Rating: 
Summary: He knows the real thing in graduate study
Review: Whew, how I love this comic strips very much !I've already forget how I came to this homepage. I was - procrastinating - at that time - just surfing the web while suddenly I saw this webpage phd.stanford.edu and boy, it makes me laugh aloud. I registered instantly at that time, and I've also read all the previous issue. For you who haven't read this comics, I'll tell ya abit. The comics' story circles around a few individuals - graduate students - at Stanford University. Hey, isn't that one of the famous school in America, and in the world. Where Silicon Valley is just a stonethrow away. Where Chelsea Clinton study too. Where some matches of the 1994 World Cup Soccer was held. Yes, but the story really touches the human side of graduate study. Yes, sometimes he exaggerated too much - but what matters is that he knows the real thing. Grad study is hard - classes and TA-ing in the early years - qualifying exams - research for the thesis. And you are underpaid. You live in a dorm - a very small room. You work in cubicles. You meet your friends in high school reunion, and finding out that they have already made a success - while you still, yes, stuck in grad school. You fail your horrible, tortorous qualifying exams.
You are doing research - which you yourself are not sure about the outcomes of this research. Your family has a great expectation for you: a PhD would certainly be a cool thing, yet the real answer is not. Although some of the facts and stories are highly exaggerated, yet I saw a clear reflection of my own experience, and thousands other people's experience - graduate students in all parts of the world. I can laugh at myself now, and that bring a big relief to me. The characters: a character who in my opinion describes himself (the nerdy boy with a glasses, and later dark hair), Cecilia (who is absolutely smart but hasn't graduated yet - and meet her highschool's first crush in a reunion), Mike (a senior graduate students - only God and Jorge himself
know how long he has been in grad school - even his professor doesn't know), Tajel (a graduate student in Philosophy), and Profesor Smith (the nerdy boy's advisor). My favorite characters' are Cecilia and Mike. Now here's my recommendation: If you are ordinary people: BUY this book so you also can feel what is a graduate student's life like. If you are an undergrad who doesn't want to go to grad school: BUY this book so you might want to CHANGE your mind. If you are an undergrad who want to go to grad school: BUY this book so you would THINK again about your decision. If you are graduate students, professors, post docs: BUY this book so you can see a reflection of all your experience in a more comforting, and leisuring way. I also hope you would get some spirit to get back on track for those who are already frustated. And if you buy this book, whoever you are: TELL Your friends to buy it too, or at least tell them about the websites ! Finally, kudos for Jorge Cham. He's a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford himself, but his talent in cartooning is great. I strongly hope he would keep his comic strips alive after he graduated.
But now, he might called himself `Professor' this time. Kudos for you, Jorge. May the geeks be with you, and you be free from The Thesis !
Rating:
Summary: the funniest strip i have ever read
Review: You may not have seen this in your local newspapers, but rest assured, for anyone who has ever experienced a graduate education, this will be the funniest comic strip you will ever find. The Dilbert of Doctorate life, but funnier.
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