Grad School: It's Not Where You Go, but What and How You Do

When selecting colleges for bachelors study, the college acceptance process is a huge concern for many parents and some students (heheh).  Selection of the right college is seen as the key to professional achievement, important network connections and future economic status.  All this this has an element of truth to it. (Of course there are some undergrad students wisely selected their college based on their budget and refused to take out student loans, opting to work full time while studying part time. This is also very commendable.) Your choice of major also matters, and selecting a major that serves industry needs can be that ticket to career success. If your career takes off from here, it appears that the formula has worked out for you -- Congratulations!

However, by the time you have decided to consider graduate school, the landscape has changed. Many folks have now spent a number of years underemployed or unemployed with undergraduate degrees. In graduate school, you may now be classmates with folks who went to that undergraduate school that you did not attend. Suddenly it appears that students from competitive undergraduate schools are in the same boat as all graduate students. 

In the current economic climate, the decision to accumulate additional graduate school expenses should be given much contemplation. Perhaps your undergraduate college debt has accumulated and all that matters now is determining which graduate school is affordable, or which graduate school will provide a significant portion of your doctoral tuition. Now, you may be attending a graduate school you never thought you would give the time of day to. However, after having seen the difficult job market, selection of an affordable graduate school now makes a lot of sense, and you may have seen that many graduates from these universities are being offered decent jobs with their degrees.

Basically, is no longer about about where you go. Instead, it is more about how well you do, and what you choose to do with this time.  Take the time to build your networks and to build your research skills through attending conferences, attending summer internship training programs, and presenting your work. Graduate school is the time to be truly focused on what you want out of your time and expenses as a student. It is an opportunity to reevaluate and reconsider your academic and career goals. What is exciting is that graduate school is your chance to clarify and redefine your career path, improve your skills, and develop your own individual range of expertise. The goal now is to emerge from graduate school with research and professional skills which will allow you to stand out.

In graduate school, university status no longer really matters as much as it used to. I see some online articles disagreeing with this but they are still focused on the graduate school admissions process. I can only speak from experience. I have seen folks with BAs and graduate degrees from competitive schools search for work months and years after graduation. Business owner friends of mine receive ivy league graduate resumes for unpaid internship work. I have also worked with ivy league graduates earning average pay. Don't believe the hype of the jobs waiting just for the elite school graduate. In the job market, when you graduate, you will meet folks from all types of universities who will compete for the same positions as everyone else with the same professional or doctoral degree. Regardless of your university affiliation, let your skills and experiences stand out.   Life is an interesting journey, and the same goes with undergraduate college, graduate school, and the career world.

Why Mixed Race Discussions Matter

Why Mixed Race Discussions Matter

I'm not a doctoral student in Ethnic Studies or Education or anything like that as this blog might suggest, however, because of my mixed identity I have always been interested in mixed race culture/s and how mixed folks navigate their identities in such a phenotypically-driven society as the United States. My studies focus on public health, and still, I am finding some very  interesting and important ways to discuss mixed race from the perspective of public health.

Mixed race is a significant identity in our race-obsessed society. It causes that extra level of ambivalence, that extra set of questions about identity. It is similar in some ways to the immigrant American experience for example, however, being mixed adds another level of scrutiny. 

Here are some reasons why mixed race matters:

1. Our Shared Experiences are Significant. Having parents who may not look like each other "racially" can be a normal way of life for us. Having siblings who look like "racially" different variations of us is a common occurrence. Being comfortable and feeling at home in different environments such as ethnic events as well as with our multiracial relatives can be normal to us. Having a love for multiple cultures which feel like home to us is a beautiful thing. Feeling the sense of being a cultural, ethnic, and "racial" bridge can be our life experience.

We are also aware of the experiences of  being asked a set of similar questions and hearing particular comments.  For example, frustrating questions such as  "Which 'race' do you feel like you are 'more' of?" "So do you prefer to be ---- or ----- ?", or comments such as "Wow, that is so beautiful/exotic/amazing." "Wow, how did that happen?" "How did your parents meet?"  just seem so ridiculous to us when we hear them, but  these are very real, normal questions we hear often.  Has anyone else had to endure hearing folks tell you their "favorite mix"?  In all seriousness, some of these questions and comments are forms of racial microaggressions and begin to wear down individuals upon hearing them hundreds or thousands of times.

Having a space to share these experiences is important. Additionally, some mixed folks feel a shared identity with each other regardless of ethnicity. By being mixed, I have been able to discuss some unique experiences with other mixed folks, though we are from different ethnic backgrounds.

2. Our Differences Matter, Too.  It's good to be respectful of our differences as mixed race folks. Do you have siblings who identify differently than you do? I do, and I choose to respect their identities. We all know we are mixed, but their selected categories are different. I also choose different categories over time, and based on the situation. There are also mixed folks who have been much more welcomed by one ethnic population and not others, and they choose not to identify with these groups. There may be folks who also claim not to be mixed, or select not to be identified or broken down into identity fractions and that's fine. It's not easy to guess and not my place to presume what all mixed individuals have experienced, but it's important to be respectful of our different experiences and identities.  

3. Our Critical Lens Can Inform the Public Policy of Racial Categories. As the nation's demographics continue to change and become increasingly diverse, organizations such as the Census Bureau have been attempting to define all groups in new ways at least every ten years. These changes may be to maintain the relevance of categories, to be politically correct, or to more successfully capture the specific identities of populations.... Social perceptions of race do impact the way that the federal government and other organizations decide how to define diverse individuals, whether it be the "Other" category,  "Multiracial", "More than One Race" or the "Other Race plus Non-Hispanic" or "Some Other Race plus White" categories. As the number of identifying mixed race folks increases, these categories will continue to change to represent the population the way that the federal government and other organizations believe is most appropriate. Providing your feedback such as in the  "Other: Please Specify" column also informs these categories. By speaking to our community, local, state and federal officials, we can help to influence the ways that publicly defined categories of mixed race can be changed to be more inclusive and more accurate of our nation's demographics.
(See http://randstatestats.org/stats/popdemo/popraceage.more.php and http://www.census.gov/population/race/about/faq.html)  

4. Our Discussions Can Have Far Reaching Influence. By continuing the discussion by conducting our own research and data collection in policy, education, ethnic studies, history, and other disciplines, we can be part of making significant progress in serving the mixed race population. For example, let's look at the public health side of mixed race. A variety of studies have shown that individuals of mixed race experience higher levels of depression, substance abuse, various aches and pains, and sleep disorders.  Health services organizations tend to prefer clear race categories in their attempts to provide appropriate and relevant services, while mixed race folks and adolescents in particular are not being served in the same way. Culturally competent health services to mixed race populations is not highly developed at this time.  Society does not make it particularly accommodating to be mixed race in its perception of identity. However, continuing these discussions in public settings can bring about new ways to improve the quality of life for mixed race individuals.

Here are some links to public health research on the effects of society on mixed race individuals:

http://www.standingonbothfeet.com/health-disparities.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600054
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct03/udry10302003.html
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/23/mixed-race-children-mental-health

The First Year is Definitely Tough- Advice to Get Through Successfully

I am a couple of months away from completing my 1st year of the PhD. It has definitely been an adventure! I can say that it definitely has not been easy. I thought that my studies would be just a part of my year, and that research and part time work would equally matter. But it is difficult to say that this is the case. As my classes became more demanding, I started finding less time to spend on my research ideas and had difficulty investing as much time as I would like into work. I am learning some tough lessons this year that I want to share here:

1. Your classes really do need to come first. Thinking that other activities such as time spent on websites and social networks, working part time, or thinking about your research ideas really do need to be managed very carefully at this stage in the program. Getting the best possible grades and learning coursework skills as thoroughly as possible will be the most rewarding thing you can do in your first year. 

2. The toughest time of the year is between midterms and finals. Prepare time to focus on this.  Cut down on your activities at this time. As you prepare to take your midterms, realize that your final grade is seriously beginning to materialize. Your final exam will be the grade that can change everything. If you did well on midterms, you still need to keep up the work for the final grade. If you didn't do the greatest on midterms, you have another chance to make things better with the final. So, it really matters. 

3. Meet often with your professors to see what to study and how to improve. Professors have been very helpful and are often pleased that you have made the effort to meet with them. It's important for them to know that you are making an effort in class and that you truly care about doing well. I believe that this will count to bring up class participation and effort grades, while informing your academic progress as you prioritize what is important to study. 

Best wishes with your first year in grad school.

Spring Break Ahead!

What are you planning to do for spring break? I was hoping to get out of town for the weekend, however I am in a Saturday class this semester, and the professor decided to have class the Saturdays both before and after spring break week. (Our midterm, in fact, is the Saturday after spring break week. Whatever. )My husband recently began a new job and is not ready to take weekdays off. So, I won't be traveling very far for the break.

Here are my thoughts on planning for spring break:

1. If you aren't traveling to visit relatives or friends but want to get away, book hotels for the weekdays if you can. I am finding weekend rates to be a little too high.

2. Stay in town instead. Do the stay-cation. I never get to play tourist in my town and don't get around to visiting places I was looking forward to visiting when I moved to my town.

3. Take the time to plan out your research goals and do some recreational writing (if so inclined). I hope to do some research and creative book writing.

3. Catch up on work on the syllabus for the second half of the semester. With that entire week off, use some of it to get ahead on required writing assignments to make life less stressful when school gets back into session.

4. Apply for summer internships and scholarships if deadlines are still pending.

5. Plan for summer internships or look into possible summer travel and study abroad programs.

I'm the type of person that likes to have something planned, otherwise I spend time watching TV and can't decide what to do with the time. Preparing a list like this is going to be helpful here. I hope!

Perceptions of Female Faculty of Color at the University - My Recent Experience

As I complete the first year of my doctoral program, I have begun to focus on gaining university teaching skills in preparation for future academic work. My goal is to gain a full time academic teaching position when I graduate, or even before graduation when my course requirements are done. So, I reached out to my networks and was offered a part time teaching position in a small graduate university.

I recently began my part time teaching position and really, to my surprise, found a less than receptive audience. Upon first glance, several of the students seemed somewhat disappointed in the fact that I was their professor. There were looks in the audience of challenging my authority, students turning around to speak to others in the next rows, whispering, and some slight eye rolling. This is one of the least receptive audiences I have ever encountered. This was not junior high; this was not high school. This was a group of university postgraduate students.

I realize that I look younger than I am, but after teaching students for the past 11 years from junior high school English to guest lecturing at universities during my masters degree years, I can't believe that I still look that young. Not only that, but I am a woman of color which seems somehow to provide freedom for these students to look at me with such disregard. I was just quite shocked at the blatant disrespect by the students. I receive more respect and attentiveness at professional academic conferences I present at than this.  I am realizing that I have to walk in with more of a sense of presence, more aggressiveness, more authority to be respected, and maybe that will help in the future.

I was well prepared for my talk. I had prepared a structured syllabus and a detailed lecture on the key topics and learning objectives of the class. I was open to questions about the course. There was nothing there to suggest any illegitimacy in my capacity to teach the course. I am confident in my qualifications. In addition, I am a colleague with the previous professor and know the details of how the course has worked in the past.

I decided to go online and search for other experiences of professors of color and they way they are regarded in the classroom. Not to my surprise, there has been some recent and significant work published on the topic, letting me know that we are definitely not alone. One article entitled "Teaching in the Line of Fire: Faculty of Color in the Academy"  describes how age, race, and gender play out in students' perceived lack of legitimacy of their female professors of color to create an "unwelcome and hostile" teaching environment for faculty of color. http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/TA09LineofFire.pdf

In another article, Chavella Pittman sites distinct hostilities by white male students against women faculty of color, stating that these classroom experiences are at the intersection of where gender and racial oppression take place.  Darn it -we may also have a bit more to look forward to at the end of the semester as course evaluations tend to be harsher for female professors of color than our white counterparts. 

http://www.asanet.org/images/journals/docs/pdf/ts/Jul10TSFeature.pdf

Be of Good Cheer. Although I am aware of these instances, in order to succeed I keep hope and decide that working within it and breaking through it is my goal. Networking can be seen as a support for sanity in these situations, knowing that we are not alone. I enjoyed reading about Professor Robyn Rodriguez's and Dr. Florez's determination to start a faculty women of color group on the Rutgers campus, http://robynrodriguez.com/2013/08/30/resources-on-the-challenges-women-of-color-faculty-face/ , as well as Dr. Beverly Palley's  site providing tips on how to start a mentoring program for faculty women of color. I particularly appreciate her quote of comfort, strength and assurance, "Be of Good Cheer".  http://www.ijournal.us/articles/issue-30/ijn86/mentoring-new-faculty-women-color-predominately-white-institutions.html

What these students think of me is none of my business. What is my business is teaching them the skills I was hired to teach, whether they are interested in the subject or not. My goal is to get them engaged in the topic and to finally apply the knowledge to their lives and future work. My job is to give them a letter grade based on their participation and cooperation with the guidelines, regardless of what they think of me. 

Cultural Orphan-ness and the Campus Multicultural Event

I wrote this a few weeks ago before the end of October but kept myself from sending it out, but I think it's time:

The upcoming campus Dia de los Muertos event brought these thoughts to mind. As a member of the campus Latino students group, the upcoming event is one of the highlights of the year, and yet I don't feel connected to it.   This is because in the Mexican American community, I have experienced culture, but as a cultural orphan.

As a multiethnic 3rd gen American, I grew up in a predominantly American culture, but don't "look" the part of the American to the world. I speak the fluent Chinese of a three-year old, the well-traveled Japanese at a fifth-grade level, and the college Spanish of a cultural orphan. Not only that, but I just look Asian, and don't receive recognition from Latinos from my appearance.

On the internet I have seen a couple of descriptions of the term cultural orphan, and generally it is used for actual orphans in a multicultural and postcolonial context (1). But I also saw a blogger's post on culturally being from everywhere, yet nowhere (2).

I refer to cultural orphan as I  grew up speaking English. My Mexican family also was highly religious when I was a child and practiced a faith that did not celebrate holidays. I felt so blessed when, in high school, I was able to write my first letters to my grandmother in Spanish and to be able to read letters from her. I didn't learn about Dia de los Muertos until high school Spanish 2.

I attended a recent event on racial microaggressions. In the general theory, microagressions are from perpetrator to recipient. But, arguably related or not related, there is definitely continuation and variation of this theme. There are the looks of the outsider that I get when I go to the Mexican supermarket, the sudden language switch from Spanish to others but instantly to English just by looking at me. (BTW - Have you ever met the grumpy Latina cafeteria worker who is friendly to Latinos only?) I'm not seen as Latina to those who don't know me as they let me know that they don't recognize me.  Unless I say something and claim my heritage, Latino elders do not see me as a cultural daughter.

I have a Chinese mother and a Mexican father. My Latino heritage is something I feel as a part of life, looking through my ancestors' lives. I don't know how to dance to cumbias, or salsa, or anything really except hip hop.  I don't know the everyday family normal Spanish I wish I did.  I had mole just a few years ago but grew up on my grandma's chicken and potato tacos - of course, the best in the world!

Being Asian has been easier. The Chinese American world has welcomed me. I grew up going to elementary school in LA Chinatown. Even decades later, before the big migration into San Gabriel, old classmates and I greeted each other in the streets of Chinatown. Despite my 3 year old level Chinese, this is not important as we experienced Chinese American childhoods in that small pocket north of Downtown LA, now increasingly inhabited by artsy white hipsters who have moved in and claimed the historic Chinatown architecture. Anyways,childhood friends had never made me feel less Chinese or less Asian for being mixed.

 I enjoy being Asian and feel joy in participating at Asian American community events. I also love being my (although elusive) Mexican self. I love being mixed and wouldn't want it any other way.

Later, I quickly walked through the Dia de los Muertos event that day - I can say that I supported it. But I had absolutely no inclination to paint skulls on my or anyone else's face.  I feel no urge to play with skulls and themes of death. From a religious perspective, I'm still uncertain of what I think of altars. Would one have to want to do these things to be officially Mexican? I don't believe in this or most other prescribed ideas of requirement to be Mexican or Mexican American or Chicana, or Latina, etc.  I still support and enjoy participating in my graduate student Latino events but will refuse to convince myself that I have anything to prove. Simply by default of phenotype, I'm a Mexican orphan to the outside world, but I know who I am nonetheless.

1. Cultural Orphans in America: http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/260
2. http://culturalorphan.blogspot.com/

Study Tactics for Midterm Season

It is already midterm week, and half of the semester has already flown by. Not too long ago, I was a first year PhD student beginning my first classes, but it's so true that time goes by when we are having fun!  I really love being in school and being a student again after completing my masters degree over two years ago and spending a few years in what can be full-time drudgery. It is great to be back in academia.

But still, exams are a necessary annoyance.  No different from the undergrad experience, there are so many unknowns about how to study, how the test questions will be asked, how the questions and answers will be structured, whether to answer in enough or too much detail, how tough the professor will grade your answers, the subjectivity of the questions being asked the professor's expectations of the answers, and so on....

I am hoping and planning to do well on midterms and will share with you my study tactics. Some of these tactics depend on the type of test it is going to be.

In terms of grad schools, there are some great schools out there but are huge in student numbers. If you are attending a school where the classes have a high student to teacher ratio, seriously prioritize the focus on study groups.  Don't study on your own and have no backup if the lessons get tough.

Although I attend a smaller school, there are some general requirement classes with huge numbers of students. Unfortunately, this is the class where I have the in-class, multiple choice exam with an essay component.  These tests remind me of those horrible lower division "weeder" science classes I had to take in my undergrad years. In another class, I have the take-home exam. These are awesome and reduce the stress level of the work involved.  The third type of midterm I will receive this semester is the midterm written essay, to me the least stressful of these because I enjoy writing and researching.

Here are my study tips for midterm season:

Be sure to have a study (support) group.  This includes studying with a regular group of classmates, and networking with students who have been through this experience in the past. Ask people who have taken the class about the midterms, how they got through it and what they can tell you about it. Advice can be so golden.

Make sure the professor provides you with some sort of study guidance. Ask about the amount of time the test will take, some sample questions, how much time to focus on which topics, and how many questions/types of questions are on the test. Make time to go to office hours, ask for as much detail as you can get about the test.

Prepare and share study guides. Learning from classmates about what they think is important from the class provides you with a greater advantage of a broader perspective on the subject. How many times have I thought that something was not important while another student noticed it, and there it was, turning up on the exam.

Thoroughly review class lectures, worksheets, and tutorials. These are generally the best clue you are going to get about the structure, content, and style of questions that will be asked.

If you are assigned the midterm essay exam, get that peer-review! The reason to love the written essay exam is that you are pretty much able to seek advice, get editing guidance, and hear feedback on your work by the professor, a classmate, or a campus writing tutor. How helpful is that!

* If possible, find out what you can about the class before you enroll in it. We all have our preferences for which types of exams we prefer, and perhaps you can ask about these before you enroll in classes. If you have a broad range of course options and want to be successful in your studies, think about asking the professors and previous students of the class about this and decide if this is the kind of class where you will do well. When it comes to your GPA this is not the time to fail and try again. That transcript is going to be part of your academic career if you choose to become a professor or apply for postdocs, scholarships, or fellowships.

I wish you the best of success this midterm season!