One of the bizarre realities of graduate programs is that no one fully understands how and why they work—not the students enrolled, and certainly not the people teaching in or running the programs. There is a strange magic by which students enter half-formed and emerge confident and skilled and entirely remade. As far as anyone can tell, the learning takes place by osmosis. I think it’s mostly just a process of stewing in your talented peer group and taking inspiration from their motivation and focus and creativity. It’s hard to replicate that experience in your own regular life.
One of the bizarre realities of graduate programs is that no one fully understands how and why they work—not the students enrolled, and certainly not the people teaching in or running the programs. There is a strange magic by which students enter half-formed and emerge confident and skilled and entirely remade. As far as anyone can tell, the learning takes place by osmosis. I think it’s mostly just a process of stewing in your talented peer group and taking inspiration from their motivation and focus and creativity. It’s hard to replicate that experience in your own regular life.