Last night we had our Women's Potluck, something I organize once a quarter for the women in the political science department. It's a great opportunity for the women at all stages of the program to seek/dispense advice, learn the ins and outs of the program, and facilitate mentoring in a welcoming and comfortable environment. Grad school can be tough, and it's so nice to develop relationships with others who will encourage us and support us along the way. Why a potluck just for the women? Well, academia is still a male dominated field filled with inflated egos and several men who think that they are God's gift to political science. Women tend to be non-competitive, collaborative, and willing to be mentors. To succeed and simply survive, women have mentored each other along the way and so we continue in this tradition.
One of the women who is further along in the program shared her Compensation Theory with us. She said that there are a few grad students who are just simply brilliant. While all of us are smart people, these particular few just "get it." They work hard, but they are a step ahead of the rest of us. Every cohort has one or two of these students (the superstars), and the rest of us have to compensate in some way to make it through the program. There are 2 ways to do this. The first is through networking. Those who compensate with networking get to know as many faculty and grad students as possible. They learn the ins and outs of the program, and they work hard to solicit advice from others and they seek out great mentors. This helps them be successful. The second way to compensate is the "nose to the grindstone" approach. Those who do this work incredibly hard and all of the time. They don't take time off and they just study, study, study to get ahead. I had to agree with this woman's theory, and I made my own contribution to her theory.
I think that the third way to compensate is to just be a nice, pleasant, and respectful person. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, there are a lot of assholes in academia. Remember a few paragraphs ago when I mentioned the overinflated egos? Uh, yeah. There are people who are just not nice. They may think that they can rely on their brilliance, their research, or their ability to name drop and regurgitate facts, but being nice can get you very far. Case in point: I'm a nice person. I cannot think of anyone who I dislike, and I have gotten to know some people who wield quite a bit of power in my life. Note: I'm not being fake and I'm not being strategic. I have just found that what goes around comes around. Having fun, saying hello, being pleasant, sharing cupcakes, and spreading good cheer can get you far.
First, I have never had a bad TA assignment (knock on wood). In fact, I always get my first choice. Coincidence? I don't think so. I have heard endless stories of others who have felt wronged by the person responsible for these assignments. Not me; I'm nice to this person (seriously, it's hard not to be!), I chat with him, and sometimes I even share my cupcakes. No, I'm not hitting on him, I'm not bribing him; I just enjoy spreading the cheer. And so far, I have been nicely rewarded.
Second, I've had a couple professors take an interest in my progress through the program. These people aren't my advisers and of their own volition, they have reached out to me. I haven't worked closely in the past with them, so this seems unusual. I took a class with one of them last quarter, and the other I have had some great interactions with off and on since I've been here. I have been interested in developing a closer relationship with these professors, and it seems that I have a great opportunity to do so. I'm not my cohort superstar, so I'm sure that I'm not attracting them with my brilliance. I honestly suspect that it may be my personality that has compelled them to reach out to me. See? This is why I think that what goes around comes around. So now I'm getting funded to learn stats because of these two professors and I'm going to work with them.
Finally, I have just learned that I have friends in accounting. I just got my conference reimbursement expedited. I didn't even know that I had friends in accounting, but apparently, I do and I am grateful.
So, this is how research works. Someone comes up with a theory, and another person(s) tests it, refines it, and adds on to it. And so I have added on to the Compensation Theory. Abide by the Golden Rule. Plain and simple. I welcome any other additions to the theory.
One of the women who is further along in the program shared her Compensation Theory with us. She said that there are a few grad students who are just simply brilliant. While all of us are smart people, these particular few just "get it." They work hard, but they are a step ahead of the rest of us. Every cohort has one or two of these students (the superstars), and the rest of us have to compensate in some way to make it through the program. There are 2 ways to do this. The first is through networking. Those who compensate with networking get to know as many faculty and grad students as possible. They learn the ins and outs of the program, and they work hard to solicit advice from others and they seek out great mentors. This helps them be successful. The second way to compensate is the "nose to the grindstone" approach. Those who do this work incredibly hard and all of the time. They don't take time off and they just study, study, study to get ahead. I had to agree with this woman's theory, and I made my own contribution to her theory.
I think that the third way to compensate is to just be a nice, pleasant, and respectful person. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, there are a lot of assholes in academia. Remember a few paragraphs ago when I mentioned the overinflated egos? Uh, yeah. There are people who are just not nice. They may think that they can rely on their brilliance, their research, or their ability to name drop and regurgitate facts, but being nice can get you very far. Case in point: I'm a nice person. I cannot think of anyone who I dislike, and I have gotten to know some people who wield quite a bit of power in my life. Note: I'm not being fake and I'm not being strategic. I have just found that what goes around comes around. Having fun, saying hello, being pleasant, sharing cupcakes, and spreading good cheer can get you far.
First, I have never had a bad TA assignment (knock on wood). In fact, I always get my first choice. Coincidence? I don't think so. I have heard endless stories of others who have felt wronged by the person responsible for these assignments. Not me; I'm nice to this person (seriously, it's hard not to be!), I chat with him, and sometimes I even share my cupcakes. No, I'm not hitting on him, I'm not bribing him; I just enjoy spreading the cheer. And so far, I have been nicely rewarded.
Second, I've had a couple professors take an interest in my progress through the program. These people aren't my advisers and of their own volition, they have reached out to me. I haven't worked closely in the past with them, so this seems unusual. I took a class with one of them last quarter, and the other I have had some great interactions with off and on since I've been here. I have been interested in developing a closer relationship with these professors, and it seems that I have a great opportunity to do so. I'm not my cohort superstar, so I'm sure that I'm not attracting them with my brilliance. I honestly suspect that it may be my personality that has compelled them to reach out to me. See? This is why I think that what goes around comes around. So now I'm getting funded to learn stats because of these two professors and I'm going to work with them.
Finally, I have just learned that I have friends in accounting. I just got my conference reimbursement expedited. I didn't even know that I had friends in accounting, but apparently, I do and I am grateful.
So, this is how research works. Someone comes up with a theory, and another person(s) tests it, refines it, and adds on to it. And so I have added on to the Compensation Theory. Abide by the Golden Rule. Plain and simple. I welcome any other additions to the theory.
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