Creative ways to make Graduate research fun

Research is a large part of graduate school, some might argue it's the biggest part. If you're in a master's program, having research, presenting at conferences and the all-important publishing of research is the thing that will make you or break you in terms of getting into that Ph. D program you've been drooling over.

As a grad student, I feel like I was born with this natural affinity for research that some people never quite develop. I guess if we had a world full of research loving, potential grad students it would be even scarier out there! This affinity can be both a blessing and a curse. It's the blessing that most likely got you and I into grad school, but it's the curse that will haunt us for the rest of our lives! (Refer to Proof of the 3 P's)

The rest of my graduate career will undoubtly be bursting with research (including a Thesis that I should probably be thinking about), so to save some shread of sanity I'm trying to come up with ways to make graduate research fun, yes fun! Here's what I've come up with so far:

1. Research something you're actually interested in*

Ok this might seem like a "well, duh" statement, especially if (like me) you're just starting out in grad school, but here's the thing...I've heard stories, awful stories about poor, unsuspecting grad students being used as research pawns to research things that OTHER people are interested in...other people being anyone yu might interact with: advisors, random professors, other grad students that are above you in the hierarchy, etc. Sure it may start off with "Oh, hey, do you remember if it was that one Judith Butler article that has that anecdote about heterosexualization of the social bond of marriage?" But soon, you'll be writing papers just to submit them to conferences and/or writing papers because you're professor is interested in something as random as Chick-fil-A (true story!).

Moral of the story, research what you liek while you can. Because what Florence and the Machines doesn't know is that the dog days are just beginning for you and I.

*There is of course the chance that doing massive amounts of research on a subject you once thought you liked will make you resentful of that subject...the risk is yours

2. Research something you have a background in**

Researching something you have a background in means you already know something about it and can build off your original knowledge, this sounds a lot better than trying to teach yourself about whatever the hell someone wants you to research while you're writing the paper.

**The problem here is that not everyone has your background, so you'll probably have to go back and write in all that useless crap you already know and thought you wouldn't have to write about...

3. Do research with fellow grad students***

Doing research with people that also have to do the same can serve as a motivator. You see them working, they see you working and you feed off each other's energy. You can learn about what they're researching and talk out some of your papers.

***Yeah, you might want to be careful here too. Try not to feed of each other too much because you'll shortly realize that you're starved for energy and so are they. Soon you'll start reading for class popcorn style and everything will crumble into manic laughter and playing ridiculous games that involve sticking pieces of paper to your forehead and guessing what the soc/crim major sitting next to you wrote on it.

4. Do research with fellow grad students while drinking rum (or another liquor of choice)****

This is the best idea ever! The rum (or liquor of choice) will break down those walls that were inhibiting your writing, plus you get the added motivation of #3.

****This is the worst idea ever! Yes, for those first two shots or rum and coke, you might be doing ok, but the sad truth is grad school is basically set up to create alcoholics and doing massive amounts of research, especially for things like your final paper in a class that has consitantly given you migranes all semester, while there is liquor in a 30 ft radius is just a shitshow waiting to happen. Add in the fact that those fellow grad students you're doing research with have gotten those same migranes and you'll have most of your cohort being a drunken mess at whoever's apartment.

5. Do research alone while drinking rum

NO! Stop right now! Put down the rum. Pack up your research. Unpack the rum from your research bag! Put it away and go to the library.

I may have just saved your life.


Maybe I should stop trying to make research fun and just grin an bare it before my liver gives out.