Advising Advice
What should you look for when choosing an advisor?
At the end of my second year at MIT, I chose to switch to a different advisor, based on our overlapping interests in a specific research area. This turned out to be a great decision, but for many reasons that I hadn’t even remotely thought about when I made the choice. I’m very conscious now […]
Educating Myself Out of Education
I’m a fast climber, but why should it matter?
I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t always tell the truth. When people ask me about MIT, I tend to oversell it. After all, it is one of the best, if not the best, university on the planet, nestled at the top of all international rankings. Once up here, everyone simply expects you to be […]
What the Puck?
How a new sport helped me find clarity in grad school
In my first year of graduate school, I fell on my butt a lot. It’s as if I would forget about my feet. I would be gliding along smoothly, comfortably shifting from one skate to the other, but if a puck slid in my direction — and I had to get it! — my skates […]
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
When a PhD gets personal
Some people choose their PhD projects based on raw scientific curiosity. Some seek buzz words, industry partners, or flashy technology to jumpstart profitable future careers. Some find their projects based on available funding. Me? I chose my project because it had almost killed me. Sepsis. Global killer of millions. Personal nemesis. And my research topic. […]
A Minor Change for A Major Reward
How playing guitar made my grad school life more enjoyable
I should start a new hobby. I came to this conclusion when my answer to the question, “research + sleep = 24 hours?” was “yes, but not always”. Although finding downtime can be difficult, especially when you are taking courses, it is a necessary part of staying sane and healthy in graduate school. To get […]
