Due in part to the start of a new academic year and Meja's revitalization of our program's Communications board, this post marks the resurrection of my blog.
Who am I:
-A student of immunology on a clinical research track starting her second year of graduate school.
What I want to tell you:
Everyone's first year of graduate school is rough. Due to unusual happenings and timing problems, mine was extremely rough. I struggled for a number of months with the thought of switching labs and/or quitting outright. But at some point (admittedly, it happened later rather than sooner), something snapped and...I started getting on. I won't tell you I've had wild success, and I won't lie and say that I don't have awful days anymore. But it's a lot better now.
One of the things I struggled with the most was the thought that these problems were mine and mine alone, indicative (at best) of a failure to cope or (at worst) an inability to do science. I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is not true. In posts to come, I'll tell you bits and pieces of what I went through, what I am going through, what I did that helped, and what I had to accept was out of my control. Maybe you'll find it helpful; maybe none of it will relate to you. But I want you to know that 93% of the time in graduate school, the problem is not you. I learned/am learning to deal, and you will too.
Things I will probably write about in the following weeks:
-My first committee meeting
-Why Brad Dourif is the most amazing and underrated actor of our time
-How I became strangely evangelical about running shoes
-How I learned to stop putting my foot in my mouth every time I talked to my PI
-Maintenance of a healthy, positive attitude in graduate school (SPOILERS: It involves lowered expectations, PhD comics, and www.reddit.com/r/pitbulls)
-Axolotl husbandry
-Keeping a proper lab notebook (SO IMPORTANT!)
-H.P. Lovecraft
-Contrary to popular belief, folkdancing is a lot of fun and you all should do it with me!
Things I promise I will not talk about anymore:
-WAAAH I am so fat
-WAAAH I am so unproductive
-WAAAH I hate my project/lab/life choices
-Running away and joining the circus: Y/N?
-Pros and cons of various exotic dancer names
This year is going to be a better year than the last one, I have no doubt at all.
-IL-X
