Serious thinking - academia

[the_fantastic_ms_fox]

Grades and Priorities
It is only this week that I thought if, to qualify for something, you need to be the kind of person who busts their ass for years at school, then maybe this job or degree isn't looknig for smart people, so much as people who are willing to continue to break themselves for the duration of their career.

A report:
My grades are... good enough I guess. Two B's, probably a B-or C+ in Calculus and an A of some kind in Gender Studies. I could do better, but I have to admit that part of my doesn't actually give a shit or want to go to all that trouble. I kind of want a grad degree because I like school, and I like working with intellectuals, but I don't actually care all that much for the studying - I'm bright, but I'm not a keener. I can work fine, but I think I need to re-think the way I value academia.

Comments

[algae-al-fresco.livejournal.com]

then maybe this job or degree isn't looknig for smart people, so much as people who are willing to continue to break themselves for the duration of their career.

Yeah. This is similar to what they try and try to tell music students...if you don't like the crazy right now you probably won't like the crazy later.

[freedryk.livejournal.com]

if, to qualify for something, you need to be the kind of person who busts their ass for years at school, then maybe this job or degree isn't looknig for smart people, so much as people who are willing to continue to break themselves for the duration of their career.

Actually, they're looking for people who are both smart and willing to break themselves. Grad school is full of people who work hard but aren't-quite-smart-enough.

And it really is only worth it if you like the subject enough to break yourself for it. Really. I broke pretty badly around 2nd year grad school. I'm still not quite fixed.

[hundun.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm trying very hard to find something that I give a shit about /and/ that has direct applications /and/ could mean going to grad school.

I can find many things with two of these, as there are many useful grad degrees, and many grad degrees that I like, and many useful nonsgrad things, but all three?