Abstract
Graduate students often feel pressure to succeed not only as students and instructors, but also as published authors, engaged service-oriented community members, and researchers. As the scarcity of tenure-track positions and the general downturn of the economy become increasingly disconcerting, we often feel it necessary to sacrifice personal relationships and friendships to focus on making ourselves more competitive as we prepare to enter the job market. In this reflective essay, we consider the ways that we have discovered to navigate these day-to-day struggles, focusing primarily on the significance of informal networks. Although the authors have formed their own informal network through participation in a shared course, we review more traditional methods that exist for graduate students to share concerns, anxieties, and fears with one another. In addition, we briefly explore our shared concerns as female graduate students and instructors.
Recommended Citation
Fickey, Amanda and Pullen, Erin
(2011)
"Maintaining Sanity in Graduate School: A Brief Commentary on the Significance of Informal Networks,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 52:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol52/iss2/2