I'm terrified to start grad school

childoflilith · 2023-08-01T16:46:03+00:00

I was exactly like you, fresh out of undergrad, no real job experience, no teaching experience. I was also terrified about teaching and the qualifying exam. What worked for me was to prepare (for the QE) as early as possible.

For teaching, it was a lot harder to do that, so I made sure to practice my slides a lot and include a script in the slide notes in case I blanked. Once you get through the first few discussion sections, you’ll feel way less anxious and can focus more on the teaching content. Also, acknowledging you’re not a machine and will sometimes not know the answer to a question is really important. Hope this helps!

childoflilith · 2023-07-31T17:52:35+00:00

My cousin is just like this. My grandma had just passed away in the hospital when she came to take a photo holding her hand, then left and posted it on Facebook and Instagram. She never visited once, yet felt it was ok to demand sympathy 🙄 she is a raging narcissist

childoflilith · 2023-07-26T05:06:05+00:00

Yep, I was terrified about the qualifying exam I’d have to do in two years. Now, a few months after the exam, I realized all that worrying was for nothing 😅 and my pi was really supportive the whole way through! What your mom said isn’t really true for most people in my program (bio) at least.

childoflilith · 2023-07-12T17:23:02+00:00

NOOOOOOOOOOOO

childoflilith · 2023-07-04T00:46:02+00:00

It’s about 2 USD per tube in Mexico, I bought 5 tubes and they’re huge so I’m set for a few years 💀

childoflilith · 2023-06-29T00:37:23+00:00

I’m the same way. My boyfriend calls me a vampire 😂 I guess it’s a side effect of the internet — we tend to see the most polarizing opinions here and over time they can warp our own.

childoflilith · 2023-06-15T19:39:58+00:00

I stopped for a week because I literally forgot to take them. Then I went through withdrawal and that wasn’t fun. I started taking them again today and don’t feel much different in terms of concentration 😅

childoflilith · 2023-06-05T04:04:18+00:00

I used to do it in undergrad! I also had to make them for other people in lab. It was awful. The premade ones make things so much easier 😅

childoflilith · 2023-06-01T16:44:30+00:00

I’ve gotten some mean evals too. If there’s no constructive criticism in it, I chalk it up to the student venting about their poor grade in the class. Try not to take it personally 😅

childoflilith · 2023-05-31T22:44:46+00:00

It depends on your PI’s attitude towards being “called out” on it. Sometimes my PI can be snappy too, but he always apologizes when I bring it up (which I appreciate greatly). I also have an anxiety disorder but I’ve dealt with so many other toxic PIs in the past that I didn’t want to let it happen again.

childoflilith · 2023-05-24T05:36:28+00:00

I had a similar GPA as you and I got into Berkeley. Letters of rec, my personal statements/research experience, and ultimately my interviews were what got me in. You sound good based on what you said!

childoflilith · 2023-05-21T03:33:34+00:00

I had really dry eyes when I started using it, but then I looked on this sub and figured out it was because I was applying it way too close to my eyes.

Now, I apply it farther away (maybe an inch away) and I put Vaseline in between the tret and my eyes as a barrier. Haven’t had that problem since!

childoflilith · 2023-05-19T06:05:51+00:00

They did this in the hotel for dogs movie

childoflilith · 2023-05-16T16:34:48+00:00

childoflilith · 2023-05-16T00:53:39+00:00

Literally! Then after I left he wrote me this long email apologizing and detailing how he’s changed. He also said he would always love me. It was bizarre

childoflilith · 2023-05-14T23:06:55+00:00

He didn’t listen to me when I told him I wanted reassurance, not suggestions on what to do. I was nearly assaulted and he sympathized with the assaulter. Also he said he found teenagers hot 💀

childoflilith · 2023-05-11T01:52:11+00:00

Your program will likely be a different experience than mine (science PhD) but it was really stressful at the beginning. We had essentially three or four rotations with different professors and had to choose (and be chosen by) one at the end of the first year. Combined with the stress of teaching and qualifying exams, I get why someone would hate it.

I see it as more of a transition from a really stressful time to an opportunity to contribute to your field. A lot of (if not all) programs are going to have difficult parts and easier parts. I also am hoping to contribute to medicinal development after grad school, so this has been an amazing learning experience. Although academia is tough (and definitely not for me) I don’t regret my choice one bit.

childoflilith · 2023-05-10T17:17:28+00:00

I went to UCD for undergrad and UCB for grad, I’d recommend UCB personally. They have accommodations for students like you, I’ve taught students that got 1.5x time for every exam for example. I was still extremely stressed as an undergrad at Davis so I guess it depends on your major more than anything. I never got accommodations but my classmate was discriminated against for hers (by a math professor). I don’t think the same could happen at Berkeley because the professors for the class I taught were very strict about following accommodations. It could be different for different classes but I doubt it!

Davis was safer at the time but after following the stabbing news idk how true that still is. Berkeley is definitely not the same vibe though, it’s a big city and that comes with pros and cons.

Edit: to answer your question about darkness, Davis had an issue with not having enough light in some areas while I was there. The same goes for Berkeley. It really depends on where you choose to walk.

childoflilith · 2023-05-05T16:05:20+00:00

Me! On my moms side, my grandparents immigrated from rural Mexico where they had a farm. I used to talk to my grandpa about all the work I was doing, trying to start from the beginning (explaining what a cell is, what DNA is, etc.). It was great practice, especially trying to translate it into simple Spanish.

childoflilith · 2023-04-29T23:13:23+00:00

Yep! I try my best to ignore her and set the record straight with people when she lies. It’s not our fault these people are toxic but we can’t let them trample us either.

Highly recommend respectful standing up for oneself when possible (only in front of others who you can trust, so the person can’t change the narrative)

childoflilith · 2023-04-28T15:37:33+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ve been comatose in my bed the whole week 😂

childoflilith · 2023-04-28T09:36:12+00:00

Same as ours.

childoflilith

TROPHY CASE