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The buddy system

The buddy system

How checking in weekly can keep your goals on track

May 26, 2020 | Kathleen L.

Graduate school is overwhelming and lonely at times. In addition to producing good research, graduate students have to balance networking, taking classes, staying updated on advances in their field by reading papers, and managing personal life goals. Everyone has a research advisor and, usually, labmates with whom they can discuss research concerns, but it’s not […]

Is grad school harder than a headstand?

Is grad school harder than a headstand?

How practicing my headstand turned into a metaphor for my PhD

May 18, 2020 | Stephanie S.

Editor Note: This post was originally written before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. The first semester of graduate school is pretty hard. You’re surrounded by new people from all over the world, you’re taking challenging classes, and in many departments, you’re also required to teach and do research right off the […]

Terraforming friendship

Terraforming friendship

How friendship started to flourish after a game of Terraforming Mars

May 18, 2020 | Hsin-Yu L.

My friend recently flew back to visit his grad school friends. All of us used to do many things together. Since he was back, we decided to play a game we enjoyed — Terraforming Mars. The game took place on a very special Sunday in Boston: it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit — in January. His […]

Loafing around at MIT

Loafing around at MIT

Why baking bread should be your next hobby

May 18, 2020 | Chanyoung P.

I started baking not too long ago, mostly at the advice of acquaintances who were already proficient bakers. My first few attempts weren’t great; I once managed to omit an entire cup of water from a naan recipe, resulting in a hard puck-shaped mass with the texture of stale Ritz crackers. But I kept at […]

An Indian Spice Blend™ you won’t find at Whole Foods

An Indian Spice Blend™ you won’t find at Whole Foods

Add one tablespoon of Indian to one tablespoon of American to achieve optimal confusion

May 9, 2020 | Rumya R.

One of the most challenging tasks every family must undertake at some point in their lives is deciding what to watch together. One evening, the compromise for our family was Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix standup special, Homecoming King. It was a win-win: my immigrant parents got to see a young brown man rise to fame, and […]