A Year in Review
Trials and tribulations of an aspiring academic
Around the time of publication, it has been roughly a year since I left Singapore to pursue my doctoral program here at Boston College. There have certainly been numerous ups and downs, but overall, what emerged have been three key lessons that I need to reiterate as I navigate year two of the program.
Lesson number one: Keeping time for enjoyment.
When embarking on the program, I knew it would not be smooth sailing, but I was not fully prepared for how manic the waters would be as I navigated the first year. There have been moments of stress, panic, and bouts of imposter syndrome, effectively the three stages of the seven of pain for every doctoral student. I have yet to discover the other four and count my blessings, but let’s revisit this after the comprehensive exams. However, despite the rough sailing, what kept me going was finding moments where I could embark on genuine enjoyment. When starting the program, I promised myself that though it would be hard, I would try to have some colossal good fun in the process. Within the program, I started to embark on exciting research projects on topics near and dear to my interests. I also kept up my cooking and tried to stay mostly healthy – I could never say no to a good cookie or cocktail or, if I was feeling particularly sinful, both. I also tried some quintessential New England activities for the first time, such as sampling Maine lobster rolls in Maine, apple picking in the fall, suffering the horrendous traffic in Cape Cod, and surviving the extraordinary move-in day of September 1st in Boston (IFKYK). I also tried a spartan race for the first time, one of the most demanding races I’ve run in my life, but it is one I would love to do again. All these random activities provided a perspective that balance is critical in navigating this program. However, what is expected is that the program will take up more time, but it is part of the journey. I, for one, am excited. I know I will still find time for life and what I came to Boston College to do.
Lesson number 2: Patience
You might think hitting your personal best in the gym is a challenging exercise, but the real test is exercising the critical skill of patience. The past year has tested me in different ways; truth be told, it has impacted me differently. Whether it be complex assignments, injuries, genuine confusion, or the loss of a close friend, I had to learn some hard lessons, and the most important one is patience. I need to be patient with myself and with others. It is a skill that most individuals should exercise more. I needed to acknowledge that I had a tough going with the program and life in general and needed to cut myself some slack. Life is always messy, but acknowledging who you are and the progress you make makes things a bit sweeter in the end. Life has funny ways of working out, almost always in the last way you would expect
Lesson number 3: The importance of social support
To use a term from the breath of scholarly research, I have immersed myself in over the past five months, having a robust social support system is proving more essential than ever. I would not have kept my strength up in the madness of the doctoral program had it not been for the fantastic people in my life. While there are victories, losses, and obscene bouts of doubt, it is only great when you have amazing people to share it with. I am eternally grateful to the fantastic people in my personal and work lives for their treasured support. I do not think I would be embracing the program with such vigor had it not been for these special people. Let’s bring on the next step of the program with renewed energy.
I’ll check back in, in one year’s time for another recap.
