PhD Graduate Student & Teaching Assistant
Kristin Carbone
Major(s):
Sociology - LCD
Current Job Title: Graduate Student, PhD - Teaching Assistant
Organization:
University of Minnesota
Brief description of your Job:
I
have two jobs as a graduate student. The first, and most important job is to
learn. Not only do I take classes (and, of course, do all of the work
associated with them), but I also get the opportunity to work one-on-one with a
number of professors in my department. The final task for this "job"
will be to write my dissertation. My second (paid) job is to work for the
department of Sociology as a teaching assistant. My tasks vary depending on the
professor I am working with - currently, I write and correct exams, hold office
hours, and - for my senior projects class - am available to help students with
their data analysis and writing.
What skills from your degree are you using in your
current work?
Every day I use some
element of my undergraduate degree. Most importantly, I use my background in
statistics, methods, and theory when reading for class, completing assignments,
and doing my own research. Without such a strong background in all three, my
first year of graduate school would have been much more difficult than it was.
Generally, sociology has allowed me to see the world in a different way - granted,
now I recognize the injustices - and exposed me to people, places, and things
that I had never learned about before.
What advice do you have for current liberal arts
students with your major?
If you are thinking about graduate school make sure to
absorb as much information about theory, methods (both qualitative and
quantitative), and statistics that you can. Take extra courses or
graduate-level courses if possible. Find out all you can about the programs to
which you apply - for example, know who the faculty are and their areas of
interest, funding opportunities, and the level of support departments/colleges
give to graduate students. But most importantly, make sure you really want to
go graduate school and that you understand the reasons why. Coming from a
department such as this, students can really take any course of higher
education - not just sociology and criminology, but also criminal justice
(administration), history, geography, political science, or cultural studies -
one just must decide what is of the greatest interest. And, once you start your
graduate work, make sure to take time for yourself and to continue to
participate in activities outside of academics - it is worth it.
