The Bottom Line
There are so many different kinds of grad school programs, it makes giving grad school survival advice a tricky thing. So Adam Ruben takes a tongue-in-cheek approach that's light on the actual, practical advice, and heavy on the humor. The result is a very funny, entertaining read and a light-hearted gift choice for the new college grad headed for grad school.
Pros
- A humorous guide to surviving grad school.
- A light-hearted, fun gift for new college grads.
- Amid all those jokes, there's some wise advice too.
Cons
- Mad Libs, quizzes, jokes, jokes, jokes ... not much advice.
Description
- "Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School" (Broadway Books, 168 pp, $12)
- Written by Adam Ruben, whose grad school experience hails from Johns Hopkins' molecular biology department.
- Ruben is also a stand-up comedian, and has written for National Lampoon.
Guide Review - Grad School Advice Book: Surviving Your Stupid Stupid Decision to Go
There are many different types of graduate school programs - from medical and pharmaceutical schools to master's and Ph.D programs in every other discipline. A med student faces different challenges than a Ph.D candidate in comparative literature, and the time spans can vary from a 1- or 2-year master's program to a decade in the grad school/T.A.-ing trenches. So giving grad school survival advice is a tricky thing.
Adam Ruben takes a tongue-in-cheek approach that blends a few tips with barbed critiques of the grad school process and its impact on cash-strapped, long-suffering students, including such tips as "Don't go to grad school." The result is a very funny read that will entertain everyone - students, parents, professors - but may not be as painfully pertinent for grad students in MBA programs or pharmaceutical, dental, medical or law schools. Poli sci students will certainly relate though.
The book is divided into sections - starting with a highly amusing foreword, preface, prologue *and* introduction because, Ruben tells us, it's just like grad school: little content spread over maximum space, with endless prologue and multiple redundancies. Funny? Yes. Bitter? Oh, a little of that too. There's plenty more humor too, including a section of Grad Libs (grad school-centric Mad Libs) and a quiz to see if grad school is right for you, with questions such as: "To me, money is A) very important, B) somewhat important, C) wholly unnecessary and loathsome, fie upon thee, o vile money!"
It continues on with sections on campus jobs, the reality of life as a research assistant or TA, tips on flattering thesis committees (bring brownies), writing grant applications and other grad school tortures. But amid all those jokes, there are some actual, practical tips including a wise epilogue that tells grad students to take charge of their own education and lives.
All of which makes it a fun, if lightweight gift choice for the new college grad who's headed for grad school.
