Rory went to their professor to ask for some ideas for their team's final project. The team just hadn't been able to come up with much and they were looking for ideas. When the professor brought out a robot that students from a previous class had built, Rory was shocked. "They developed this robot to provide career guidance, academic support, and personal motivation to students. It was their final project. I gave them a B+ on it because while the robot was successful in those areas, the team had failed to program it to help students with wellness, ethics, or leadership."
Rory knew their team needed to really, REALLY get to work on something brilliant to have any hope of getting an A in this course.
Later that day the professor took their colleague out for lunch. The colleague had put on the old robot Halloween costume for the meeting with Rory. Every year it worked - the robot project really inspired students to invest a lot of time and energy into the assignment and to come up with some pretty creative things.
You might think of your papers and presentations as the fruit of your labor. We all know you work hard enough and stress enough and have enough things to manage that you deserve to celebrate the work you have done. And I don't know what kind of fruit you want to represent your labor. Sometimes probably grapes (of wrath), some tasks will leave a sour taste in your mouth like lemons. Some things replenish you like water(melon) and other tasks might be the last straw(berry).
Also, this is not a great post. The point is that hard work is hard.
If you want to go as a Space Judge for Halloween, go for it. No one is the boss of you. Just don't spend so much time planning your costume that you forget to do your homework. Of course if "Space Judge" is the best idea you could come up with, you probably didn't spend a ton of time planning that costume.
Now, get back to work.
Sometimes when we think about the things we have to do, it seems like we are losing ground. Homework, paperwork, group work, teamwork. So many things that require our time. And then someone says, "Hey - enjoy grad school while it lasts."
Note to people who say that: Not helpful.
No matter how great a student you are, there will be times you get stuck and need a little encouragement. Sometimes the encouragement might be a kind word or a "you can do it!" note of support.
Other times you will be stuck that you will need a bulldozer to get you going again. Not a real, life-sized bulldozer. Just a little one to push you in the ankles. Don't worry about it. We all need that little ankle-pushing bulldozer from time to time.
Some days the student felt like a robot obligated to memorize, regurgitate, and repeat stuff from the books over and over again in classes. There wasn't always a lot of room for freedom of thought or creativity. The learning seemed cumbersome and exhausting rather than inspirational and exhilarating.
Sorry, robot. Really sorry. Grad school shouldn't be exactly like that.
On an unrelated note, maybe don't wear that mortarboard until you are actually graduating.
Sometimes you just have to laugh because grad school is funny. Like when faculty expect that you've actually done the reading? Or if you have done the reading and they think you understand it? Or - this one is the best - when they think you have any clue how APA works.
Maybe it's not grad school that's funny, but grad school faculty. What jokers.
