I was one of the lucky ones, retiring 13 years ago as a #Dean. I was also lucky in that during my term I presided over 70 hires, which means over 250 actively potential candiates and 1000s of files and letters of recomendation in those five years alone….1/4
2/4. With all due respect to those who got a leg over the gunnel, those who passed muster did so not only because they had ante’d up the basic qualifications, but because they were in the right place at the right time. The fates smiled on them….
3/4. What is insufferable is that once they make it, many of those who won the lottery think it was due to their innate brilliance alone. They continue to feed the #meritocractic myth, in part because they also need students to maintain enrolment in vanity seminars….
4/4. My advice to prospective PhDs is to chose well your subject of research. If you are lucky you’ll be stuck with it for the rest of your life. If not, you will have at least pursued something worthy in its own right. END of ?.
