The Right Choice for the Wrong Reasons
Why I shouldn’t have chosen MIT, and why I’m glad I did
“There’s no wrong choice.” This was an oft-stated sentence from my friends and family when I was deciding between graduate programs. And okay, sure, when you have the option to attend two wonderful institutions for graduate school, there is no “wrong” answer. But there is often a “better” answer. In pursuit of the “better” answer, […]
Do What You’re (Not) Good At
Avoiding the tendency to over-specialize in science
“What do you want to work on?” This is one of the most expected–and sometimes dreaded–questions that prospective graduate students encounter during the interview process. Because, as they say, “it’s a trap!” It’s not an innocent way to determine your area of interest. Rather, it’s a means to evaluate your degree of specialization. […]
In Pursuit of Riches
Publications as the currency of academia
I am a poor grad student. And I don’t mean in the classic, monetary sense. (Although, let’s be real, what grad student isn’t poor?) I am ‘poor’ in the currency of academia- publications. If you’ve never experienced academia for yourself, you might not be aware of how profound and accurate that comparison is. Some people […]
Beyond the Dorms
A guide to off-campus housing near MIT
When I committed to attending MIT for graduate school, I was ecstatic. I immediately began planning out my courses, researching clubs on campus, and looking up potential advisers. But wait, I’d need a place to live, too. Boston’s a city- but how bad could housing be, really? Ah the naiveté! As anyone who has tried […]
Mentee vs. Minion
Working with undergrads as a graduate student
I know from personal experience how much an undergraduate research experience can shape your future. At the end of my junior year in undergrad at Swarthmore College, I was struggling with the idea of what to do after college and how my major (physics, at the time) would help me achieve that. That summer, […]
