From karenzgoda.org
is the graduate student Barbie an accurate portrayal of grad school life?
A satirical gift idea has been floating around the Internet for some time now: the graduate student Barbie.
According to the creator of the idea, Karen Zgoda, a doctoral student at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, on her blog about the Barbie (which was later posted on Huffington Post), the Graduate Student Barbie has black circles underneath her bloodshot eyes to signify sleep deprivation, old clothes which include an “I hate my life” t-shirt, and a button on her left hand that when pressed says stuff like “I’d love to rewrite” and “Why didn’t I just get a job…” She smiles for the first couple of weeks until a frown comes over her, her fridge is stocked with items like soda and microwavable popcorn, and she bursts into tears at random.
To every joke is some truth, they say. So, is the graduate school Barbie an accurate portrayal of grad school life? Yes and no, according to a couple of current and past grad students.
The curious troubles of grad students
Ally Doyle definitely finds truth in the graduate student Barbie in a funny way, as do many grad students since grad school undeniably comes with a lot of work.
When Doyle, a grad student at the University of Texas at Austin in social work, came across the graduate student Barbie, she laughed, especially at the wrinkles underneath Barbie’s eyes.
“I have wrinkles,” Doyle said. “Heart wrinkles and mind wrinkles, that’s for sure.”
Doyle used to get as much as 10 hours of sleep at night, a number that’s been cut nearly in half since entering grad school. She, like many grad students, has a vice to deal with it though.
“I drink a lot of coffee now,” Doyle said. “I drank a lot before grad school but I definitely drink more now.”
According to Doyle, the work load of her graduate program is sometimes not feasible, causing “moments of delirium that come often.”
“Like my Tuesday night class professor knows our class is the delirious class,” Doyle said, jokingly. “Because that’s the day most of us have our internships all day and we come to class and laugh at the dumbest things.”
It seems a lot of grad students can relate to the grad student Barbie but find the “suffering” of grad school to be ultimately something to laugh at. Some students even take measures to prevent a lot of that suffering, like Shawn Johnston.
Johnston, who graduated in May 2013 with a master’s degree in human resource management from Webster University, leaned on a strict schedule so she wouldn’t waiver in her studies. She didn’t drink or need coffee because she made sure she got all the sleep she needed.
One thing did suffer for Johnston, though: her social life.
“I had to turn down just about every impromptu invite because I hadn’t previously booked it into my school schedule,” said Johnston, who’s now an accountant.
Her main regret was not doing the program sooner. She worked for awhile after graduating from college with her bachelor’s degree and then went back for her graduate degree. It made it harder for her to return to school and balance everything, which became more work than she first assumed.
The payoff
Regardless of the sometimes hilarious and somewhat pathetic troubles grad students face, grad school may come with a payoff. When asked if she’s happy with her decision to go to grad school, Doyle replied “currently, no, ultimately, yes.”
“I think in the long run, grad school will benefit me a lot more than I realize,” said Doyle.
Johnston is happy with her decision to go to grad school.
“It is a personal accomplishment and with any luck it will offer some self-preservation at work and long-term employment opportunities,” Johnston said.
She even encourages other people to strongly consider grad school.
“If given the opportunity to continue your education, do not pass it up,” Johnston said. “I see good people every day lose their job because of down-sizing. Those without degrees struggle the most at finding a replacement job.”
While nothing is certain in the job market, there are plenty of examples of people landing good jobs and salaries after earning a master’s degree or Ph.D. Despite the sleep you’ll lose, the money you could be making if you weren’t in school and the hours upon hours you’ll devote to the classroom, it could all be worth it if you land a great job after school or knowledge not easily gained elsewhere.
Maybe the real issue here is not grad school, but instead: Why are you still playing with Barbies? Perhaps it’s both.
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http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/choice/graduate-student-barbie-just-how-accurate-is-she