My View Immediately After My Zoom Meetings. Some Notes From The Most Recent Meeting, An Empty Coffee

Wouldn't mind having one.

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Colleagues AUs

We have to do a project together and it’s like the group projects in school: one is doing the work and the other one’s only sitting around and comments on everything.

We’re sharing a small office and we always fight about the temperature.

There is only one copy room on our floor and we both have to copy something, but someone’s obviously having a good time in there, so we both stand there awkwardly and wait for them to finish.

You took the last bit of coffee and didn’t make a new one. That’s unacceptable.

Since you started working here you never stopped asking me out for lunch and it always seemed like a joke to you, so today I say yes and wait for your reaction.

The company is searching for a new slogan and made a competition out of it for their employees and we both want to win the car that the winner is getting.

I hear you swearing at your computer because it doesn’t open your mail account, move over, I’m going to fix it.

One of the colleagues is retiring and we were supposed to order a cake and forgot about it, the party starts in half an hour, we have to do something!!!

You can find more prompts on my sideblog: creativepromptsforwriting

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Can we romanticize humble academia?? Be in love with sharing your knowledge with others. having a sheepish smile on your face as you clumsily explain a concept that you fully understand but haven’t read up on recently. Happily help someone understand a complex concept that you do understand. Roll your eyes and make funny faces at people purposely being pretentious. Give away or sell at a reasonable price old textbooks that you know are still in use. Lend and exchange notes with other genuine acedmics. Encourage others with whatever their studies/aspirations are.

Pretentiousness in academia is so outdated, and frankly off putting. Romanticize the academic practice of being kind.

these are stunning! <3

notes: theory of spiral galaxies [01, 02 / x]

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✧celestial dark academia calendar - april 2021✧

next month’s free print-out calendar, inspired by historical astronomy! april is based on my prints of tycho brahe. all art is my own! full images here (including march)

100 days of productivity

starting 25th October 2023 ending 2nd February 2024

Rules

Success or failure -- just show up

No #ZeroDays -- No matter how hard it feels, do a little thing, a bare minimum. Don't let any day become a zero day

Do at least one PhD-related task everyday

Read a journal article everyday. Skim, AIC, full workout - anything

Weekends are excluded, but counted -- because rest is productive

Learn & practice mindfulness

Take two pictures everyday to represent the day (post them here)

Accountability

Daily update of task list here. Perfection is the enemy of done. So don't overthink, just post - even if it feels half-baked.

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I’m currently in the final quarter of my PhD. I feel quite demotivated and I find it hard to gain momentum. So I thought I'll take up an accountability challenge to help me stay motivated and eventually build a routine.

If you are already doing a 100 days of productivity challenge, or would like to take on one, please do comment/like this post. I'd love to have some company and inspiration! Please help me find similar accounts! <3

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literally though if you feel like your life is slipping through your fingers and every day goes too fast… try doing hard things, not just taking the easy route, like reading and making art and exercising and cooking a meal from scratch and journaling, doing these things without distraction, without being absorbed on a screen… the time will stretch and you’ll be reminded that life is long and beautiful if you make it so.

Astronomy / Astrophysics student moodboard.

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Once upon a time I worked in this little burger/coffee/ice cream shop and a lady came in one winter and asked if we had a caramel apple drink and we were like ‘well we have cider’ and she was like ‘no I don’t remember what it’s called but this place made a drink that was chai tea, apple cider, and caramel’ and Breezy offered to try and make something for her but she changed her mind and left so Breezy and I were like ‘alright let’s try this’ because we had chai tea, instant cider mix, a shit ton of caramel, instant hot water from the espresso and too much free time. 

And let me tell you it was delightful. It tastes like watching the leaves changing color and dancing in the wind. It tastes like picking out pumpkins and gourds and fresh apples at the farm up north. It tastes like witches and freedom.

I make it every year now and this year I walked in the house on the morning of October first with all the ingredients and shouted ‘FALL DRINK’ and my roommates were like ‘????’ so I made them Fall Drink and now every time they get home from work they’re like ‘Fall Drink pls?????’

Anyway I remember literally nothing else about that woman but I’m very grateful to her. 

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here is a list of questions i have already answered about graduate school!! 

please check it before you send me a question about graduate school :) :) i hope it’s useful! xo // updated 02.2020

basic info

what is the PhD and what can you do with it? (+) 

what does a literature PhD entail?

should i do a PhD if i have to pay tuition?

is the degree worth it?

does it look bad to take time off between degrees?

what was your timeline like? 

what’s the difference between a terminal MA and a PhD? (+)

does getting an MA first help you get into a PhD program?

is it okay to just try grad school out? 

application process

how can i prepare for applying early in my undergrad career? (+) (+)

where should i start looking for programs?

should i choose a program based on rank or fit? (+)

how can i find lower-profile programs doing cool stuff?

how many programs should i apply to?

parts of the application

advice on the writing sample

advice on the GRE (+)

how should i ask for letters of recommendation?

how should i write a statement of purpose? (+)

how do i demonstrate my “ability to excel”?

how should i address mental health/family/personal issues that impacted my grades?

should i send in extra materials?

grad school application spreadsheet

how should i email potential advisors? (+) (+)

how can i survive the waiting period? (+)

how should i prepare for an interview or phone call? (+)

what should i ask at open house?

what should i do if i don’t think i can afford my grad school tuition?

what should i do the summer before i start my program?

seminars/coursework

how should i plan for grad seminar presentations? (+)

what should i bring with me to seminars?

what are grad seminars like?

how can i get better at speaking during seminars?

what do you mean grades don’t matter

reading

what should i have read before i start my lit grad program?

how much reading should i expect?

how can i read a lot without getting overwhelmed? (+)

how can i read efficiently? (+) (+)

quals-specific reading advice

how should i take notes on critical articles?

writing

how do i write a lit review?

how do i write an indicative bibliography?

how do i choose a dissertation topic? (+)

how do i plan for a long research paper?

how do i balance all the different kinds of writing i have to do?

money & living

how can i find housing before i move?

how do finances work in grad school?

what is adjuncting and why does it suck?

how can i budget while on a stipend?

should i work while in grad school? (+)

what’s important to a research assistant application?

i’m running out of funding / i’m off normative time

fellowship, postdocs, & job stuff

which websites post US fellowship/postdoc/job ads?

CV writing tips

how do dissertation fellowships work? (+)

tips for grant, award, & fellowship applications

should i share my materials with others?

how does the academic hiring process work?

how do i keep track of all my applications?

how do i think up a second project when i’m not even done with my dissertation?

job materials masterpost

skype interview-specific tips

job talks

negotiating (+)

general tips (+)

what’s up with the professor is in?

how do i stay motivated while getting buried in rejection letters?

misc

will grad school make my mental health issues worse? (+) 

how do i survive conferences (abroad)?

how should i deal with burnout? (+)

secret labor

i think i want to quit

my advisor is ghosting me

how do i work with no structured schedule?

how do i get enough sleep?

how do i balance my work & my teaching?

how can i beat imposter syndrome? (+) (+)

how can i excel in grad school?

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