COLLOQUY

THE QUESTION

RESPONSES

BACKGROUND

Of course there are two sides to the story, however, I believe that the current system (in chemistry) is damaging to the psyche of the student. I just finished a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. I am happy with my choice of careers. I love the subject very much. I had a fairly pleasant graduate experience. My first postdoc was frightening and made me see the education system in a very different light. I, at first, believed that I should tolerate the difficult times because after all, I was getting a Ph.D. out of the deal. But I could say that, I had it good during my graduate career. But when I went to a postdoctoral position where I was abused, I decided that something was very wrong with the education process.

I cannot speak for other disciplines, but I must say that there is something very wrong with the way chemists are educated. During graduate school, I came to find out that 8 out of 12 graduate students were on some sort of antidepressant (that was just on ONE floor of the department!) So many of my friends are still (2-4 years out of the program) recovering from the damage.

Being in chemistry graduate school is like having a monkey put on your back and being blamed for having it there.

We work for an advisor. The system is set up as an apprenticeship of sorts. We need to learn, not only the intellectual side of chemistry (the theory) but the hands on laboratory side as well. It should be a symbiotic relationship. I learn from my advisor, my advisor gets results through me so that he/she may publish and be famous. The truth is not like this sort of relationship, really. The prof is dependent on your work, he/she must often uses guilt trips, harsh yelling, insults or subtle jabs to get you to work. He/she has to. Although there are MANY decent professors "out there", there are still mild forms of manipulations. In addition, through no fault of anyone, there is also a side of research in chemistry that is very defeating to the self worth. One can work on a project for nine months and have NOTHING to show for it. The project just doesn't work. In some cases, the student is blamed (If you worked harder. . .), but in any case, it is very debilitating to feel unproductive. The proud moments of accomplishment can be very rare indeed. Although professors may disagree with this statement, I believe that people enrolled in a graduate program are hard working people that want to make a success of their lives. So, to not be able to 'succeed' in a research project is very damaging to one's sense of self worth. This is nature's fault (we can't make the molecules react) but it is still damaging.

Does our education have to be so dependent on the success of our advisors projects? Does our entire thesis have to be original work? The theory that we learn is not original.

Is it necessary to work 70 hours a week? It is unhealthy to ignore one's needs. It is extremely damaging to the 'self'.

-- R. J. Robbins, Ph.D. (posted 10/26, 10:49 a.m., E.S.T.)

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