gut and money, etc.). But I did it not because I not it through but because I am just insecure (multiple programs), was working as a teacher (i.e. not much savings to spend), and was an international student (had to weigh in the financial offer). I also took time off after undergrad to work not because I am superwoman but because it is just the way it works where I come from. Actually, most undergrads start working full-time by the time they are 20. 

I'd advice to my past self to be more assertive during college. I didn't know then what I wanted to do, and I could have taken advantage of some publishing and research opportunities. I could have made time for these and I simply didn't. Also, I was/am very naive because everything turned out so well (advisors, department, city, everything). This is OK, but I would advice myself to be careful. I have had some responses from some people that I did not expect, especially people that somehow took advantage of that in a selfish manner. It ok, nothing serious happened but I got hurt a little. 

AP

 

[Effloresce]

I'd tell myself that prestige isn't everything. While I met amazing people during undergrad, the environment was disgusting and toxic and I really regret going there for the sake of my mental health and my undergraduate record. I'd tell myself to go with my gut instinct more, and not try to please my parents as much. To this day, I still need to remind myself that it's my life, not theirs. I can make mistakes, and that's okay. I'll learn from it.

[CuddlyWingman]

On January 14, 2016 at 5:17 PM, vestigialtraits said:

I'd tell myself to apply to more than one program and compromise on the location a bit.

This! Apply to more than a single master's program! You'll want to go work before your PhD anyway!

Not that my 20 y.o. self would listen to this, of course.

[hippyscientist]

I'd tell myself that it's okay to deal with the crap life throws at you, but not to blame others for not dealing with life-altering stuff in their freshman year of college. At 23, applying to PhD programs I've seen more, done more and experienced more than my entire masters cohort put together. Unfortunately I left undergrad with very few friends, but I've learnt that was mainly due to me not knowing how to deal with people who were carefree. My advice to anyone is to trust yourself, but be kind to everyone. They might not be kind back, but at least you know it's not you! Also, don't be a doormat (I had the opposite problem - I was a barbed wire fence haha).

[Cat_Robutt]

8 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

I'd tell myself that it's okay to deal with the crap life throws at you, but not to blame others for not dealing with life-altering stuff in their freshman year of college. At 23, applying to PhD programs I've seen more, done more and experienced more than my entire masters cohort put together. Unfortunately I left undergrad with very few friends, but I've learnt that was mainly due to me not knowing how to deal with people who were carefree. My advice to anyone is to trust yourself, but be kind to everyone. They might not be kind back, but at least you know it's not you! Also, don't be a doormat (I had the opposite problem - I was a barbed wire fence haha).

This.....this is just good advice for LIFE.

[hippyscientist]

2 minutes ago, Cat_Robutt said:

This.....this is just good advice for LIFE.

aww thanks! I've made SO many mistakes and eff-ups and they affected my undergrad. I mean I was dealing with a lot generally (8 people close to me died in 2 years...only one was older than 30) but now I feel I've learnt enough in grad school to pass on "life advice" haha. We shall see when it comes to PhDs...

[Cat_Robutt]

@hippyscientist That is much to deal with....I've had some bumps and rough patches and mistakes as well. There is a whole bevy of shouldacouldawoulda I could travel down, but I know the past informs who I am now, and that I can't change who I was, only who I am. That's hard, but life is also hard. But...it's also worth it, and I know that now and didn't before.

[sierra918]

On January 22, 2016 at 10:32 PM, juilletmercredi said:

Honestly, I'm not sure I would tell past-me to go to a PhD program, if I had the chance.

Assuming that I would, though, I would tell past-me to apply to more PhD programs. I only applied to one, because I was afraid I wouldn't be competitive anywhere (I was planning to get a master's first).

I'd also tell past me to take 2-3 years off after undergrad and before graduate school to work in my chosen field (public health). I think then past-me would've had a better handle on her own research interests and been better prepared to hit the ground running in graduate school wrt publications.

Very sound advice! I took 6 years between my M.A. and applying to Ph.D programs. After working in my field that whole time, one really  honed in on my research interests and career goals.