Surviving Graduate School: What Happens in Session Stays in Session
With nearly 100 students attending, there was no better way to kick off Celebrating Women in Statistics than with a panel titled, “Surviving Graduate School.” Panelists K. Nicole Meyer, Kaitlin Woo, Maria Terres, and Samantha Tyner—all currently attending or recent graduates of master’s or PhD programs—shared their experiences and insights with audience members. Kimberly Sellers, a Georgetown University faculty member, moderated.
The success of this panel would be determined by how comfortable the panelists and audience were discussing frustrations, anxieties, and personal situations. To ensure an open and frank discussion, Sellers started the session stressing, “What happens in the session stays in the session.”
With this assurance, audience members in various stages of graduate study discussed with the panelists a broad range of topics, including deciding between master’s and PhD programs, how to work through frustrations in one’s chosen program, selecting a research advisor, and developing a dissertation—start to finish. Discussion flowed freely, often drifting into more sensitive questions and topics. Panelists and audience members offered insight to those in need of proactive approaches to deal with difficult situations. Not only did the session provide mental and emotional release for attendees, but also talking with other female students allowed everyone to recognize commonality in their experiences across institutions, giving credence to the notion of strength in numbers.
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