What I've learned so far in Grad School

1. Professors are regular people. And by that I mean you get a pretty f* upped group when you put them all together. It is unbelievable the petty jealousies and tensions that simmer just below the surface. Has anyone made a tv show about college faculty? Because they totally could. Some of them think they are brilliant (One considered his Harvard classmates idiots when he was in grad school), others think they are just impossibly busy and can't deign to make time to meet with you (even though, um... its their job..?), and still others are just plain awkward and you leave class or meetings replaying the "conversation" you had about a thousand times. But mostly they are just impressive and smart and really really competitive and can write articles and books and do a million things at once. (Oh, yeah, there are plenty who are nice, too. but its just not as fun to blog about them.)

2. I am too old to pull off all-nighters. At least successfully and in the way that I could before where I was actually productive and could bounce back the next day.

3. I've jokingly said all year that I've had a growing caffeine dependence, but last week I went 4 days without any and went into withdrawl. I had an actual splitting headache that disrupted my sleep. So I think I do actually have some sort of issue there. ;)

4. It is possible to "read" up to 5 books in a week. and sometimes more if a paper is due.

5. TV breaks/ brain breaks/ relaxation is not only healthy but essential.

6. This website is hilarious. and so emblematic of my next point: I can bullshit about Foucault and discourse and "the theoretical underpinnings of this study" (an actual phrase in my 700 paper, btw). maybe not with the best of them, but I can at least do it now if pressed to. Also not sure if this is something I should be proud of because....

7. People talk about stuff they don't really know about. A lot.

8. People talk about stuff that has to do with their particular field. A lot. Even if it has NO relevance to the class discussion.

9. Getting a PhD / writing and publishing a book is daunting. DAUNTING.

10. You can't get through it without friends. Or, well, you can't get through it happily and sanely. Grad school is a great place to meet other similarly geeky people. It can be refreshing to be "with your own kind"

11. The dividing line between undergrads and grads is huge. I will admit to regarding them now rather dismissively. I cannot wait for them to leave for the summer.

12. The library can be your friend but also a black hole into which several hours can pass without notice.