I got an email from the graduate school asking if I would be willing to speak to the incoming PhD cohort on "What I know now that I wish I had known then". My first thought was to say No, because I would have to talk about my suspension from studies because if I didn't, it would feel dishonest. And I don't feel comfortable doing that. Yes, one feels really lost at the beginning of a PhD, especially in a foreign country, but I had survived, hadn't I? And its not like the PhD community in my university is close-knit, so why should I bother giving advice to people I might never see again?
But, I replied to the graduate school saying I was ready to participate. It would be just a few minutes of my time. I don't have to center my talk around my suspension and could just casually slip it in so that people would know whom to talk to if they were in a similar situation. And, I keep complaining about the lack of PhD community spirit, so it would be hypocritical of me to refuse to contribute to building it in whatever small way I could.
But, I replied to the graduate school saying I was ready to participate. It would be just a few minutes of my time. I don't have to center my talk around my suspension and could just casually slip it in so that people would know whom to talk to if they were in a similar situation. And, I keep complaining about the lack of PhD community spirit, so it would be hypocritical of me to refuse to contribute to building it in whatever small way I could.
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