Graduate school can be strenuous. New students tend to realize this as early as the first semester and may seek valuable bonds with other students—usually in the same lab or cohort. As tense climates sometimes exist within a program, many also seek support elsewhere. Emma O’Connor and Emily Denning are two graduate students who have sought resources outside of their program. But they found that extant resources often lacked relevance, because they were not created by their peers: current graduate students.
Responding to this need, these two SPSP members began providing other students an avenue of support in the form of a podcast. During each episode, Emma and Emily unravel the many foibles of being a graduate student. In their stories, they comfort the listener and exude transparency. These co-hosts aim to normalize the sometimes discouraging experiences during graduate school. By doing so, they hope to reduce feelings of isolation when it may seem like everybody else has their act together.
Emma and Emily typically open episodes with a casual greeting and two recurring segments: Grad School Blues and Little Victories. In the former, the co-hosts commiserate with listeners; the latter encourages students to acknowledge their progress. After this introduction, Emma and Emily delve into topics that are appropriate and significant to their listeners. Finally, they augment their perspectives by interviewing people who can contribute more deeply to the conversation at hand.
To date, this podcast has covered the topics of transitioning to graduate school, completing applications to graduate programs, and discussing life as a graduate student with non-academic friends and family. In future episodes, Emma and Emily plan to discuss entering the academic job market, disseminating research in an easy-to-understand way, and navigating conflict with mentors or peers.
Emma and Emily identify SPSP as another helpful resource for graduate students in personality and social psychology. They commend the numerous student-oriented opportunities at the Annual Convention for being non-threatening and non-competitive. For example, SPSP hosts mentoring lunches for graduate students to meet with current faculty members regarding topics of interest. To further promote the well-being of graduate students, the co-hosts of This is Grad School believe that first-time student attendees should be better engaged. Because the volume of activities at the Annual Convention can be overwhelming, Emma and Emily think that SPSP could foster cross-program friendships and mentorships for graduate students to feel less isolated in the crowds. Keep an eye out for exciting new opportunities from the SPSP Student Committee!
Emma and Emily invite you to meet them at the 2019 SPSP Annual Convention in Portland. They will be conducting live interviews for their podcast during the conference—at a table across from the SPSP merchandise booth. If you are interested in talking with the co-hosts about your research for a few minutes; you can stop by or sign up by emailing them at [email protected]. These conversations may appear in a future episode!
You can follow This is Grad School on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. This podcast is partially supported by SPSP.
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