Blessing or lesson?
Our first book winner is Luis Lopez, a prospective PhD student! Be sure to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School! More details below (at the end of the post). Now, onto the good stuff!
Although not unique to the PhD experience, throughout it, you’re going to have to grapple with making a number of decisions each day—some having to do with more short-term responsibilities or opportunities and some more long-term. In almost every case, you’re going to learn whether what you’ve done is something you enjoy (or simply want to do again) or whether what you’ve done is something you didn’t enjoy (or simply don’t want to do again). In this way, every opportunity is a “blessing or lesson” (to quote the popular TikToker @vicblends).
Said another way—and as it was posed to me at the outset of a summer internship program—every opportunity is an opportunity to figure out what you do want to do or what you don’t want to do. This bit of advice has remained with me since 2008 when I first received it, and it’s something that I share with every student with whom I’m fortunate to work.
I share this bit of advice now because it’s easy to think about disappointing experiences as wasted time. To be clear, it’s definitely possible to “waste” time! But, I encourage you to think of seeing the opportunities that come your way for what they are—opportunities to narrow your interests and discover new ways of thinking about things and connecting with new people. Below, I share some examples of cases where trying out different things and taking time to observe your surroundings and how you feel can provide useful information.
Courses. As a PhD student, you are likely going to be required to complete a core set of courses. For example, as a developmental psychology student at the University of Michigan, I was required to complete statistics, cognitive development, and social development courses. I was also required to complete courses outside my area and then make selections among smaller groups of courses to satisfy distribution requirements. Some of these courses were directly in my “wheelhouse”—i.e., they covered material related to my research interests. Others required me to broaden my knowledge of the field and puzzle over new ideas that seemed relatively foreign to me. In every case, I learned new stuff. At the same time, I definitely enjoyed some courses more than others. There were also cases where I wish I had enrolled in a different course instead. Importantly, none of this course time was wasted.
When less interested in the content of a course, I focused on the methods used to determine whether I could apply new methods in my own work. I also practiced making connections across papers and findings—a super important skill to practice irrespective of the course content. Throughout, I also learned how to be a better listener (especially when my classmates were sharing their own ideas) and better learner (come to find out, you don’t necessarily have to read a paper from start to finish to extract the information you need). I also gained insight into the type of instructor I want to be. So, just when you think a course isn’t for you, push yourself to identify opportunities to learn in unexpected ways. It’s not just about the content (but the content is very important!).
Research projects. There is so much trial and error to experience here, especially as an early-career researcher! From narrowing your focus to specific questions to explore, to trying out new methods to get some manipulation just right, to even just trying out different recruitment opportunities, there will be no shortage of wins and “losses.” Just keep in mind that, for the most part, each decision you make offers an opportunity to learn new information about what works and what doesn’t.
As all this is going on, be open to your interests evolving. You might find yourself drawn in a different direction. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know. For example, I had no idea that I could study how children think about economic concepts and money—yet this is what I study now because I allowed my interests to change and had supportive mentors along the way. Still today, when I meet new people, I learn about new things that I didn’t know people even studied (just consider my friend, Dr. Danielle Gilbert, who studies hostage taking!). And, if you’re worried that you find yourself interested in something that you didn’t write about in your personal statement, that’s totally fine. Although I am interested in what I wrote about in my statement for Michigan, Dr. Gelman and I didn’t run one single study on that topic (it had to do with learning from peers and language development).
Mentor-mentee relationships. I always encourage the students I work with to apply to programs where there are at least two faculty members whose work interests them (and with whom they could envision themselves working). First, it’s great to have multiple people who can support your interests and provide mentorship. Second, not all mentor-mentee relationships work out. Several of my friends have switched advisors due to mentor-mentee mismatches and/or evolving interests. And to be clear, mentor-mentee relationships are two-way streets. If you find that yours isn’t working out for you, do not assume that you are entirely at fault.
While developing your mentor-mentee relationship, you’re going to learn what mutually works in terms of communication and working style. In an upcoming post, I will talk more about how to develop healthy mentor-mentee relationships! For now, though, be open trying new things (to the extent your mentor is open to it) and working to identify what is going to work for you as an individual and what is going to work for you as a member of a collaborative dyad. Throughout, you will learn what types of interpersonal strategies are going to work for you and which aren’t (and, remember, this information about what doesn’t work is super informative!).
Some homework: Try reflecting on key decisions you’ve made that have yielded both positive and “negative” outcomes. What did you learn from the “negative” outcomes? For example, I once assisted with a research project that, at first, really interested me. I then came to find out that I didn’t want to pursue that type of research, nor science. And I’m glad this happened, because I almost applied to PhD programs in a different discipline!
Looking ahead, what key decisions do you anticipate having to make this upcoming academic term? What do you need to know to feel like you’re making an informed decision? For example, I am currently on the job market and working to tailor my materials to different programs. As a part of this, I’m learning what resonates with different types of researchers (unfortunately, though, I don’t learn some of this important information until after it’s too late!).
SCHOLAR PROFILE #7: VERONICA VALENCIA GONZALEZ
The purpose of these profiles is to highlight and connect you to scholars at different career stages doing interesting and important research and service work.
This week, we get to learn about Veronica Valencia Gonzalez, who is a PhD candidate in Social Ecology (an interdisciplinary program bringing together culture, psychology, and legal systems) at the University of California, Irvine.
Now, let’s learn about Veronica’s academic journey.
What are your research interests?
I have a wide range of interests and I think they are all connected in that they somehow involve cultural influences in perceptions among people from Latin American backgrounds. For example, for my dissertation I am investigating how intimate partner and gender violence is conceptualized, thought of, and understood in rural communities of Mexico. I'm hoping to better understand how these conceptions are developed and how the conceptions compare the definitions of intimate partner and gender violence that are held in the global north.
With whom are you working for your PhD?
I attend the University of California, Irvine in the Social Ecology PhD program (the program is an interdisciplinary program which allows me to combine my interests in psychology, law, and Latin America) and my advisor is Dr. Susan Coutin who has joint appointments in the departments of Anthropology, Chicano/Latino Studies, and Criminology, Law & Society.
Why did you choose your PhD institution and advisor(s)?
I was already familiar with the program and the faculty since I had attended the institution as an undergraduate student. The program was highly ranked and respected. I felt the program was welcoming and supportive and it offered me the best financial aid package of all the places I had been offered admission. My program randomly assigns advisors for the students entering the program with the understanding that you can switch advisors at the end of the first year. The incoming cohorts have assigned meetings with faculty members throughout the first year in order to help find an advisor and facilitate matches. I ended up staying with my initial advisor even though we didn't have similar interests because I found her to be incredibly supportive, caring, and enthusiastic about my goals. She is also very well connected and established and utilizes her connections to help me.
Please share more about your academic journey.
I didn't take the most direct route to my PhD. I was the eldest of 6 children. I was born and raised in a small agricultural community in the Central Coast of California. My parents are agricultural laborers who came to the United States from Mexico in the early 1980s. I attended a small high school that served the children of the migrant agricultural laborers and didn't emphasize college. I ended up getting married right after I graduated high school in 2001. My marriage became pretty abusive and after almost 10 years I finally left.
It wasn't until after my divorce that I started attending community college more as a way to stop thinking about my divorce and to gain skills to go into the job market. When I started community college I was only thinking I would get some kind of certificate to get a job. However, an instructor encouraged me to look into transferring to a four-year university and talked to me about financial aid.
In 2014, I transferred to the University of California, Irvine as a psychology major. At that point I was thinking I wanted to be a therapist and I didn't know about research. However, while taking a required course on research design we had a guest speaker which just happened to be the first Latina professor I had ever had and something just clicked when she talked about her research. I was so excited that after class I went up and introduced myself. Later that night I emailed and asked for a meeting. I ended up becoming her research assistant and learned that I really enjoyed research.
I became involved in other research labs and through some of the grad students in the lab I learned about grad school and learned that PhD programs were funded. I didn't think I would have enough experience when I graduated in 2017 (double majoring in Psychology & Social Behavior and Criminology, Law & Society) to get into a PhD program but I figured that I would still apply and use it as a practice round to learn about the application process. I only applied to 4 programs and two programs within UCI. I was ultimately surprised to receive an offer to a couple of programs but ultimately decided to attend UCI's Criminology, Law & Society because they were interdisciplinary, highly ranked, and they offered me the best financial aid package. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the program was for me and I ended up switching to UCI's Social Ecology program in 2019.
How did you navigate the PhD application process?
I didn't have a lot of programs I applied to since I thought I was going to have to reapply again. I thought the initial round was only a practice round. What I learned from my initial round is to set a timeline for application. I used an Excel worksheet to keep track of the requirements for each program and deadlines. I used the Excel sheet to keep track of what requirements I had completed and which ones still needed to be done. I contacted my recommendation letter writers in advance (spring quarter) to ask if they would be willing to write recommendation letters. (I was surprised to learn that a professor who I thought would write a strong letter of recommendation, did not think I should apply for PhD programs. I did not end up asking him for letters of recommendation.) I provided a list of the programs I was planning to apply to and provided copies of all the material I was submitting with my application.
What is one bit of advice you'd like to give new (first-year) PhD students?
It's not always easy so surround yourself with compassionate and supportive folks. Your health (including mental health) is extremely important so take time to care for yourself and your health. Try not to compare your journey to other people's journey; everyone is different and has their own path.
Is there anything else about you or your journey that you’d like to share?
It took me a while to become comfortable with asking for help and to admit that I wasn't always okay. I'm getting better at asking for help or asking for more time and doing so is okay.
Many thanks to Veronica for sharing more about their academic journey!
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
In this section, I highlight resources you may find helpful as you navigate the PhD application process as well as the PhD itself. This week, I’m sharing two resources for folks interested in linguistics.
If you’d like to see a specific resource appear here, please share the relevant information via this survey. And remember, I maintain a running list of resources here.
The LINGUIST List: The LINGUIST List is operated at Indiana University, Department of Linguistics. The aim of the list is to provide a forum where academic linguists can discuss linguistic issues and exchange linguistic information. With the aid of contributions from subscribers, Indiana University, and the publishing community, LINGUIST List offers support to graduate students in linguistics and summer interns, who serve in return as editors of the list and help with the development and maintenance of the list server and website.
This site provides a lot of useful information for prospective and current Linguistics PhD students. In particular, there is a section specifically for students, highlighting programs and writing resources.
Linguistic Society of America: The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) was founded in 1924 to advance the scientific study of language and its applications. LSA plays a critical role in supporting and disseminating linguistic scholarship both to professional linguists and to the general public.
Like the LINGUIST List, the LSA site connects students with resources and information they need to navigate the field as an early-career researcher. I recommend checking out the page on the Linguistic Institutes, which are great opportunities for students and faculty to come together for workshops, lectures, etc.
How to reach me: You are always welcome to email me (letstalkgradschool@gmail.com) or find me on Twitter @tweetsbymidge.
Let’s give away some books: Readers located in the United States and Canada are eligible to enter the book giveaway to receive a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. To do so, complete this survey and note that you only have to complete it once to be entered in all subsequent giveaways! I do hope to expand the reach of the giveaway; however, at the moment, the shipping costs are too great to scale. If you’d like to talk about ways your institution could secure an electronic (or hard) copy, please let me know (sign up for a 1-on-1 meeting below!).
1-on-1 sessions: Interested in some additional mentorship? Sign up for 1-on-1 sessions to discuss your questions regarding the social science PhD application process and/or completing a social science PhD more generally! Sign-ups will happen via Calendly and you can check periodically for updated openings. Sign up here!
Until next time!
Margaret