Starting out in the American Culture Studies program means establishing an entire support system around you, through which you will bounce ideas off one another, study together, socialize, and help one another through your entire graduate school experience. When I was working as the Graduate Student Orientation leader for our PhD program, the best piece of advice that I kept giving to the incoming students was to make sure to balance your time between work and socializing. That is something that I’ve found to be incredibly important in my time here. And while graduate programs may seem like these scary and off-putting things where you are just meant to crank out a dissertation and move on, that is not the case at all. Graduate programs are the place where you will meet some of your greatest friends and collaborators.
During the first awkward week of introductions and orientation, it’s easy to be so distracted by the overwhelming amount of information being thrown at you that you forget that you’re there to connect with people and build relationships that will help you get through the seemingly daunting two or four years to come. Constructing a community within the program is key to one’s success in it. Luckily, the American Culture Studies department does a nice job of introducing us to people with similar interests within the program. As an interdisciplinary department, it’s easy to think that with everyone working on separate ideas and projects that there will be no overlapping interests, but I’ve found that I have things in common with every one of my peers.
Making time outside of the classroom to connect with your cohort is key to finding your place within the program. Friendships cannot develop if they are not given the time and space to flourish, and there’s only so much that can be done within the classroom. That being said, you can’t socialize constantly. The most important aspect of developing these relationships is striking the balance between work and fun. Sometimes combining both can be useful. Having friends over to grade papers together or to do classwork together can not only help reduce stress levels, but it can also make your work better. When my friends and I socialize, we’re constantly throwing around ideas about our projects and helping each other develop them.
One thing that is difficult in graduate school is making friends outside of your department. You spend so much time with your cohort that it is very easy to not look anywhere else for friendship. Through graduate student organizations and committees, I’ve made many friends from other departments. Sometimes it’s nice to talk to people without bringing up cultural studies or the theoretical framework of your dissertation. Sometimes it’s nice to just hang out and relax without using any jargon from your field. So, seeking out fun ways to meet new people is incredibly worthwhile.
Graduate school is a stressful yet challenging environment, but having friends in your corner makes the experience much more rewarding.
Eric Browning is a third year PhD student in the American Culture Studies program. He teaches Culture and the Moving Image and a recitation session of Introduction to Film within the Department of Theatre and Film. His research interests are horror film, queer identities, genre, and gender.