My ID card just called me old!
Today was the yearly pointless experience known as GSAS registration. Here at Harvard, at least among the graduate students, "registration" means going to a building at the main campus (a half-hour bus ride from the medical school campus where I do my research) and waiting in line to get a packet of papers. Once the papers are in hand, a registering student then needs to sort through them to find one small form that requires their signature, sign the form, and turn it in to show that they were there. And then leave.The vast majority of the papers that are in the packet are entirely useless. Usually, the only important things in the packet are the study card (a bubble sheet that must be bubbled in to reflect which classes you are taking which needs to be turned in next week) and the ID card. This year things are a little different, because we have electronic study cards, so our packets instead contained a form telling us how to log into our electronic study card (as if that is hard). The ID card was also changed, which I was pretty excited about. Formerly, our ID cards were valid for only a year and had our status on them (ie: student, faculty, officer etc.) For graduate students, there was also an additional "status" distinction on the card. Graduate students are generally classified by their year, with first-years being called G1s and so on. However, Harvard stops counting after 3 years, and all students from their fourth year on are called G4+. G1-G3 designations are not printed on the card, but once a student becomes a G4+, their ID card is branded with that status. G4+ is pretty much a dirty word around here, since it is sort of Harvard reminding you that you should be thinking about getting out of here, and it makes younger students feel old and gives really old students a veil to hide behind. Anyway, I was pretty excited that I would be getting a status-free card today when I registered for the beginning of my fourth year.
In my packet, I found an ID card that said:
STUDENT
G4+
Damn them.
posted by Immunegirl @ 4:31 PM
15 Comments:
"G4+... makes younger students feel old and gives really old students a veil to hide behind. "
Let's be honest. It doesn't make younger students feel old. It makes older students feel old.
G2s really need to learn to respect their elders.
And realize that they shouldn't piss off the people who sit next to them in the lab. :P
Think of it as a badge of honor. A mark of respect.
Wear it with pride. Because the rest of us are just waiting to get to the point where you are.
A tattoo on your forehead that says 4+ would go a long way towards earning you respect.
And by the way, all the G1s, G2s, and G3s "respect" you.
Registration for grad students = stupidest waste of time ever.
A guy from my class only defended his thesis a few months ago. At least you're not that old. :)
So...umm...what your saying is I'm really old? Hmph.
!
I think it just means you are wise.
Harvard can only count to 4?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
gothmog, Harvard prefers to leave counting to the nerds at MIT. ;)
At least you took your PQE before you registered for your 3rd year!
If it makes you feel better, I just started my 7th year at Johns Hopkins. Overall, it's my 9th year of grad school since I did a terminal MA elsewhere. I'm an ancient slxwxym.
I don't know what you're talking about with all of those crazy numbers, HD. Sounds to me like you're the same year as me. :)
I guess it is true. Harvard students can't count and MIT students can't read. (or something like that. I forget the actually joke.)
yrxylxm=update your blog.
*grin*
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