signalnoise

I need to write a paper this week. I'm not looking forward to that.

Edited to add:

So, I'm going to expand this post a little, but on an unrelated matter.

This past weekend was prospective student weekend, which is the weekend when all the students who *might* come to grad school here come and visit and scope our shit out.

I fucking hate this weekend.

I used to not hate this weekend, but as my friend J put it: "I don't want to meet anymore people." And that really sums it up. I have my colleagues who I enjoy, both personally and professionally. Outside of methods courses, I'm really not taking classes any more. So, I'll never talk to these students. I'm knee deep in the shit storm that's my dissertation. I really don't have the patience to talk to undergrads who have 1) ridiculous "research projects" they're shopping around and 2) are more interested in vetting me to see if I'm special enough to be their peer than actually talking to me and finding out what I can tell them about the program.

I fear the day that, as faculty, I have to talk to prospectives like I actually care about them.

I'm particularly annoyed by people who say things like: "But it gets so cooooold in Chicago." Listen man: If this program isn't for you, that's fine. The content, students, and faculty aren't for everyone. That doesn't (necessarily) make any program worse or better than any other. It just means they're different in content and structure, and you need to find the right fit for you. That's cool. Ask me anything about the program, the students, the faculty, the exams, proposals or whatever. Don't expect me to act like a used car salesman and convince you that the city, the neighborhood, or the climate are really "super keen!" Seriously: If the cold in January is keeping you from thinking you want to be here, you don't want to be in this program.

(I have little trouble telling people that. As I jokingly told one student, who was unsure if we were being honest with her: "I really don't care if you come here or not. I'm not invested in any way.")

In all fairness, it's not just prospies that bug me. Some of my fellow grad students, notably the first and second year students, annoy the piss out of me (especially securities students, who act like such know-it-all's - despite the God awful state of their methods *cough*weenies who select on the dependent variable*cough*). Especially the dude STILL bitching about how cold it is. Here's what I say: Man up. Man the fuck up. And buy a coat. There you go. Weather problem solved.

As long a we're on this topic, don't get me started on:

1. The obnoxious attitude of *entitlement* that pervades academia, especially among grad students (No, you *don't* deserve a desk or to be paid a lot of money to dick around on the internet).

2. The annoying "cultural elitism." (And this isn't about people who are cultured. My other friend J listens only to classical music and plays a mean violin, but he never flaunts it in a "I'm so cool" way. I'm sick of grad students who act like they're too good for M&Ms and Baskin Robbins. Kiss my grits.)

Can I just say that my prospie weekend experience was not helped by the student who stayed with me? He seemed like a nice enough guy ..... but he sort of really smelled. And not like fucking rainbows. He actually never showered from the time he arrived Thursday morning until he left Saturday night. Plus, he wore the same set of clothes the entire time .... including sleeping in those clothes. Seriously. He was an international student, in all fairness ... but my cultural relativism only goes so far. Part of modernity is fucking soap. I'm not saying the dude needs to shower twice a day and change every part of his wardrobe twice a day. But - come on. Good hygiene is a part of good living.

I feel a bit better now.