Average Rating: 
Rating: - Brutally honest, which is (sadly) really necessary
There is a good section on this book about why not to go to grad school, which is necessary. I have never met one person in 12 years of academe in the humanities who looks fondly back upon his or her graduate school years, whether or not they succeed in getting the Ph.D. and finding a job, and no matter how much they like their job. YES, graduate school is THAT bad, and now that I myself have to advise students who are thinking in some abstract and idealistic way of graduate school, I am glad to see that there is some literature that points out what an awful experience it is. Because the fact is, many graduate programs in the humanities have attrition rates well over 70% for the PhD and people come out of those programs bitter and dried up. Maybe knowing ahead of time about what it's really like will be helpful, so I applaud this book for that much, at least. The second portion of the book is more run of the mill and undistinguished.
Rating: - Survival Guide for Graduate Students
This is one of best, honest, survival
guides for potential or/and current graduate
students. It offers many sound and practical
advice that are extremely helpful to enrich
graduate students' academic life.
One potential negative point is its cynical,
anti-idealistic stance toward graduate education.
However the main objective of the book is
to provide sounded, practical strageties for
grad school survival, so such a non-traditional
approach is
understandable.
In conclusion, it's so good that I
bought another copy for
my brother who plans to pursue grad studies.
Summary: highly recommend for potential grad
students.
Lee
Rating: - If you're smart, you'll read this book.
I absolutely, positively recommend this book to anyone pursuing, applying for, or even entertaining the possibility of graduate studies. It differs from others I've read in that it is thorough, thoughtful and genuinely useful, whether you think you've got it all figured out or haven't got a clue. The chapter on choosing an advisor (versus a school) is indispensable. Testimonials from admissions committees, advisors and students cover all the bases. A HUGE bonus is the author's firsthand knowledge of grad school in the sciences- and how it differs from the humanities. Advisors, please let your students know this book exists. Students, buy one immediately.
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