What is Blk + In Grad School?
Before I started grad school, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was just like undergrad — I was quickly corrected. Attending an HBCU for undergrad made my transition to grad school a little…different. There wasn’t anyone around me having these conversations and I entered my Master’s program without the tools I needed for a smooth transition.
No one in my family could share advice or expectations because they did not have the experience. My HBCU faculty didn’t bring it up, and my new advisor was wasn’t aware how my transition was unique. As a result, my journey to my Ph.D had a rocky start. The rigor was intense, but manageable — I didn’t how to navigate grad school outside of coursework and research. No one told me the ‘unspoken’ rules about attending talks or Coffee Friday. I wasn’t sure how to handle conversations concerning my ethnicity or gender. I wasn’t aware how isolating graduate school can be nor ways to circumvent it. I ended up learning a lot through experience and some lessons kinda hurt.
So I created Blk + in Grad School to share that information with you. I hope that you can learn something through my story, other grad students’ stories and Black PhD holders in their early career.
For fun, each week has a Lesson from the Trap. I pick lyrics in a trap songs that motivate through this grad school struggle. Not gonna lie though, not every week is trap, I also have a serious affinity for Beyoncé and Soca.
But really, Blk + in Grad School was developed to create a wealth of advice and encouragement for you, the listeners. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it and find the answers you need to get to and through grad school.
Listen to the first episode by clicking the link here.
To subscribe to the e-mail list where Allanté shares more advice and more stories click here.
