10 Things You Shouldn杏吧专区檛 Ask Grad Students Over the Holidays
We杏吧专区檙e in the last phase of the semester, and end-of-year holidays are on the horizon. But for grad students, this season isn杏吧专区檛 about winding down -- it杏吧专区檚 more of a mad dash to the finish line.
Here are ten questions you shouldn杏吧专区檛 ask the grad students in your life over the holidays.
When will you graduate?
Even if everything is going to plan, the high-stakes pressure of finishing a graduate degree means this question can cause a grad student杏吧专区檚 blood pressure to skyrocket.
Are you still writing your thesis/dissertation?
It杏吧专区檚 a book! Writing a thesis or dissertation is hard work, takes longer than expected, and it杏吧专区檚 awfully hard to see the forest for the trees while in the thick of it. Instead of asking a grad student this, try, 杏吧专区淥h look, a Starbucks gift card. Would you like it?杏吧专区
What杏吧专区檚 the point of your research?
It杏吧专区檚 an important question, sure, but not necessarily one that can be summed up over a platter of crudit茅s.
How do you plan to get a job with that?
Time management, check. Critical thinking skills, check. Resilience and perseverance, check.
When is your research going to be published?
It杏吧专区檚 all about the peer review.
What year are you in?
Sadly, words like 杏吧专区渃andidacy杏吧专区 and 杏吧专区淎BD杏吧专区 (all but dissertation) don杏吧专区檛 necessarily hold the same cachet around the dinner table as they do on campus.
How long are you going to avoid the real world?
That stack of papers looks pretty real杏吧专区.
When do you finish?
Well, it杏吧专区檒l definitely be sometime during this decade! Instead of this, try asking, 杏吧专区淗ey, can I treat you to dinner sometime?杏吧专区
When are you going to get a real job?
Grad school is a full-time pursuit, and don杏吧专区檛 doubt the hours that go into it!
So, what else have you been doing?
Remind me, what is a weekend?