2013 - The becoming of a real person

[Mikhailangelo]

I don't know if we have a thread covering this - apologies if we do.

Anyway - a realisation just hit me (literally; JUST hit me). I am but a week away from starting my final semester of university as an undergraduate. As of April, I will not be a 'damned student'. (Well, kind of...) No matter what I do now, I cannot escape the fact that I am approaching real-personhood at an alarming rate.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - I have a publication waiting in the wings and I'm not a teenager any more; but still - I'm not even 21 yet and there is a very real chance that I could be teaching my own class of students (in which many students will probably be older than me) as of September. It's a bit of a shock to realise that one is going from one end of the classroom to the other as a result of only four years of study.

Anyway; for clarity - I am applying to begin my PhD as of June and, so long as I attain the funding, it is very likely that this will occur. I have spoken to the head of department and she has said that she will definitely get me teaching, or at least tutoring, time as soon as possible. In a way then, I am in a better position than a lot of people at this stage since I actually have a 'what will happen next' plan in mind; though it is by no means set in stone and is certainly subject to change.

So why am I posting this? Well, I just figured that there would be a good number of others in the playground in similar positions - about to finish university and slightly/somewhat/incredibly insecure about the next step in life. I feel marginally better for having written this post so there's a chance other people might feel the same if they post a similar rant.

It's hardly a woe; more a musing.

[warty goblin]

Ahhh, grad school...


Grad school, although much more is expected of you than college, still a fairly soft contact with the real world. You've still got a big old university that (mostly) looks out for you.

Plus you get to teach freshmen. If there's anything to make a person feel better about themselves, it's teaching freshmen very basic things. You'll need this, because grad school, to a first degree approximation, is where you are assigned a staff of three or four people who's full-time job is to make you feel stupid 24/7. And they take their job very seriously.

Best of luck. If you really love what you do, it's a blast. And you will very quickly discover if you really love what you do.

[Castaras]

I'm going to be apartment hunting with my boyfriend May time, going to be job hunting once january exams are over, and still going to be doing work at uni trying to do better this time around on the second chance I've obtained.

Yeah, I'm a little terrified to be honest.

[noparlpf]

I'm only a second-semester junior, but as the end of undergrad approaches, I begin to see the appeal of the "perpetual student" lifestyle. There are so many more classes I want to take, and I don't want to be a grownup with a "real job" yet (heck, I'm only eighteen). So I'm kind of hoping to stay in school and become a research/lab assistant of some sort for the next like, ten years or more. You can take undergrad courses when you're a grad student, right?

[Mauve Shirt]

You may still be a student, but grad school is definitely a real person job. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I loooove my decision to join the workforce after undergrad. But I also got super lucky and landed a great job for me. Will you be paying for housing on the market, or does the school help?
Also, eff apartment hunting in the ay. It is so difficult to find a cheap yet not murderous place, with a roommate who doesn't think I am an introverted weirdo. Being most certainly the latter, I wish someone I already knew could room with me.
Woo adulthood! Bills n' ****e!

[Winter_Wolf]

Teaching college kids is the best. Seriously. Old enough to be interesting (at times), and young enough to not be hyper serious and still able to appreciate silly things like "fun in the classroom" (usually). I have to be there too, and if I wasn't allowed to inject humor into my lessons I'd have been miserably bored. Of the jobs I've had, teaching college freshmen was up there in terms of the experience making up for the crap pay. As opposed to most of the other jobs, which just offered crap pay and co-workers you'd plot ways to murder and dispose of the body just to make it through another day with them.

Ehm, what field are you doing grad work in?

[SaintRidley]

From someone who only just recently was where you were and is now a semester into their own grad school experience, allow me to say this.

If, at any point as an undergrad, you felt you were able to take it pretty easy and that doing everything needed was basically a cakewalk, I want you to take a deep breath. Starting your PhD is going to kick you hard if you slip back into that sort of feeling. It's easy to do. Don't let it happen.

I will say that it's quite fun, and coming from a position of having funding guaranteed for the next five and a half years, I'm feeling good about what I'm doing. In a few years, I'll have to worry about seeking employment, but I'm not worrying about that right now.

I also came into it direct from undergrad, and I will warn you. Most of your cohort will have M.A. or M.S. degrees, unless you are in the sciences. If this is the case, you will at times feel like you're behind, or that you're inadequate, or really wondering why you were picked at all. It's okay. Take a deep breath. Everybody feels it. It's all part of the adjustment process.

Good luck.

[Mikhailangelo]

I'm in the rather lucky position of having a (really) nice flat in the West End at the moment by dint of somehow stumbling across a man who wanted to sell the place, but didn't think he'd get what the place is worth due to the economy, consequently choosing to let to us (me, my best friend and his girlfriend) for far less than the place would go for on the letting market. We should have the place for a good bit longer and after this lease is up I'll manage - if I get the funding from the scholarship I've applied for finding somewhere shouldn't be an issue.

I'm (hopefully) going to be researching medico-legal history; my undergraduate degree is in law (LLB) so my PhD will be particularly focused on the practical development of medical law in Scotland. As such I'll be working in the law department.

I can also honestly say I've never regarded a second of university to be a cakewalk - if things started looking easy I piled on the extra-curriculars - I think I may enjoy the study of law a little too much really...

[Jib]

How have you guys afforded the further education. About the only job in my area with an income over 900$ a month that doesn't require a degree is in Illegal Pharmaceuticals. Maybe I could get an idea from you guys because I really want to get back in school.

And I would do terrible in prison, to damn pretty.

[Castaras]

Different country, OP gets a student loan that allows them to go to university. :smallsmile:

[warty goblin]

How have you guys afforded the further education. About the only job in my area with an income over 900$ a month that doesn't require a degree is in Illegal Pharmaceuticals. Maybe I could get an idea from you guys because I really want to get back in school.

And I would do terrible in prison, to damn pretty.

At the Ph.D. level, you usually can get funding from the department that covers your tuition and comes with a stipend so you can afford food and housing. There are also government grants etc available if you play your cards right. This may not be available for people only interested in a Masters, in which case you lie through your teeth, tell them you really want the Ph.D. when you apply, then quit with the MS.

Be aware that getting into grad school is a bit trickier than in college, since you aren't accepted to grad school, but to a particular department to study a particular field. Grad schools need you to convince them that you have a deep interest and significant aptitude for the subject matter at hand.

[Jib]

Murrr~

This is my first year as non-dependant. Maybe I can get a bit more from the government, while my parents don't make anything in the way of money they have enough assets to screw me getting anything. My main issue is that I lost most of the bone in one leg, so I am lucky to keep one job going.

Any advise on oh say, entering your first year of college? I failed out quickly two times because of Anti-Social issues, but I think I have that under control.

[warty goblin]

Murrr~

This is my first year as non-dependant. Maybe I can get a bit more from the government, while my parents don't make anything in the way of money they have enough assets to screw me getting anything. My main issue is that I lost most of the bone in one leg, so I am lucky to keep one job going.

Any advise on oh say, entering your first year of college? I failed out quickly two times because of Anti-Social issues, but I think I have that under control.

That really sucks, I'm sorry to hear about your leg.

RE: First year of college. My advice is to remember that you are there to get an education, and focus on that. Do other things as time permits. If, like me, you hate roommates with an abiding passion, look for off-campus housing, or ways to get yourself a single dorm room ASAP. I found college became approximately three times more bearable when I finally wormed my way into a single.

Also, much of what you study freshman year is likely to be pretty much useless. You're really learning how to learn at that point, so still study it hard.

[noparlpf]

If freshman year is about learning how to learn, then it's even worse because nobody's really teaching you that, they're teaching you 'Beowulf' and calculus and stuff.

[Jib]

Aye Aye, and would anyone have specific sites for Grants and Student Aid? I have already signed up for some government financial aid, but more would be epicsawse

[warty goblin]

If freshman year is about learning how to learn, then it's even worse because nobody's really teaching you that, they're teaching you 'Beowulf' and calculus and stuff.

You don't learn how to learn by being taught it directly. You master learning as a skill by being forced to do lots of it, preferably over a reasonably wide spectrum of topics. That way, when confronted with new information that must be understood and mastered, you have a variety of techniques available to you.

The mastery of learning is, in my opinion, not something that really can be taught directly. A lot of it is about understanding how to put information in front of yourself so you can understand it, which is not really something anybody else is qualified to do. It's also not knowledge so much as a skill or craft. And like most skills or crafts, you master it through its application to many, many small problems and gaining an understanding of the medium you're working in. A woodcarver masters woodcarving by making lots of things out of wood. A student masters learning by doing a lot of it.

[JustSomeGuy]

You college boys (and girls) should learn to squat and grow some up to par beard (yes, you too) before you join the real world if you want to be taken serious. Optional to rip the sleeves off of your denim or flannel shirt, but you probably should.

I got a job at 16, and was in the advantaged position to go to college a few years back, and it was amazing how dissinterested most of the other students were. I hope by uni you guys realise how fortunate you are to be in that position (i was due to go, even get it all funded,unfortunately i have too much other stuff to pay for so i can't do it yet, hopefully in the next 5 years i'll be able to).

[Mikhailangelo]

Just as an FYI, I've been working since I was 16 and have, throughout most of my time at university, been working three jobs simultaneously over and above my studies. I have been thankful for every day that has passed since my first day of university and my work is, frankly, the most important thing in my life at the moment.

[JustSomeGuy]

Just as an FYI, I've been working since I was 16 and have, throughout most of my time at university, been working three jobs simultaneously over and above my studies. I have been thankful for every day that has passed since my first day of university and my work is, frankly, the most important thing in my life at the moment.

In that case, you should drink more; it'll also prepare you for the authentic life experience!

[Mikhailangelo]

I'm Scottish! It's biologically impossible for me to drink more!

Edit: I'm actually drinking right now! And it's not even 5pm!

[warty goblin]

I'm Scottish! It's biologically impossible for me to drink more!

Edit: I'm actually drinking right now! And it's not even 5pm!

You haven't really done grad school until you're having beer and hamburgers for breakfast. I barely drink, and even I've done that.

[Mauve Shirt]

The real reason I need to move out is so Booze And Board Games nights can increase. Something about the quality of people who want to drink and play board games makes my parents less inclined to host my parties.

[ForzaFiori]

How have you guys afforded the further education.

I thankfully had a college fund my grandmother started for me when I was a kid. Got me through the last 3 years of college. Gotta figure out what I'm gonna do for the rest of my books this semester, as well as the entirety of next year, but I'll deal with that when it gets here.

Personally, after I finish my undergrad, I'm hoping to do Teach for America for a couple years before I try to get my M.A. or Ph.D.

[noparlpf]

I thankfully had a college fund my grandmother started for me when I was a kid.

Same thing, pretty much. Mostly it's money put away by my great-grandmother, though.

[Mikhailangelo]

Same thing, pretty much. Mostly it's money put away by my great-grandmother, though.

Now that's what I call planning in advance!