Professionalizing

Semenza, of course, freaks me out.

If you have no idea who this man is, let me explain: Semenza has written a book about graduate studies that demands that you:

-take no more days off than either Christmas /or/ Yom Kippor. That's it.

-read 100 articles a week for each seminar

-publish 30-page articles every semester

-never see your family if possible. If this is impossible, make them visit you in the library. Between page-turning.

-create several folios and vitaes

if you don't want to end up homeless, addicted and, eventually, murdered in cold blood.


Hurrah for academia!

Comments

Makayla Steiner said…
Where oh where might I find this book?

*rolls eyes*
September 24, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Jennifer said…
100 articles a week for every seminar? What field are you in where seminar topics have 1400 articles published on them? Not mine, I'll tell you that.
September 24, 2008 at 8:35 PM
Wannabe said…
Oh, 100 articles a seminar? That's it? JK!!! That's awful! The poor author of such a book needs to get a life, or at least smell the petunias by the library.
September 24, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Makayla Steiner said…
What's even more overwhelming (as if you aren't overwhelmed enough) is if you look on amazon.com (which is precisely what I did after reading your post) you will note that in the reviews section, this book has great reviews - from professors. It is listed as being honest, realistic, wonderful, blah blah blah... oh, and Michael Berube wrote the forward.
September 25, 2008 at 7:46 AM
Day said…
The fascinating thing about this to me is:

If professors give this book rave reviews for "realism"--and we all know, precious few real academics are as one track as all of this--doesn't that mean a system has effectively created where everyone feels like they Should be giving up this much?

which is silly, in it's way. . .
September 26, 2008 at 12:00 AM
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