Posts Tagged as Life

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Posts Tagged as Life

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…

Summer Plans

May 11, 2012 | By Laura Fernandes, Ph.D. Student, Biostatistics

As a doctoral student in the process of writing my thesis proposal the academic year is a big long blur of deadlines; spring break, summer break, winter break, graduation week, welcome week. They all seem irrelevant, it is one endless stretch with recursive events of meeting up with advisors, working on the thesis and then meeting up again! But this does not have to be something terrible - being a grad student offers me the…

Opening Up to Inspiration By Questioning My Assumptions

May 10, 2012 | By Darshan Karwat, Ph.D. Student, Aerospace Engineering

The time has come for me to think about what life might be like after school, for I am hoping to defend my dissertation in August. As I mentioned previously, I came to Ann Arbor not knowing much about adult life in the U.S. But that does not mean I did not have assumptions about the place. I thought that America was about celebrity, materialism, and binge drinking in college. What Ann Arbor did, though,…

What Comes Next: To Be Continued…

May 7, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

This question makes me think of those old “Choose your own adventure” books. So first before we choose what comes next, maybe we should do a quick recap of the past. Work and life balance: My work and life balance was completely off balance throughout my first and second years of grad school, with too much emphasis on the former and very little of the latter. I think I’ve been improving gradually, learning from experience…

Staying in Ann Arbor Over the Summer?

May 3, 2012 | By Natalie Bartolacci, Program Manager, Rackham Graduate School

Rackham interviewed 20 current graduate students from a variety of programs on a range of topics of interest to new and current students, including getting to know Ann Arbor and special advice for international students and students with children. Videos of these interviews are available on the Rackham website along with other materials for new and current graduate students. One topic that may be of interest at this time of year is “Getting to Know Ann…

Summer Plans: Work and Wedding!

April 25, 2012 | By Maria Pickl, Master’s Student, School of Education

It is incredible how quickly the winter flew by (the couple of eighty degree days in March didn’t hurt, either!), and now we are into April and the summer is in sight! After the exams are over and the final papers are turned in, I’m sure everyone is looking forward to a relaxing (and warm!) summer break. For me, this summer won’t be quite as relaxing as years past. I recently transitioned into a new…

What Did YOU Do This Summer?

April 19, 2012 | By Bessie McAdams, Ph.D. Student, English

First of all, it’s important to remind you that I’m one of the people who’s just better suited to winter. I like sweaters, I like my nose being a bit cold, I like snuggling into my duvet at night, I like scarves, I like making tea after tea after tea, and I like snow a bit too much for my own good. I do not like summer. This started ages ago, back when “summer” just…

What’s Next: My Second Career

April 17, 2012 | By Kathryn Prater Bomey, Master’s Student, School of Natural Resources and Environment

When I started my first job after college, I never imagined I’d begin a second career a mere five years later. For some, earning two degrees and having two different careers before the age of 30 might seem daunting, but I’m excited to see what the future will bring. I’m still drawing up my long-term plans, but I’ve landed an internship for the summer that will keep me busy in the interim. As an intern…

What Will I Do the Day After Graduation?

April 13, 2012 | By Kimberly Jongsma, Master’s Student, Urban Planning

On April 27, I will receive a Master of Urban Planning, assuming I pass these classes that I am wrapping up in the next few weeks. What am I doing on April 28? I hope not to feel a repeat of the panic I felt in May 2009, when I received my Bachelor's degree during one of the worst economic slumps in recent U.S. history. The economy is doing much better these days, and unemployment…

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…

From Idea to Reality: Engaging International Students in the Football Tradition

April 10, 2012 | By Kate Zheng, Program Coordinator, International Center

Since January 2012, Andrew Copp, a student in Computer Science Engineering, has been floating a proposal about engaging international students in the Michigan football tradition. His idea was to organize a “football 101” clinic and tailgate before the spring scrimmage that will introduce international students to the game, its rules and its traditions. Thanks to Andrew’s idea, on Saturday April 14th 9:30am-11:30am, international students are invited to attend International Student Tailgate event and enjoy all…

MiTalk Speaks to Graduate Student Mental Health and Wellness, Too

April 6, 2012 | By Kristin Kurzawa, Program Manager, MiTalk

MiTalkis a student-focused mental health website for all University of Michigan students, including graduate students. With a new, easy-to-use interface,MiTalk offers mental health and wellness resources 24/7. Articles focused on student mental health concerns, self-screening tools, and University-made multimedia projects are what make MiTalk unique. Topics range from Students as Caregivers Men and Depression to our do something campaign's How to Help Yourself, How to Help a Friend series. MiTalk also offers an incredible library of…

…coming out clean…

April 5, 2012 | By Darshan Karwat, Ph.D. Student, Aerospace Engineering

(Spoiler alert (?): The thoughts below are a coalescence of observations of those around me, of fellow graduate students’ rants over beer, of a few PhD comics, and of a wonderful metaphor to compare graduate school with.) The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie, ever, not least because the movie’s depiction of Shawshank Prison provides a superb metaphor for graduate school. (No. I have not been to prison…yet…) There is the warden (your advisor), and…

A Successful Biostatistician

April 4, 2012 | By Laura Fernandes, Ph.D. Student, Biostatistics

In the Department of Biostatistics we have a plaque inscribed with the names of exceptional students from past years. Early on in the academic program clearing the qualifying examinations and becoming a Ph.D. candidate is a relief and getting the award for the top scores in the examination means that one’s name is etched on the plaque. For a master’s student the equivalent is to be the best first year master’s student and/or a GSI…

Defining Success: Still Under Review

April 3, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

I think I rewrote this blog post about 3 times before I realized this simple truth—I don't HAVE a definition for being a successful practitioner in my field. Sure, I think the short answer most people would give for a successful scholar in science would be one who has obtained a Nobel Prize for their efforts, but I don't really think that defines "success." I also thought of numerous qualities and accomplishments that would be…

Fun in Ann Arbor! (From a Historical Perspective)

March 30, 2012 | By Rodney Caruthers II, Ph.D. Student, Near Eastern Studies

If there is one thing about Ann Arbor that I appreciate it is the numerous events that take place throughout the year. When I transitioned back to Michigan and made Ann Arbor home I wondered what the community offered in regard to extracurricular activities. Although I had been to Ann Arbor plenty of times before it was typically for business reasons and not necessarily to explore the city or its downtown area. Now that I…

What Are You (and) What Will You Do?

March 28, 2012 | By Bessie McAdams, Ph.D. Student, English

I have found that introductions to new people follow a pretty uniform trajectory. Question #1: What do you do? I answer: I’m a grad student in English Language and Literature. Then comes Question #2: So what kind of career do you want? That question may seem entirely reasonable to you, ye of other fields, but to an English Ph.D. student, it’s like asking the candidate for the presidency what job he wants right after he’s…

Ph.D. Education: What Is It Good For?

March 27, 2012 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

A successful scientist is one that has made significant discoveries in their field. This stems from knowing what questions are worth answering, and knowing what questions can actually be answered in one’s place and time in scientific history. A thorough knowledge of the literature and an ability to come up with an experimental design to find answers is required of scientists. To be able to carry out the research, a scientist must be able to…

Scholarship and Fellowship Recipients: Understand Your Tax Filing Requirements

March 26, 2012 | By Natalie Bartolacci, Program Manager, Rackham Graduate School

The IRS Tax filing deadline is on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Federal Government Agencies require students to determine taxation of scholarships and fellowships when filing annual income tax returns. Each year, Rackham Graduate School sponsors a workshop, Tackling Your Taxes,* to help understand the following questions: Are student scholarship or fellowship payments treated as wages for services rendered? If not, to what extent are payments subject to federal income taxes under the Internal Revenue Code? If…

Rackham Centennial Exhibit 2012: artists educators alums

March 19, 2012 | By Deborah Greer, Director, River Gallery, Chelsea

In keeping with the spirit of celebration and recognition of achievement during the centenary year at the Rackham Graduate School, we are pleased and proud to present to alums, visitors and the University community an exhibit honoring a select group of esteemed and talented artists. Each of the artists invited to exhibit their work during the Rackham Centennial Exhibit 2012 share interesting commonalities. Each of them graduated from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. Each of these talented…

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