Stefanie Woodard

If you’ve ever taken a history class, you know that it entails a lot of reading. And last semester, when I wasn’t reading, I was writing. In those rare moments when I was doing neither, I was…

Hello world. I am still here. As in, still alive, still able to write, and still capable of posting on my blog. And I’m also still here. As in, still a PhD student, still writing, and still…

Some days are great. The sun shines brightly, I have an extra spring in my step, and the world is my figurative oyster. But, some days aren’t all that awesome. Yesterday was one of those days.

I almost made it all the way through college with barely touching coffee. Sure, I’d occasionally indulge in a white chocolate mocha to get me through finals week, but I generally didn’t need caffeine…

When I started graduate school, the Director of Graduate Studies explained to me and my fellow first-years that the key determinant of PhD success is not brain power but “Sitzfleisch,” i.e., the…

6 years is a long time. In 6 years, a newborn becomes a first grader; Jupiter travels halfway around the sun; World War II began and ended. And after 6 years, I am still a graduate student.