My very first doctoral class will begin in exactly 17 days, 22 hours, and 42 minutes from when I am writing this.
By the time I walk through the doors of that class, I will have gone through all of the following motions:
By the time I walk through the doors of that class, I will have gone through all of the following motions:
- Stress
- The sickness that often comes from stress
- Excitement
- Nervousness
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Curiosity
- Anxiety
- Imposter syndrome
- Anxiety
- Hair and nail maintenance as well as some retail therapy (don’t act like you weren’t thinking it)
- Anxiety
But here’s the thing:
They CHOSE you. Let me break this down for you, dear reader. A committee of highly educated people, people who sit in the seats at the table where we one day aspire to sit, sat down together and made the sober and conscious decision to admit you into their program. They saw all of the excellence, magnificence, and magic that you already know is inside of you. And on toSo if you know you’re dope, and they know you’re brilliant nothing else should matter.
Let me reassure you (and myself…I mostly feel like I’m talking to myself right now) that you belong exactly where you are. You have worked hard for and deserve every last bit of the spot you have in this program. You deserve every single drop of every resource available to you over the next 4+ years. And you deserve to wow the absolute pants off of everyone - simply because you’re capable of it.
I know it’s cliché, but ignore the little voices in your head that are making you nervous or wondering when you’ll be “found out.” Or if ignoring them doesn’t work, talk back to them! Remind them that you are brilliant. You are enough. Put on the outfit that makes you feel bad af (but, of course, is still appropriate for the classroom) and in the words of my mother, “do the daggone thing.”
You can do this. You will do this.
Ready? Set.
Go.
P.S. Maybe, dear reader, you happened to stumble across this blog by chance. And although you’re not a graduate student, you know someone who is or who is aspiring to be. Please feel free to pass this message along. Thanks for the support!
Yours Truly,
The Blackademics - Tiffany & Autumn
Autumn is a former middle school literacy educator. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership with a concentration in Language, Literacy, and Social Inquiry at The University of Maryland - College Park.
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