Younger Me, Here’s the Real Deal About Grad School

Hey girl,

Buckle up because grad school is one wild ride! Remember when you thought you’d whip up a cure for COVID-19 in 2020?

Spoiler alert: You don’t, lol. Instead, the world throws us more curveballs with each new virus variant.

You’re also going to quickly face something called imposter syndrome—yep, and sadly, there’s no magic pill to beat it. But you? You’ll craft your own home remedy by learning your way out of chaos. Oh, it’s gonna get so hard and stressful that you’ll totally think about ditching the PhD degree for a "normal" job…more than once. You’ll even send out a job application, but don’t worry—you won’t get it because guess what? You’re exactly where you need to be, right here at JSNN.

After trying your hand with several lab skills, you find that you enjoy mentoring your mentees the MOST. Your mentees bring you the most gratitude and even confirm some of the doubts you never voiced. They love the way you explain and teach them things and suggest taking education seriously.

You think about it... really hard and try to see if there’s any way you can take another turn, doing the unconventional at JSNN. You decide to discuss changing your entire dissertation from drug delivery methods to STEM education. The idea is vague, but your advisor is the BEST. Between you, her, and thousands of prayers, you come to a new dissertation track surrounding STEM education and evaluation. 

The struggle is STILL real though! Switching gears won’t be easy. You will travel in the darkness and uncharted territory of what it takes to produce quality education data worthy of a PhD degree.  But hang in there and keep pushing, because you will find your own special flow in this. Your STEM education route becomes so fun and rewarding, I promise!

As you near the finish line, remember: things might still flip on you. That’s just grad school for you. But in your last two years, you’ll learn to be okay with that. So, here’s what I wish I could have told you from the start:

1. Go with the flow: Flexibility is a necessity.

2. Follow your passion: If something feels right, chase it—even if it means a total 180 from your original plan. 

3. Your squad is key: Lean on your advisor, family, and yes, all those prayers. They’re your rock and the key to your success.

4. Teaching is your thing

5. Chill out

You want to accomplish this doctoral degree so bad, so remember, “To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).”  Your last two years become bittersweet because you’re ready to go but realize you’ll lowkey miss being a grad student! So, younger me, just go with the flow, savor the journey, and remember to always do your best FIRST and THEN relax.

All the best,

From Future Jessica

Written by Jessica Norcott, 4th year (1st semester) PhD candidate in the NBI Lab

February 14, 2025