10 Things You Shouldn鈥檛 Ask Grad Students Over the Holidays
We鈥檙e in the last phase of the semester, and end-of-year holidays are on the horizon. But for grad students, this season isn鈥檛 about winding down -- it鈥檚 more of a mad dash to the finish line.
Here are ten questions you shouldn鈥檛 ask the grad students in your life over the holidays.
When will you graduate?
Even if everything is going to plan, the high-stakes pressure of finishing a graduate degree means this question can cause a grad student鈥檚 blood pressure to skyrocket.
Are you still writing your thesis/dissertation?
It鈥檚 a book! Writing a thesis or dissertation is hard work, takes longer than expected, and it鈥檚 awfully hard to see the forest for the trees while in the thick of it. Instead of asking a grad student this, try, 鈥淥h look, a Starbucks gift card. Would you like it?鈥
What鈥檚 the point of your research?
It鈥檚 an important question, sure, but not necessarily one that can be summed up over a platter of crudit茅s.
How do you plan to get a job with that?
Time management, check. Critical thinking skills, check. Resilience and perseverance, check.
When is your research going to be published?
It鈥檚 all about the peer review.
What year are you in?
Sadly, words like 鈥渃andidacy鈥 and 鈥淎BD鈥 (all but dissertation) don鈥檛 necessarily hold the same cachet around the dinner table as they do on campus.
How long are you going to avoid the real world?
That stack of papers looks pretty real鈥.
When do you finish?
Well, it鈥檒l definitely be sometime during this decade! Instead of this, try asking, 鈥淗ey, can I treat you to dinner sometime?鈥
When are you going to get a real job?
Grad school is a full-time pursuit, and don鈥檛 doubt the hours that go into it!
So, what else have you been doing?
Remind me, what is a weekend?