My name is Sara, and I am currently in my fifth year of graduate school in an experimental psychology program. I wanted to come to graduate school because I loved the scientific study of psychology, and wanted to (a) create my own knowledge in the disciple (i.e., do research), and (b) share psychology knowledge with others (i.e., teaching). I chose social psychology as the area I wanted to pursue, because I found the research questions concerning people’s behavior in social situations to be more interesting than other areas of psychology (e.g., neurological, pathological, or developmental questions). Although I’ve learned in my courses, these questions are quite interesting in their own right. My only regret is not having enough time in the five years here to explore them in more detail. 

Unlike many of my peers who started careers or completed other degrees before coming to a PhD program, I had a very uneventful path to graduate school. I graduated with an undergraduate degree in psychology in four years, and went straight into a PhD program. Graduate school really tested my real motivations for why I was here. The reward seemed to be pretty low, and the workload seemed inversely high. I’d like to share with you some of the “pearls of wisdom” that I learned in graduate school along the way. I’d also like to share with you how to avoid some common mistakes that can save you grief and anxiety.

Each year of graduate school carries with it its own unique challenges. You will certainly find yourself on the continuum of graduate “development.” First-year graduate students, for example, feel an intense pressure to compete with their peers and make a positive impression on their professors. Second and third-year graduate students tend to feel the same pressures, but seem to have learned to cope with these pressures in a productive way. There are social issues that arise between friends in the program and between students and professors. There are waves of departmental drama that seem to unexpectedly strike at the most inconvenient times. How is a PhD student supposed to cope with these issues? These are some of the things that I’d like to share with you over the course of my blogs.

I would love additional feedback from readers. Perhaps you are a much more seasoned graduate veteran than me and have additional knowledge to share. Perhaps you are a current graduate student who is dealing with a difficult issue and need to bounce ideas off of others who can help. Regardless of why you’re reading, I welcome additional input in my blogs and hope that we can continue a dialogue of learning. Please keep your identity anonymous and your comments cordial. I look forward to discussing the ups and downs of graduate school in a safe, anonymous environment!