Comments on: Grad school made me stupid

By: Eat the Damn Cake » you big softy

Eat the Damn Cake » you big softy — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:06:02 +0000

[...] grad school, I felt like such a girl all the time. I didn’t want to have to keep mentioning people, when everyone else was talking about ideas, [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:08:27 +0000

I’d just like to say that I think everyone has feelings of unworthiness when entering and completing graduate school. I’m a male in a PhD chemistry program which is about 50:50 men to women depending on your specialization. Historically it is a male dominated field. There are many more male professors than female but honestly I think things will even out substantially during our generation. When I’m feeling insecure, unworthy, or unintelligent during my graduate work I often revert to old insecurities intrinsic to myself as the rationalization for what I perceive to be happening.

My point is this, the perceived gender disparity which you are discussing my or may not be an issue. What I’m certain of is if you don’t care about it, it won’t matter. This isn’t a female problem, so many people have a form of this experience be it race, gender, economic background, or life experience.

If you don’t feel like you are lacking knowledge how are you supposed to motivate yourself to learn? The lesson for me you learn during graduate school is that the amount the human brain can understand, remember and use in some logical way is far too small to truly, and honestly be confident in making meaningful contribution to a field, luck plays a big role. Especially given the time line (short) of a graduate degree. To accept this and be comfortable with this, to use it as a motivation for the pursuit of knowledge, for me is the message. If you obsess about how you don’t have some knowledge or ability because of some factor you will never look at what needs consideration, your own education.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:49:41 +0000

I really enjoyed what you wrote here — except the fact that you appear to blame your being not up to the intellectual standard of this particular graduate program on your being female. That was a really tiring thing to read but I was able to mostly ignore it as I assimilated the rest of the content here. I can totally relate with you in how school can be an ego-crushing experience. The good thing is that this experience also gives us a more accurate understanding of where we fit in within the world. I, too, thought I was very smart until I decided to start attending college.

By: Kate Fridkis: Are Women Taking Over the World or Not? | News | UntoldSuccess.com

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:24:36 +0000

[...] I felt stupid in grad school. I was surrounded by men. I felt like I didn’t know anything, and they knew everything. These days, I’m beginning to think that knowing everything isn’t the point. Thinking you know the right amount is. Believing that no matter where you are now, you have what it takes to succeed. That’s the important thing. [...]

By: Clare

Clare — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 09:35:04 +0000

I just discovered your blog and love it! You write with great honesty and frankness. I’m subscribing. You have a new fan! Keep it up.

By: lk

lk — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:41:59 +0000

Just have to say that I agree with the post and all of the comments.

Currently I’m finishing up my science degree at an all womens’ college. I’m in an Non-trad student program because, well, i’m older than a regular college student should be (the first 4 years of my traditional college experience – I had 2 majors: Booze and boys!). That being said – I’m considering getting my masters as well and I know that I’ll have to go to the traditional University route if I want to do so.

So many of those same questions come to mind when thinking about even applying to those schools. I’ll most likely be the *ONLY* woman in the class in addition to likely being the only caucasian in the class – according to the rosters that I’ve seen, 99% of the masters candidates in the programs that I’m interested in are of Asian or Indian decent.

For that reason, I’m seriously considering just being happy with only my BS… Kate, once again your post hits home!

By: Noel

Noel — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:22:58 +0000

When I read this post, I automatically thought of two things: hazing and my experience in grad school. I also rolled into my first lecture with no philosophy background; within the first 5 minutes the profs started talking about Geist and most of us where stuck looking around at each other like ” … who??? … Is he talking about ‘Christ’ …”

Like you, I was in a Master’s program, hell bent on getting that Doctorate. Like you, I said to hell with it. Parts of me loves academia, really and truly loves it, and loves diving into a project and wrestling around with it like Steve Irwin with a crocodile. But at the end, all the posturing and showmanship and general arrogance made me want to puke in my mouth. And sadly, in my program, the ladies liked to dish it out just as much as the men. Which is why all these brilliant, magnificent ideas stay locked up in the ivory tower and never trickle out to the “common folk,” where perhaps they could actually make a difference.

I apologize for the general rantiness of this comment; it’s just the whole thing still makes my blood boil.

By: jstolk

jstolk — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 07:54:52 +0000

I can so relate to this. I’m not in a grad program right now, not even in any classes, but the field I am going into is considered a “man’s” field because not only is there a hell of a lot of science, but my focus is on brewing, as in beer. I can’t think of any other beverage that is so sterio-typicly a “man drink” than beer. When I was taking classes there were maybe one or two other girls, but they were there for degrees in nutrition, a “proper girl degree” as I was told. My counselor tried pushing me to a degree in nutrition, but I held out and insisted that I wanted food science & technology. As a woman I feel I have a bit of an advantage because all the men underestimate me, but at the same time, I’m so self conscience because I don’t want to prove them right or have them think of me as a silly girl trying to make it in a man’s world. The academic world can be hell.

By: Dana Udall-Weiner

Dana Udall-Weiner — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:24:20 +0000

That sense of being an impostor in higher ed is so tough. I remember feeling like I was always bringing up gender and lame women’s issues (which is a problematic term in itself). And even in so-called progressive departments, tokenism is often at play, and the entrenched power system is just below the surface. The hegemony remains!

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:23:39 +0000

@Sona
You’re right. I took a class at SIPA and felt completely different. I loved how many people were already “out in the world,” and how many people were non-traditional students. It changed the entire dynamic.

I mention SIPA to people as an example of a better way to have an academic department.