Now that I'm closer to the end of the academic cursus honorum than its beginning, it's probably too easy for me to forget how difficult (emotionally, financially, institutionally) it is to survive the process in its earlier stages.
That's why I've enjoyed reading blogs like Ancrene Wiseass , Blogenspieland Heo Cwaeth so much. They are a constant reminder not only of what a struggle it can be for a bright person to run through the field's multiple hoops (grad school competition! qualifying exams! oral exams! a prospectus! a dissertation! the job market circus!) and break into the profession; they also give me much hope for what the future of the field will be like with people as smart and humane as this [hopefully] entering.
And then there are those of us in grad school whose weblogs are concerned with other truly important happenings, such as the theft of Jerry Garcia's toilet, the true source of the Nile River, the new statue in Brooklyn of Britney Spears naked, paternity tests on Maury Povich, and betting on when celebrities are going to die...
ReplyDeleteIt goes without saying that I also enjoy your low angst blog as well.
ReplyDeleteIt must be nice to be imperturbable.
/blushing furiously
ReplyDeleteThanks, JJC. That was lovely of you.
Wow, thanks very much!
ReplyDeleteIt's also nice for us graduate students to hear professors waxing philosophic outside of the classroom. It makes us realize that the gap between being a graduate student and a professor is not as wide as some would think. :-)
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