#academia things

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Nothing quite matches the frustration of having 7 papers you need in a row be behind a paywall and not on sci-hub

[bipolarmango]

Me, 33, to my therapist two weeks ago: So I graduated and will never study again

Me to my therapist today: So consider this... I go back to school, change my whole career, trash everything, screw the four degrees I've obtained so far and start over, new plan you see

[whispering-pages]

my favourite chaotic academia things~

bingeing murder mystery shows all night and guessing who the culprit was 

drinking bucket loads of cocoa instead of coffee

annotating books with “lol” and “lmao” instead of insightful thoughts 

wearing graphic tees with dress pants or blazers

drawings and reminders written all over your arms and hands 

95% of your reading consists of fanfiction

staying up until 3am to help your friend write an essay you haven’t even started 

debating (more like arguing) about the ethics of capitalism 

drinking tea out of shot glasses and wine in a thermos 

discussing why certain political figures and composers were 100% queer 

playing Bach and Mozart on an electric piano 

[dionyrtal]

hello! i’m considering applying for grad programs in english literature next year because i’m very passionate about it and enjoy research, but i’m not sure i want to go into academia long term because of the bureaucratic mess behind it. do you have any advice either for dealing with that as an adjunct/TA, or about whether or not further education in this field is worthwhile if you aren’t pursuing a professorship?

hi! that's what my mindset was to be honest and when i discussed this with my professor in undergrad, he told me that getting a master's degree would be a great opportunity to figure that out! it's only two years and if you decide you don't want to pursue an academic career, you only lose two years instead of minimum 5 years if you go straight into a PhD degree.

during your MA, you actually do in-depth research, work with faculty closer, get teaching experience, and that pretty much is a small-scale imitation of academia!

for dealing with TAship, my best advice would be that take it on a day to day basis. sometimes you need to do the absolute bare minimum for teaching to focus on your studies, sometimes you need to work extra hours to do grading, 1:1 meetings, etc. but remember that even though you're a TA, you're mainly a student first so you shouldn't feel guilty about "not doing enough".

[youvereachedthevoid]

Know what's great? Books. Know what's even better? Free books. I meant to put together this list ages ago and was just reminded of it yesterday, so here's just about every method I know of to (legally) obtain free ebooks and audiobooks. I'll add to this list if I come across any more.

Free Ebooks:

*Librivox - Provides access to audiobooks in the public domain, run by volunteers. Mostly classics.

*Project Gutenberg - Provides access to ebooks in the public domain. Mostly classics.

Digital Public Library of America - Provides access to books in the public domain.

hoopla - Free app that lets you access ebooks and audiobooks available through your library. Requires your library card info.

*Libby - Same concept as hoopla. Run by Overdrive.

Sora - Similar concept as hoopla and Libby but instead it's for schools (requires your school info). Also by Overdrive.

The Palace Project - Another app like Libby and hoopla that provides access to library books. This one also allows you to download books from DPLA right from the app if you don't have a library card/your library is not yet signed up with them. The downside is they don't seem to yet have access to as many libraries as Libby or hoopla.

*Riveted by Simon Teen - Provides access to full ebooks and extended excerpts of popular YA books. The books available switch out monthly so you'll have to read in the given time frame.

*Tor.com Newsletter - Weekly emails highlighting their blog, scifi/fantasy news, and short fiction. Occasionally they pop in a freebie that you can download from book depository (I got Gideon the Ninth this way). Just make sure you download the book before the deadline.

*Bookbub - Newsletter that emails you daily ebook deals curated to your tastes, often includes 1-2 free ebooks in most of its daily recs. Also a great way to discover lesser known books.

______

*Chirp - Newsletter that emails daily audiobook deals. I've never seen a free audiobook here but I figured they'd still be worthwhile to mention. Prices usually range from .99c to ~$4.99. Must download the Chirp app to listen, but it's a great alternative to Audible.

*currently using these ones myself

[dependabledreamboat]

Shoutout to academic literature™️ for giving me those Critical Role Campaign 2 spoilers I’ve been trying to avoid for the past few years. Truly an experience I never expected and would rather not replicate again.

[kagaz-ki-kashti]

[smolsnailhugs]

Dark Academia is:

Whispering in latin to your classmates, talking about the teacher

Sketching dramatic statues no matter how talented you are

Some days wearing pristine outfits and others wearing mismatched socks

Thrifting all your clothing because you've researched the harm of fast fashion

Buying leather shoes too big for your feet

Keeping wine in a plastic water bottle

Annotating a dictionary, adding your own words and definitions

Learning to play the flute because your notes will haunt the halls wherever you play

Sleeping on the floor or on the roof

Doing things in places that seem out of place, like eating cereal on the floor or reading poetry on a banister

Leaving letters in the books you read for the person who picks it up next

Doodling with a black pen in the margins of your notes

A car trip to the drugstore in the ungodly hours of the night

Drinking wine with your friends and reenacting Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet

Using pretentious words yet still being kind about everything because being rude is not always okay

Complimenting people in very obscure ways (e.g. The way the shadows fall upon your face reminds me of the statue of persephone)

Taking selfies with statues in museums

Scratching quotes into your desk

Keeping a journal with you, writing down the way a certain thing made you feel or a person that you saw

Drinking earl grey tea whenever you get the chance

Speaking with a smirk, always look playful and alluring

Or with a scowl, permeating the room with a thunderous stare, drawing in those who seek mystery

Coming up with crazy conspiracy theories and laughing about them with friends

Trying to out-do your rival and sending them passive aggressive letters in any language you want

Crying over classical music and humming to rock songs

Writing poetry about everything, even if it's only a line or two long