TIP OF THE DAY: Control How You Respond To Things Sent To Destroy Your Peace.

mr darcy: literally insults elizabeth’s entire family while proposing

elizabeth: you are the last man in the world whom i could ever be prevailed upon to marry

mr darcy:

Some pointers my Prof gave me before I began grad school

Yesterday I visited my university (undergrad) after two years in order to collect documents since I’m moving to grad school. I contacted one of my profs there and asked for advice, as I was nervous about joining research after such a long gap. Here is the advice he gave me:

General tips:

1. Be truthful to your research. Do not copy down somebody else’s work, even if you know you won’t be found out. Trust me on this, being accused of plagiarism is the worst thing to happen to a researcher and if you are exposed later on in career, your entire reputation will go down the drain.

2. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. He screwed up an instrument and waited 6 months before asking one of his subordinate who fixed it in 5 minutes. Imagine the amount of work he could have accomplished in those six months.

3. Manage your time well. Grad school is extremely demanding and some days you may not have time for sleep. Do not put off important work if you have time else you’ll end up doing it all in a hurry and without quality.

4. Every professor/guide/supervisor has her own unique method of teaching. Respect that and try to adapt. Even if you don’t understand most of what they teach, just listen. You might get a fresh perspective on things.

5. Be in touch with your teachers from undergrad etc. and ask them if you get stuck. They might help you out or at least guide you to someone who can.

6. Choose your topic wisely. Study the trends and know what are thrust areas in your field. However, the choice of guide is a major one. Make sure you understand the ways of your supervisor. Ask around, google his papers etc. and make sure he is not someone you’d hate for the entire extent of your school.

Tips related to Science research:

1. Know that there are more than one ways to solve a problem. However you cannot try them all due to time/energy/resources restrictions (or simply because your guide advises you against it). You need to know your limits and try methods that are optimized to your situation.

2. Be like Feynman. He knew his theory but he was a good experimentalist too. Have a balanced approach and know your strengths. If you are experimentalist, interact with theoreticians in order to get an idea of their approach and vice-a-versa. Your goal is to get the result and understand how you got it. 

3. You are in research not only to understand a theory/idea but also to apply it. It is not enough to know your books, you need to be able to solve the problem you are tackling. You won’t find a complete solution because nobody has solved it (thats why YOU are working on it, aren’t you?). You need to create/discover the solution.

4. Every problem in science completes a picture/theory. However not all of them receive the limelight. Find a topic you are interested in and know something about rather than chasing a “popular” one that everyone is talking about.

5. The biggest one: Do not feel inadequate for not knowing everything.

Nobody knows everything. You are in grad school to learn too. When you get stuck, get help/ask around; do not let the fear of being inferior get in the way of learning. You have got brains enough to understand things and you can.

6. Do not rely only on teachers/guides. Often your guide/supervisor will not know anything about the problem you are struggling with and will not be able to help you. In those times, find an expert (if there is) or consult books/papers. You should be able to study on your own, without somebody pushing you or deadlines.

Well, this is all I can remember. I hope it is helpful to those of you who are in a similar situation.

please make sure that wherever you’re at in life, you don’t treat it like a transitory period. don’t waste your college years wishing to already be graduated & have a job. don’t waste your single years wishing for someone to be in love with. if/when those things come, they will come in due time and they will be good. but there is nothing like looking back and feeling empty because you wasted literal years ignoring what you had because you were hoping for something better. while it’s important to better yourself and reach for your goals, don’t neglect the present because that’s where you are now and it’s your now that determines your future. 

Tumblr is so funny, cause every once in a while, someone will roll up, reblog your entire blog, and then disappear back into the void they came from without so much as a follow

When STEM people have fun.

sometimes all you need to be happy in the moment is to have a solo dance party in your room to 2000s bangers. 100% speaking from personal experience

me: wow i really have my mental illness under control!

me, remembering i rarely have enough energy to bathe or brush my teeth: ah,

will i end the semester or will the semester end me??? stay tuned

Abuse Victims- Can You Relate??

Being able to read a person’s microaggressions without even trying (He’s upset. I don’t know how I know he’s upset, but he is). I’m always right. 

Being able to hear a lie in someone’s voice without looking at them. 

Unconsciously being aware of every shift in the room, but still jumping a mile when someone comes up from behind. 

Forcing your body into autopilot when life just gets too hard to handle, but then realizing you’re dissociating and trying to bring yourself back. 

That stare that all your friends call your “resting bitch face.”

Nearly punching people in the face when they scare you. 

Being amazingly good at one thing because you had nothing else to do as a kid (for me, reading and writing). 

People calling you mature for your age. 

People being stunned at the fact that you know more life skills than a thirty year old. 

On the other hand, cringing when you don’t know how to do something everyone else knows how to do. 

Constantly feeling tired no matter how long you sleep. 

Telling a story about your childhood, and stopping halfway through when you realize everyone is horrified. 

Not understanding why people complain about taxes and insurance and money while you’re just happy you get to have plants in your room now. 

Having absolutely no control over your emotions, yet everyone thinks you’re so level headed and mature because you’re not physically capable of showing it.