Ben Clark

When I moved back to Florida from Indiana, I had to get rid of all my junk. In fact, I got rid of pretty much everything except for my TV, some clothes, my guitars, and my computers. I gave a lot away to Goodwill and the Bloomington Recycling Center. The furniture I sold to local people for a few hundred here and there. Now I’m living minimally in my new apartment, and I’m thinking about keeping it that way.

Yes, getting accepted at a PhD program was much easier than I had anticipated. I did already have a Master’s degree in the same field, which (so I hear) probably helped a lot. I also must have had some glowing recommendations. It also helped that what I wanted to research coincided with the research interests of a couple faculty members.

However, I’ll say this as a warning: make sure the school is a good “fit.” Also, make sure the school doesn’t have internal conflicts between professors (and administrative personnel) who use PhD students as cannon fodder! I left the program after two semesters for a variety of reasons, but not the least of which was my feeling like the newest member of a terribly dysfunctional family. I certainly had no interest in spending my time and money in such a stressful environment.