Ok to skate to class as a PhD student?

[Curious53]

I am starting my PhD in the fall, and I want to skateboard to class and to the archives... but I am worried about my professors and peers taking me seriously. Is it too unprofessional to speed up my commute by bringing my board with me?

Some potentially relevant info:

• The board is small and light, and I would be strapping it to my backpack when I wasn't using it. This means that it might be a bit conspicuous as I walk in and out of classrooms.
• I am going to be at Harvard, and I am worried that people there will be a bit more conscious of these things there than if I went to a school in California.

Am I overthinking this? Should I just walk everywhere? 

 

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

[rising_star]

Would you be willing/able to leave it in an office on campus, rather than bringing it to class? Are you able to skateboard in/through the snow in the winter?

[dr. t]

41 minutes ago, Curious53 said:

I am going to be at Harvard, and I am worried that people there will be a bit more conscious of these things there than if I went to a school in California.

I understand the concern, but it would be very strange if it was at all noted.

[Curious53]

40 minutes ago, rising_star said:

Would you be willing/able to leave it in an office on campus, rather than bringing it to class? Are you able to skateboard in/through the snow in the winter?

I could leave it in an office on campus, though it might be a bit out of the way. I won't be skating in winter, but the other 8 months of the year it would be great to get to class a little faster (it is also more fun as well).

 

36 minutes ago, telkanuru said:

I understand the concern, but it would be very strange if it was at all noted.

 

Thanks for your two cents on this telkanuru!

[01848p]

I don't mean to be insensitive when I say this though I know it will come across this way, but just take my word for it - who cares? If skating is your preferred mode of transportation then do it! I don't think people will view you unprofessionally, and if they do then that's their problem.

[MinaminoTeku]

Bro, I wear a Pikachu backpack to class and I'm the professor. You can totally skate and be awesome!

Edited April 2, 2017 by MinaminoTeku

[spectastic]

ye i don't see a problem

skateboard or long board? 

 

i thought about doing the same thing. figured long board would be the best, because I feel like at 6', skateboard would be a little unstable, and penny board would just be a joke.. and then there's the decision between the different kinds of bearing, struts, shape, and whatnot, and things got hairy real fast, so I just forgot about the whole idea.

[MastersHoping]

Hahaha it's funny you posted this, cause I do the exact same thing.

I'm at Johns Hopkins for a Ph.D right now, and other than during the winter months and often ride my skateboard from my apartment to class, especially if I'm running a little late. It seems to me that just about no one cares, although my wheels are a little loud so I feel a little self-conscious about it sometimes.

Basically, go ahead!

[Neist]

Maybe it's just my perception of graduate students thus far, but I feel as if you can get with a lot more quirkiness than you might feel able to as an undergrad. If you want to ride a skateboard to class, go for it, I say.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's especially weird. A lot of people here are beginning to commute via skateboard. It's becoming incredibly common.

[Cheshire_Cat]

I wanna skateboard to class!  But I'm a grown woman who doesn't know how to skate, so the learning curve is a bit much.

Just do it.  No one cares.  Grad students are supposed to be quirky.

[spectastic]

anyone tried out those electric skateboards? I think those would be really cool for getting around. 

[kurfew007]

19 hours ago, spectastic said:

anyone tried out those electric skateboards? I think those would be really cool for getting around. 

I have one. It's pretty awesome. Also kind of expensive, in my opinion. They can also take some getting used to. The controls can be pretty sensitive. The first time I rode the board I goosed the accelerator and went from 0 to around 15 mph near instantaneously. At least the board did. I flew into the air and barely moved from my original position. Second time I rode was much better. 

[Skyride Season]

On 4/1/2017 at 9:05 PM, Curious53 said:

I am starting my PhD in the fall, and I want to skateboard to class and to the archives... but I am worried about my professors and peers taking me seriously. Is it too unprofessional to speed up my commute by bringing my board with me?

 

To be fair... I'll be going to school on the West Coast for my doctoral program, so maybe things are more laid back there. But in my field you would definitely get social bonus points for skating!

[spectastic]

12 hours ago, kurfew007 said:

I have one. It's pretty awesome. Also kind of expensive, in my opinion. They can also take some getting used to. The controls can be pretty sensitive. The first time I rode the board I goosed the accelerator and went from 0 to around 15 mph near instantaneously. At least the board did. I flew into the air and barely moved from my original position. Second time I rode was much better. 

just looked at the specs. I'm less enthused about the product, but still impressed, at least by what the manufacturer claims... I mean claiming a 20 mile range on a 15 Wh battery is kind of wacky if you ask me. I assume that's the absolute best scenario, where the board is gently pushing 5-10 mph on flat terrain and minimal air resistance. I imagine the cost for these things to fall real fast as the cost of li ion batteries begin to fall rapidly from the fast expansion of EV market. Right now, I'll stick to my bikes. But who knows, people could be walking around in segways in the near future. exciting times.

[tonydoesmovie]

On 4/2/2017 at 0:28 PM, Neist said:

Maybe it's just my perception of graduate students thus far, but I feel as if you can get with a lot more quirkiness than you might feel able to as an undergrad. If you want to ride a skateboard to class, go for it, I say.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's especially weird. A lot of people here are beginning to commute via skateboard. It's becoming incredibly common.

@Curious53 I think acceptance and quirkiness extends just before unicycling or pogo-sticking to class. As others have said, if this is your preference, do you. If you have a killer set of Moon Shoes, do that. Do what makes you happy as long as it isn't at the detriment of others.