Skip to main content

Diary of a First Year Grad Student

What I thought was an impossible dream a year and half ago, I am now through my first year of it. I was nervous starting grad school and sometimes to this day, the imposter feeling creeps up. Regardless I made it and without some essentials it would have been almost impossible.

-->Friends Are Chosen Family: Grad school can be difficult and a lot of people don’t know but you must create a support system for yourself. I think one of the ways I was successful was having a study group and friends around me that encouraged me through it all. It was also a nice reminder that I was not in it by myself, there were 75 other students in my class that were going through it with me and that I could do it. 
  • Getting A Mentor Is The Shortcut To Success: One of the best things that UTSW did at the beginning of the year was pair you up with an upper class(wo)men to help you navigate through your first year. I had a big sib and made some great relationships with other upper class(wo)men that were there to advise me and help me with anything I needed. At the same time, UTSW has done an incredible job at the selection of faculty members. I was fortunate to rotate through 4 amazing labs and I know that while I ended up picking Elizabeth Chen’s lab, the other three PIs have opened their doors to mentorship. I’ve realized that throughout grad school, mentorship is so important and there are different kinds of mentoring one can get. You can have a professional mentor or a more friendship/acquainted mentor. The relationships you have with these mentors you will have for the rest of your life. One thing I learned soon after my undergrad is sometimes knowing all you know may not get you what you want, but also knowing the right people helps. Mentors are that. It is all a great opportunity to network and build connections.
  • Make Your Passion Your Paycheck: There are several times during the year that I went through phases that I hated the course work and I hated studying for exams. However, when I think about it, I absolutely love science and there’s nothing else I can think of doing except science. Yes, it’s hard, yes, I won’t make a lot of money, yes, I am constantly having to work and yes, sometimes I get confused with the science and want to give up but somehow, I still love it. I love being at the bench and while I am quite certain my thumb will probably develop carpel tunnel in the future, I know I am doing something I love. I have also realized that while I love being at the bench, I am exploring more and more the aspect of science communication. I have developed another passion since starting grad school and I am excited to explore where it will take me.
  • Never, Ever Underestimate The Importance Of Having Fun: Grad school has been tough for me. Especially trying to juggle course work and rotations. But I’ve realized that there are days I have to take a break no matter how much I love it. At the end of the day, I have to last throughout the grad program and not burn out. Don't hesitate to take a road trip or a game night. Give your self a break. It is important to not only have physical health but also mental health while going through a graduate program. 
  • She Believed She Could, So She Did: Applying to grad school back in Nov 2016 was not the first time I applied. I had applied back in 2011, then again in 2012. Both times I was rejected from the schools I applied to. However, that did not stop me. Now that I’m in grad school, having gone through my rotations and finally picking a lab I have realized that I have to continuously make risky choices and be persistent. The thing with science is that it almost never works the first time around or even the second time around. But persistence and consciously taking the risk to believe in the science and data will lead to a great project. We may not know where a project will lead us, but be curious and explore a completely new field of science. It will be hard, but it could result in discovering something beautiful. I am glad I didn’t get discouraged from not getting into grad school before and now that I am here, my persistence and willingness to take risks continues to soar.


    • ~Cell-ebraTez

    -->

    Labels:

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Operation Mouse

    Part of working at such a great research institution is working with mice. While my first experience as I had mentioned earlier in the blog was sacrificing these animals, my experience now is much more exciting and productive towards the scientific community. I have learned to inject mice and collect mouse tissue for further studies.  Around Thanksgiving, someone asked me, "don't you feel bad 'torturing' the animals?" While at first I did not know how respond, but then I think about it and I realize that I had to go through so much training and clearances just to be able to set a foot in the animal facilities. Ever step of the way, humane acts are enforced while dealing with animals. Animal models are essential especially for research that is being translated into therapies for various diseases or for research that is used to better understand various diseases. The best thing I can say is, if not animals then would you prefer s...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Symmetry Biosciences

    I went back to Symmetry to say my last goodbyes today since I didn't get a chance to last Tuesday. It was bitter sweet! I am excited for my next journey but will definitely miss the people I have worked with and come to call my friends.  Where should I begin about my experience at Symmetry Biosciences. It has been amazing! Day 1 was scary! The thought of doing a column purification, doing my own reactions or anything chemistry related made me nervous. The only word that seemed familiar to me was TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography). Of which I didn't even know the correct technique but just remembered a technique called TLC from Organic Lab in 2010. I had so much to learn and such little time to perfect it all. Everyone at Symmetry Biosciences has been so helpful and so patient. There have been plenty of times when the scientists were probably tired of my silly questions or couldn't believe I asked a certain question! The first couple of days were the hardest. After that, I ...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Your Everyday Scientist

    When I run into people in social settings and the topic of my career or what I do comes up. Most people are surprised when I say “I am a scientist.” On occasion, I’ve also gotten the, “you don’t look like a scientist” comment… So, what does a scientist look like? Most often when you think of a scientist this is what comes to your mind… Do I have to be male, white, old, and unkept, lack a fashion sense to be a scientist? One of the projects I’ve been wanting to work on is making science more fashionable! Most people think that fashion and science don’t mix. Or that scientists cannot be fashionable. To break this stereotype, I’ve been wanting to work on a fashion/science post for a while. I was finally able to make some time for it and got some great volunteers to help me with this project. This was a fun project in which I am featuring my female program-mates who wear multiple hats for me: mentors and friends. Always there to give me advice on grad sch...
    Post a Comment
    Read more