Posts Tagged ‘academics’
Lab Girl (2016) by Hope Jahren
I found Lab Girl (by Hope Jahren) helpful for understanding the experience of academics in the sciences, both graduate students and faculty, especially those involved in labs. I wasn’t sure, though, what to make of the interspersed chapters on plant biology, as fascinating as they were. They did provide a metaphor for understanding the rest of…
Read MorePrayer for MSU, universities, and the world
MSU stopped in-person classes yesterday, has been encouraging students to leave campus and return to their permanent residence, and has been cancelling gatherings of large groups of people. Most of us are a bit overwhelmed and still processing the concrete implications of this for our lives, while also being uncertain of what will happen in…
Read MoreAdvice for those striving to be Christian scholars
Nicholas Wolterstorff’s article with advice to those who would be Christian scholars speaks of the inherent challenge of critiquing the university while also loving and embracing it. He starts by speaking of three postures people have in relation to the university: 1. “Some assume that what goes on in the contemporary university is pretty much…
Read MoreAdvice for grad school (from people who’ve been there)
The Well has posted two articles with some advice for those in grad school. They are especially helpful if you’re in a place where you’re wondering about how you might flourish more fully in grad school. Amy Whisenand challenges us to take care of our bodies, make friends, let go, and celebrate the good. She…
Read MoreThe gift of Sabbath
For most folks, graduate school is a time of being busy: there is always something to do or else guilt in not doing it. Practicing Sabbath can be a challenge during this time, especially as it often takes some creativity to make happen. Yet, Sabbath is a gift, especially of perspective. It challenges our understanding…
Read MoreLoneliness, Meaning, and Hope
The Los Angeles times recently published an article by Varun Soni, who is dean of religious life at USC, highlights some of the changes that he’s seen among students during the eleven years he’s been in that role. In the beginning, the conversations he had with students centered on “quests for meaning and purpose. [Students]…
Read MoreResources for new Graduate students
The folks at Emerging Scholars Network have put together some resources for new graduate students. If you are a new graduate student, I encourage you to check them out.
Read MoreAcademia and your Identity
Kate Samardzic recently wrote a helpful article that illustrates what she wished her friends and family knew about her PhD experience. It captures the experience of many of the graduate students that I know, reading it can be a way to understand better what it’s like to be in graduate school. In the article, Samardzic…
Read MoreMental Health and Graduate School
As we’ve noted before on this blog, “graduate students are at a greater risk for mental health issues than the general population.” A recent study by Harvard quoted in The Atlantic reiterates this, noting that “the study’s results, which also include survey responses from nearly 200 faculty members, indicate that many Ph.D. students’ mental-health troubles…
Read MoreAdapting your Spiritual Disciplines for Grad school
The Emerging Scholars Network has a helpful article that gives wisdom for adapting one’s spiritual disciplines to the challenges of graduate school. The author, Chandra Crane, highlights “the value of simple, flexible, and defined spiritual disciplines. Or, to put it more succinctly, the urgency of having healthy boundaries between spiritual disciplines which give life and…
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