Ep. 0: Dear Grad Student: An Unexpected Journey
In this prequel episode of Dear Grad Student, Elana sits alone in her office and talks to herself (see, this is why the podcast will always feature guests). Most of the rambling includes introducing who she is and what the heck she's doing here. She also presents the set up for the podcast: Day in the Life episodes, Conversations about Diverse Identities and Racism in Academia, and themed episodes (like, Mental Health in Grad School or Resources for Efficiency). This episode also includes encouragement, like reminding listeners that no one is alone through this long (and sometimes painful) journey, and promises, like that no one will ever have to listen to Elana talk to her for 7 straight minutes ever again.
Find the podcast on Twitter: @DearGradStudent
Find the podcast on Instagram: @DearGradStudentPod
Find automated closed-captioning on: YouTube
Find Elana on Twitter: @elana_gloger
Transcripts edited by Kayden Stockwell, follow him @KaydenStockwell and at www.kaydenstockwell.com
Music provided by:
Open Those Bright Eyes by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4171-open-those-bright-eyes
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (https://patreon.com/deargradstudent)
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
Elana Gloger: 0:00
[Musical intro] Dear Grad Student, per my last email.... I'm just joking. Thanks for tuning into Episode Zero. This doesn't really serve as a trailer episode because every episode after this is gonna be interview style and so, I'm never just going to be talking to myself alone in my office. So, consider this a prequel. This episode is going to serve as an introduction to who I am, and information about the podcast, and what I hope it provides you as a listener.
So, hi! I'm Elana. I'm a fourth year PhD student studying clinical psychology. And so, that means that, in addition to the normal research requirements, I'm also being trained as a clinical scientist and therapist. I started my PhD in 2017 immediately after graduating college. And there I got a degree in psychology and one in pre-professional sciences, which is- is basically just pre-med. I'm a first-gen student, at least as far as graduate education goes. And, like many students, I sometimes feel like I don't belong here despite the blood, sweat, and tears that led to my eventual acceptance into grad school.
For years, I have felt really passionate about my personal and professional interests as a grad student: things related to open science, and student mental health and productivity, diversity, my career, and onward and upward. But, I also find myself forgetting to be human, sometimes. I can easily forget that I'm the person who can spend 10 hours in one sitting playing The Sims at 25 years old, or crocheting, or binge watching my favorite TV shows or movies, and other people that I know who are grad students also struggle with this. We work hard all days or most days, you know, working on our professionalism and building our knowledge, and we also all have a lot of other things going on outside of that. I find myself almost turning off that part of who I am when I'm switching into school mode. But in reality, I'm really not one without the other. You know, I'm not myself without the part of me that is really into school and my research and the community of grad students I interact with and depend on and collaborate with. And I'm also not myself without the binge watching, video game playing, Harry Potter loving, crocheting, funny, quirky, nerdy, weird other part.
So, now we come to the podcast! I want this podcast to be both. I want to provide real resources and advice and guidance for grad school, but I want this to be casual, and conversational, and I want to talk to you like I talked to my friends. And that doesn't mean that this podcast won't be professional or that it won't be useful for you. But, it will be both. Because I'm both. So, here's what you can expect. Each week I'm going to have a different guest or set of guests come and chat about a topic that they are passionate about or have experience with. Along the way, we will share stories and insights that come from our real experiences. And hopefully, the podcast can create a space and a community that is accessible, and approachable, and genuinely enjoyable.
At the time of recording this, there are three kinds of episodes that you can expect in the podcast. The first is "a day in the life" and for those episodes, guests will come on and talk about their personal experiences, getting to grad school, what it's like to be a grad student in whatever area they're studying. And then bigger questions like "What do you wish you knew before you started?" and "What are you most proud of or most regret?" Next, I will have regular episodes about racism, diverse identities, and inclusion in academia. I don't think it would be right for me to say that I have this podcast that I hope is relevant for every grad student and every person interested in going to grad school, but doesn't address and acknowledge this structurally unequal system that academia was established on and maintains itself on. And I recognize that as a white, cisgender female I do have privilege and I do benefit in this system. And so, I don't want this podcast to take up space where it shouldn't but I hope these episodes can serve to highlight and promote the students that are putting in work to push diversity forward in their departments and in societies. And I want to acknowledge the very real and serious problem of this power inequity that affects students, some before they even stepped foot in their department. Lastly, the majority of episodes will be what I'm calling "themed episodes". And so, guests will join me to talk about some aspect of grad school that they're either really passionate about, or maybe really angry about, and we will spend the episode discussing these points and potentially providing resources for anyone listening. And just to give you an idea, some things I already have in the works for this are things like "resources that every student-scientist should know" and "living on a stipend in an expensive city" and "what it's like to be an Instructor of Record as a grad student" and "mental health in grad school", and I- I really think you get the point.
But most- *most importantly*, this podcast can't and won't exist without other student involvement. So, if you're listening to this right now, and I am reaching you on some level, and there's something that you want to talk to me about on the podcast, please, please reach out to me. And let's do the damn thing! At the time of recording this, the best way to reach me is via Twitter. You can find the podcast @DearGradStudent and you just spell that D-E-A-R-G-R-A-D-S-T-U-D-E-N-T. And if you want, you can also just find me personally on Twitter that's @elana_gloger. I know, it's just my name... minus the underscore. And you spell it E-L-A-N-A underscore G-L-O-G-E-R.
So, I guess that's it for now. The audio might not be perfect, the editing might not be perfect, and I may make mistakes along the way. But, I just really want to provide a space for other students like me, or students looking to apply to grad school, where we can take a deep breath, and be ourselves, and talk about grad school. And I hope that it gives people a real, honest idea of what it's like to decide to go to school for six plus more years and then, ya know, into a job market that, especially in the time of the pandemic, is desolate, or you know, otherwise stigmatized if you don't go the academic route. But anyways, I'm getting way ahead of myself. I'm really excited to do this podcast. I am really excited to share the stories of my guests, and to share my own stories, and I hope that no one listening ever feels alone. Because, you aren't alone. I hope that you feel like I get it, and that my guests get it, and whatever grad school is putting you through right now, we've got your back. So, thanks to everyone who got this far. I hope you stick around. Until next time, warmest regards, best wishes, sincerely, Elana. [Musical outro]
