Posts by Leslie Rott

Leslie Rott

True Confessions of a Graduate Student Neat Freak

April 4, 2013 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

This is the second in a series of “true confession” posts. The first one was about my addiction to coffee. Now onto my addiction to keeping things organized… When I get really stressed, something key to keeping me sane is a clean and well-organized living space. I feel so much better when everything is in its place and the floors are sparkling. There is something about having a tidy space that makes it easier for me to breathe (although not while I’m cleaning because I don’t want to be asphyxiated by cleaning products). But seriously, I feel so much better…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

True Confessions of a Graduate Student Coffee Addict

February 25, 2013 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

This is the first in a series of “true confession” posts… There are several things in my graduate student life/career that I can’t live without: My computer, highlighters, notebooks, and binders, all of the obvious student essentials. But there’s something more than those things. Something that I need on a daily basis practically just to function. COFFEE!!! Ask my sister or boyfriend or anyone who has had the displeasure of interacting with me in the morning before I’ve had my coffee. It’s not pretty. I verge on being zombie-like. My eyes are shut tight. I mumble incoherently. My arms are…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Kickboxing as a Metaphor for Dissertation Writing

January 29, 2013 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

You probably wouldn’t guess by looking at me, but I’m a kickboxer. Despite the limitations of having lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, I started kickboxing several years ago. I wanted to do some kind of physical activity, to push my body to the limits of where it could go…or I thought it could go. I decided to do kickboxing with a personal trainer. I worried that I would feel too self-conscious in a class where people older than me could kick higher than me. So I took other people out of the equation, and decided to focus solely on myself. I…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

A Social Life in Graduate School Is Just as Important as an Academic Life

December 5, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

Believe it or not, having a social life is an integral part of graduate school. When I first started graduate school, most of my friends were people that were in my cohort. However, as people have started finishing, moved to other places while still in the program, or have had a variety of other life transitions, meeting people outside of my program has become more important, because the majority of friends from my program are no longer in Ann Arbor. This isn’t easy, though. Having a social life isn’t something that is stressed in graduate school, but it should be.…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

How to Become a Professional Sociologist (or a Professional Academic) While in Graduate School

October 16, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

Professional development means different things for different people. In my field, Sociology, there are several basic avenues for professional development that I feel are particularly important: Conferences The American Sociological Association has an annual meeting. I have attended twice, and presented once on a panel and once on a roundtable. Conference presentations not only help add to your curriculum vitae, but they also help you hone your public speaking skills. Conferences can be overwhelming, but they can also be very productive. The key to conferences, though, is networking, and meeting people that are well-known in your specific sub-field. There are…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

My Goal For 2012-2013 Is Being Realistic About the Future

September 18, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

Since I started as a Rackham student blogger last year, I feel like I’ve definitely taken positive steps forward as I am embarking on my last year of graduate school. This post is supposed to be a reflection on how things have changed since my welcome post a year ago. That’s not an easy task. Some things have changed and some have stayed the same. Graduate school has been an incredible learning experience, not just in terms of my intended field of study, but also in terms of personal growth. I firmly believe that you set your own path, because…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

The Best Place for a Frozen Treat in Ann Arbor

August 27, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

I can’t quite believe I’m doing this. I’m sharing a kind of secret spot. But since I’m pretty obsessed with this place at the moment, I had to use it as my best of Ann Arbor post. So where do you go in Ann Arbor for the best frozen treat? Ben and Jerry’s? No… Stucchi’s? No… Where then, you ask? Iorio’s. Haven’t heard of it? I’m not completely surprised. It’s just off the beaten path enough that you might not know that this place even exists. But once you do, I’m confident that it will become one of your go-tos.…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

People, Relationships Are the Most Important Part of Graduate School

August 7, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

As I prepare to begin my sixth and final year in graduate school, I feel nostalgic, not so much for the graduate school experience itself, but for the relationships that have been built throughout my time here. I’m a sociologist, so it only makes sense that I focus on the relationships between people. When I started graduate school, I was pretty tight with my entire cohort. There were sixteen of us. Over the years, some have transferred to other programs, some have moved away for a variety of reasons, and others I have simply lost touch with. It’s hard to…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Some Were Born to Run; I Was Born to Write

June 28, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

I know that for some people, the hardest part of graduate school is the writing. That has not been the case for me. I have always loved to write. For as long as I can remember, I have clearly believed that the pen is mightier than the sword. Words have the power to create and the power to destroy. They have the power to fix and the power to harm. I’ve often said that I would eviscerate ex-boyfriends in fiction, writing them into the world small and insignificant. While that has not happened… yet… it is this power of words…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Summertime, Summertime, Summer, Summer Summertime…in Ann Arbor…

May 17, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

Ah, summer in Ann Arbor. I must say, it’s my favorite time of year here. When I was in undergrad, I went home for the summer or away for an internship. I didn’t consider Ann Arbor home then, and so I didn’t really know what I was missing. But when I started grad school, which is basically a year on continuous loop, I’ve spent every summer here, usually teaching, studying for prelims, working on and defending my prospectus, working on my dissertation, and ultimately, finishing and defending my dissertation next spring/summer. In Ann Arbor during the summer, campus empties out.…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

When It Comes To My Future, The Sky’s The Limit

April 12, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

As I’ve mentioned in at least one previous post, my choice to pursue a non-tenure-track position has been a difficult one. It has been difficult for several reasons: It’s what I thought I wanted, coming into grad school It’s what is expected of me by my department, and specifically my advisor and committee It’s not a realistic career choice given the limitations and unpredictably of my illnesses, trying to keep my health as my number one concern, and the fact that super high stress can exacerbate my symptoms   But rather than view my departure from the “traditional route” as…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Success Is in the Eye of the Beholder: Sociology as Passion

March 9, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

For me, the question of what makes a successful scholar in my field is loaded, because my opinion probably varies from many of the other people in my field. (Although as you’ll see later when I quote Berger and Mills, they are foundational sociologists and I think they are spot on.) I think most people in my field would view a successful scholar to be one who has published in the top sociology journals, has written a book, and has a tenure-track academic position at a well-respected academic institution. In other words, someone who knows how to engage well with…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Why U-M?: University of Michigan Builds Intellectual Curiosity, Scholarly Mindset

February 17, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

The reason I picked the University of Michigan for graduate school is an easy question for me to answer. I did my undergraduate education here, my research interests were fostered and supported here during undergrad, and my intellectual curiosity was brought into full bloom. So why would I have wanted to go anywhere else when there were so many positives already here? Many people told me that there was no way I would get in here, that U-M was known for not accepting undergrads into grad programs. I applied anyway, determined to prove everyone wrong. And I did. This is…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Winter in Ann Arbor: Don’t Let It Snow, Don’t Let It Snow

January 24, 2012 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

I am a summer baby all the way. Despite having lived in Michigan my whole life, I am not a huge fan of winter. If I could, I would hide away and hibernate for the winter months. Forget teaching and all of my other graduate school commitments. I’d be content to stay inside, where it’s warm and cozy.  I think part of my severe dislike for winter over the past few years has come from the fact that the cold weather exacerbates my illnesses and increases my pain level. I feel as if I have to work extra hard to…

Published in: Student Voices

Leslie Rott

Coping With Invisible Disability in Graduate School

December 5, 2011 | By Leslie Rott, Ph.D. Student, Sociology

One of the reasons why I wanted to blog for Rackham is because, on my chronic illness journey, I have learned first-hand about the wonder that the Internet can be. It is a double-edged sword. People try and sell you snake oil cures. But overall, my experience has been much more positive than negative, and I’ve appreciated being able to share my story here with all of you. My years as a student served me well in becoming a chronic illness patient. Scouring the Internet for information was something I was very used to doing. And my years as a…

Published in: Student Voices

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