Alternative? Get Over It

This primer is humerous; the humor is based in the experience of many, many graduate students. Finding the humor in the experience does not belittle the importance of the work, but rather finds a commonality in a process that is quite isolating and individualistic (check out any of the current research on graduate student experiences, socialization, and/or identity). Suggesting that those of us who found or are finding this piece reflective of our lives to instead go to Iraq is both insulting and missing the point entirely (for which I’d gladly give a grade of K).

Patrick Dilley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Higher Education at Southern Illinois University, at 9:55 am EST on January 30, 2007

On Beyond Zebra!

“‘So now I know everything anyone knowsFrom beginning to end. From the start to the close.Because Z is as far as the alphabet goes.’

Then he almost fell flat on his face on the floorWhen I picked up the chalk and drew one letter more!A letter he never had dreamed of before!”

The most appropriate stanza for the life of the grad student is probably:

“I’ve a letter called FLUNN. And the FLUNN is for FlunnelA softish nice fellow who hides in a tunnel.He only comes out of his hole, I’m afraid,When the right kind of softish nice music is playedOn a kind of a hunting horn called the o’Grunth.And to learn how to play it takes month after monthOf practising, practising. Isn’t much fun-th.And, besides, it’s quite heavy. Weighs almost a tun-th.That’s why few people bother to play the o’GrunthSo the Flunnel’s been out of his tunnel just one-th.”

Rich Puchalsky, at 10:06 pm EST on January 30, 2007

Humerous?

It might have tickled your funny bone, but it isn’t humerous. It’s humOrous.

Ben’s dad, at 5:46 am EST on February 1, 2007

Brilliant

The author has managed to touch on many of the psychological reasons that writing a dissertation is so torturous, particularly the isolation, putting one’s life on hold, desperation at the slow pace of writing, and feeling like a fake. My motto is “end the isolation!”

Gina Hiatt, Dissertation/Tenure Coach/Writing Club Owner at Academic Ladder, at 12:10 pm EST on February 1, 2007