ความคิดเห็นที่ 64
ปล ใครเพิ่งเริ่มเรียนโทเสดสาดเทอมแรก หรือสาขาอื่นก็ได้ ลองอ่านอันนี้ดูนะครับ ผู้เขียนมีอารมณ์ขันดี น่าเสียดาย ผมมาพบเจอบทความนี้หลังจากผ่านพันช่วงเครียดไปแล้ว
จาก http://www.econphd.net/downloads/mp_surv.pdf
Matthew Pearson: how to survive your first year of graduate school in economics
How to survive your first year of graduate school
in economics
Matthew Pearson
∗
November 8, 2005
Dear First-year Graduate Student,
Welcome to the threshold of hell (just kidding, more like the patio, or court-
yard of hell). As you begin your first year of graduate school, we, your colleagues
who have survived our first years in the program, have collected the following
suggestions and advice that we hope will help to make your first year a successful
one.
This letter is titled “How to survive your first year,” but perhaps a more
appropriate title would be “How to make it to your second year.” You see,
nothing is going to stop you from surviving your first year but you yourself.
Unless you simply stop going to class, you will survive your first year. You may
be exhausted, burned out, angry, and hating economics by then, but you will
survive (this is good news; you have one less thing to worry about). At most
schools, however, success in the first year is measured mostly by one thing: your
score on the core theory prelims. And as such, most of this letter is written with
this goal in mind.
However, while it may be good to make it to your second year, none of us want
you in the process to experience the kind of burnout and bitterness described
above, so, on second thought yet again, the most appropriate, albeit verbose,
title for this letter might rather be “How to thrive during your first year, and
thereby making it to your second year.” The advice for both of these goals,
however, is the same. Thriving during your first year is highly correlated with
∗
UC Davis economics grad student of the entering class of 2003 (pearson@ucdavis.edu).
Special thanks to Alan Barreca, Amanda Kimball, Shahar Sansani, Scott Cunningham, David
Ong, and Jason Lindo for their helpful comments. This document was developed as part of
the mentor program for first-year graduate students at UC Davis, a program founded by the
economics Graduate Student Association representatives in the fall of 2005. Permission is
hereby granted for properly attributed non-commercial use by anyone, including students in
other departments and programs. Feel free to cite, copy, post, or distribute any parts that
you find helpful.
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passing your prelims. And as such, the sage advice herein is designed to help you
become the best grad student you can be, to get the most out of your classes,
to develop your intuition, to master the core theory, and most of all, to pass
your prelims, all the while maintaining a loose grip on your sanity.
Surviving the first year: a positive attitude, strong com-
mitment, and lots of coffee.
First, however, while not surviving the first year (that is, leaving during the
middle of the year) is quite uncommon, the feelings that lead one to make such
a decision are common, and it is important to be able to recognize these feelings
and deal with them appropriately. Fortunately for you, dear rookie, you have
already taken the most important step in dealing with these difficulties: you have
this letter to guide you through them. Anticipating the mixture of emotions you
might feel is an important first line of defense. There are several specific feelings
that it seems like every first-year student experiences, things that are important
to know how to get past, things that can derail your progress if not recognized.
Hating the material Hating the material with an intensity becomes par for
the course rather early on. No matter what you like about economics, I can
guarantee that you will spend a fair bit of time your first year studying material
that you do not like. Statements like, “this is not what I came here to study,” or,
“this is not why I like economics,” or even, “this stuff is not economics at all,”
are heard from time to time. However, like almost any profession, learning the
fundamentals is the least glamorous part, but it is indispensable. This year you
will be learning the tools that every economist needs. It is rarely glamorous or
fun, but once you have learned them, you will move on next year to things that
you will find far more interesting, moving quickly ever closer to the particular
research questions that inspire you.
Impostor syndrome, or feelings of inadequacy
It is quite common to
feel like you are the only one not understanding the material, even when your
colleagues impress upon you that their difficulties are significant as well. If you
are struggling with feelings that you are an impostor, that you do not deserve
or are not prepared enough to be here, remember that the admissions process
works, and you are here for a reason. The impostor feelings will only derail
your understanding, because if you begin to feel that you are not capable of
understanding the material, your study habits will begin to reflect this belief
creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know of no other cure for these feelings that
remembering that many successful grad students before you have felt the same
way. If you are struggling in this area, talk to a friend or mentor for reassurance.
Often these feelings come from fear of success as much as fear of failure.
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จากคุณ :
บุ้ง (B Oprysk) 
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