Thread by @DrDavid_IDEM

There is a #mentalhealth epidemic amongst us. The pressures of life are already tough and the science/grad school environment can exacerbate untreated problems. It’s tragic to see young, bright lives like my fellow UCF Chemistry alum Samantha cut short. RIP 😪#SuicideAwareness

https://twitter.com/blackinchem/status/1630217474011430914

2. The sciences is a very cut throat field in academia. As a chemistry PhD student, I was responsible for 40+ hours/week of research, teaching/grading 15+ hours/week, on a < $1900/month stipend… all to eventually graduate into a field with low demand job market. Optimism was low

3. Hard sciences grad students are usually treated as underpaid laborers who are easily replaceable. Many research advisors treated their students like machines as if we weren’t human. The goal was to publish papers, get grants, etc. Academia sciences has a horrible culture.

4. I was in my PhD program for 6 years and I would have never finished if it wasn’t for the on campus counseling program my university had. Aside from the downers of academia, we also dealt with every other personal problem 20-30 something year olds deal with…

5. Problems such as academic burnout, financial issues, relationship issues, family issues, finding a job/career after graduating that justifies 6 years of grad school hell, etc. Counseling was very necessary to help me through the hell involved in a chemistry graduate program.

6. Sadly there aren’t enough resources to help everyone on campus and/or we continue to stigmatize ppl enough to scare them from getting professional help off campus. I know of 2 other ppl that went through the UCF Chemistry program and committed suicide.

7. After I graduated, I didn’t have a job lined up and I had to work to get a grant so I could work under a post doctoral research scholarship for ~$50k a year. The chemistry job market sucks, especially in Florida. There are so few jobs that too many candidates are competing for

8. I’d be lying if I said there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the downs of every chemistry, physics, and other hard sciences student. Some spend so much time in school only to be offered a job that is way below the level of challenge they trained for. It’s tough.

9. I do hope that the next generation of college level educators in the hard sciences can change the culture of grad school for future students. 5-6 years of the many lows and few highs in chemistry grad school can burn out some of the smartest, most motivated people.