Down The Strange and Winding Road to the Ph.D

A grad student at a friend’s get-together recently asked me how I finished my doctoral program. I don’t think I gave them the response they were looking for. The truth is, there’s no singular way that one finishes a doctorate—however, there is a lot of luck involved. (It is also important to note here that many doctoral students tend to have significant financial privilege and/or structural advantages, which is a very important factor to consider regarding degree completion.)

I will say this: for someone (me) who’d been out of school for several years, (re)adjusting to grad school life was tough. It was like trying to re-learn steps to a dance I’d known by heart as a kid. I really didn’t feel OK until my third year. During my first two years, I felt as if I was just trying to keep my head above water. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy parts of the experience, or that I didn’t feel supported—it’s just to say that I didn’t feel secure in my ability to complete my tasks in a satisfactory manner. I suppose that sounds bad, but there’s no other way to put it.

Though I don’t really have concrete advice for anyone looking for guidance or a push to finish, here are some things to consider:

• Create community (with peers, preferably, but any supportive folks will do!) as soon as you can, if you haven’t already—that will be invariably helpful.

• Find a mentor and/or someone who knows about your program/university to advise you on opportunities. It can sometimes be difficult to find/receive information on things like general resource-access, building your CV or scholarly profile, important job market-related things, specific department dynamics, etc.

• Create a ritual that you can perform regularly that grounds you. Seriously.

• Finally, is there a person or group that inspires you academically (they don’t have to be an academic themselves)? Think about this person/group as you work. I think doing this helped me at the end.

Happy writing and winding! (Or, just, you know, write and wind stoically. That’s also valid.)

2022 CUNY Graduate Center Commencement 🎈🎉

Me, in front of the Barclays Center on Atlantic Ave., Downtown Brooklyn | June 9, 2022

Photo Credit: Victoria Bembry