Practice imagination in MIT Hogwarts
Where empathy and compassion are the real magic
In J.K. Rowling’s commencement speech at Harvard, she talked about the importance of imagination. I was really struck by her definition of imagination – how she described it as people “thinking themselves into other people’s worlds”. It made me appreciate my own capacity for empathy and compassion and how that’s been strengthened by the challenges […]
Schrödinger’s graduate student
The paths to success in graduate school are as arbitrary as the goal itself
Four years into graduate school, I still struggle with a simple question: what makes a successful graduate student? I don’t mean the end product of a student with a flashy C.V., a long list of publications, or a dream job. Instead, I wonder: what does a successful graduate student look like in their day-to-day life? […]
I want to be a ballerina when I grow up
Don’t let your dreams die in grad school
It was an average Wednesday. I rolled out of bed at 7:30AM, turned on Spotify’s “Monday Motivation” playlist and tried to let the cheerful pop seep into my bones. Everything’s looking up now! How could you not believe him when he sings so convincingly? I swayed to the music as my routine swung me around […]
How to cordially interrogate graduate students
The art of finding a lab
This semester, I have had a ton of practice interrogating graduate students. During orientation, I was immediately given the task of rotating in various labs to find my lab home. Our advisors instructed us to reach out to professors who caught our interest, find out if they are looking for PhD students this semester, and […]
Controlling chaos
Learning to love my calendar
“Hey, you ready for the call in five?” The what? With who? Did I have to prep for this? When did we decide to schedule a call? What are we even talking about? Maybe I’ve just been getting old, but I never had a problem remembering all my commitments before graduate school. Or maybe I […]
