this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net 69 points 1 month ago (10 children)

This just confirms what every young person in academia knows: gotta get on uppers to be competitive.

My partner is a PhD candidate and at a recent party a postdoc was telling us how he acquired a giant crack rock at the beginning of his grad career and whenever he needed to finish a big assignment or something he would lick it.

[–] ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Are doctorate/grad school programs distinctly competitive? My impression was that they were more challenging but similar in nature to undergrad insofar as loads of coursework to stay on top of to complete courses and ensure you got some of the most expensive, "You endured it!" paperwork in the world.

[–] restingboredface@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 month ago

I agree with other replies here with one addition. People who get into grad school are generally the high achievers from their high school and undergrad programs, so they are used to being the only or one of few star students. In PhD programs everyone is a star student, so it can be a bit jarring to folks used to being head of the class when they suddenly aren't.

It can cause a bit of jealousy and competitive thinking but most of the time students get past it and focus simply on enduring the gauntlet.

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