Discover Rackham
A First-Timer’s Ann Arborian Summer
I’m beginning to realise that Ann Arbor celebrates its summers with a vengeance. It’s as if a battle has been waged with the winter and we have emerged victorious. And as much as I wish that I didn’t have to deal with the never-ending winter, it makes me so much more...
Meet Our Bloggers: Shweta Ramdas
Growing up in a bustling city with a population of 25 million is quite enough to make you hesitate about moving to a quaintly named city called Ann Arbor. I'm glad I shoved the hesitation aside and made my way here, 4 suitcases and all! I was born in Bombay (now...
Writing the Dissertation, One Chapter at a Time
As a Ph.D. Candidate in History, I'm working on the intersections between the history of American antislavery and the history of families. My dissertation traces the journey of African American families as they migrated from North America to West Africa during...
Rackham’s Resolution Officer Is Here to Help You
Having problems or concerns related to your academic or personal life? Perhaps I can help. My role as Rackham’s Resolution Officer is to help graduate students and postdocs resolve a wide range of concerns, problems, or conflicts. Perhaps you are trying to manage an...
We’re Flattered, but Please Make the Articles Stop
Every few weeks or so, someone writes another article about how humanities Ph.D. programs are a bad choice and how grad students are either victims who have been bamboozled into a dead-end career in a dying field or are the children of privilege or—my personal...
A Day in the Life of a Grad Student Mom
Because your job CAN be fun! Excited to be part of a wonderful team! 5:42 am “Wake up, mama! Mama, wake up! Wake up! Wake UP!” I hide my head in the comforter as I try to convince Aida, my two-year-old daughter, that we still have 18 minutes of sleep left. After...
Newest Member of the ‘Just Married’ Wagon
I have been on a hiatus since my last blog post. Coming here to U-M five years ago, I expected to graduate with a Ph.D. before changing my marital status but sometimes the least expected relationships happen at the most unexpected times. As though being a graduate...
My Disillusionment, and How I Consequently Made Friends in Graduate School
I was having a talk with my bestie about making friends in graduate school. I’ve been in my program for close to 3 years now, since I came straight out of college. She worked for a couple years and then went back to graduate school for architecture this past fall. I...
Go Blue, Live Green: Building Community Through Sustainability
One of the hallmarks of U-M's commitment to sustainability is that it is a truly inclusive endeavor. While Michigan boasts hundreds of courses and dozens of academic programs related to the environment and sustainability (many of them housed within Rackham), one does...
Student Spotlight: Amy Krings
Amy Krings received her Master’s in Social Work from Michigan and settled into her field. She bought a house, she got a dog, and she saved for her retirement fund. Her life was stable and on an upward trajectory, but there was still something missing. “If it hadn’t...