Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities

I bought this book as the required reading for my Introduction to Graduate Study course, which is a requisite for all first-year doctoral students in my English graduate program. My professor has assured us time and again that Semenza's text is, in her opinion, the most complete contemporary guide to humanities graduate study on the market. Semenza writes from a working class background after having risen to a coveted position in academia, and so his guide is largely aware of the economic and practical constraints of graduate study (and employment) for humanities students in this age. Therefore, his advice is timely and appropriate in many cases (e.g. he suggests that you consider non-academic employment options after providing you with statistics about the number of graduate students compared to the number of tenure-track positions; he gives advice about how to balance other worldly commitments such as family, etc.) The book is a little dated in terms of its references to technology, so don't expect to find a ton of useful digital strategies in this. However, he does outline a lot of really important information (what different classifications of professional academics really mean, how to survive your first seminar, how to conduct independent research, how to conference, how to publish, how to write a c.v., how to build a relationship with your adviser, how to write your dissertation, how to manage your time, how to avoid department politics, etc, etc, etc) that often feels hard-to-find for newbie grad students. His style is extremely accessible and easily-read for any grad student in the humanities; I find that I can fly through his chapters in short time. My primary critique is that Semenza tends to be condescending. Though perhaps realistic, he constantly reminds his readers that if they aren't going to read such-and-such difficult novel on their own time, they should quit graduate school; if they don't already put in 20 hours a week more than the 60 their professors put in, they shouldn't expect to be successful; things like that. But despite this occasional issue of tone, "Graduate Study for the 21st Century" is a very motivating read with some amazing concrete tools, and I found that it was wildly efficacious in giving me an actual understanding of how the academic institutions/practices of the humanities work. As a first generation student, I have found this advice indispensable and I have recommended the book to my first-year PhD friends in other humanities departments.

This book is very pointed and clear. I have read several books on the graduate school experience including"Getting What You Paid For" Peters and "A Guide to Academia" Chakrabarty.Peters and Chakrabarty are in the sciences of Academia. Semenza is the "Humanities Guy."Therefore I hope that this quote will clear up what I feel is missing from all three of these relevant, clear and useful guides."Freakonomics" by Levitt and Dubner in the section of 'bonus matter' I found a quote that is the reason for 4 stars and not 5 stars for "Graduate Study for the 21st Century."(Freakonomics is not a grad-school prep book. I simply have a fascination with pulp economics which entertained me during a recent road-trip.)Stephen Levitt is a professor at the University of Chicago. His respect for Nobel Prize winner Gary Becker who said in his interview for the University of Chicago, "Not everybody agrees with your results," he said "but we agree what you are doing is interesting work and we will support you in that."The story about these now colleagues continues. Levitt had a son named Andrew and just after Andrew turned a year old. He suddenly died of pneumococcal meningitis.page 228 1st paragraph"Amid the shock and grief, Levitt had an undergraduate class that needed teaching. It was --Gary Becker--a Nobel laureate nearing his 70th birthday--who sat in for him. Another colleague, D. Gale Johnson, sent a condolence card the Levitt still quotes from memory,"I read that passage in the bonus chapters of Freakonomics and thought, "That is what these Master's Prep books have been missing....maybe I should have applied at the University of Chicago.....maybe I will apply their for my PH.D"Thank you, Gregory M.Colon Semenza for this incredibly utilitarian instruction. I have already recommended it to people I know in the Governor's Office as a useful educational guide and will continue to recommend it.And thank you Gary Becker and D. Gale Johnson for teaching about humanity in Academia.

Good for academic purposes if a trifle preachy

This guy will not sugar coat anything. He tells you like it is, if you are going to go to graduate school for the humanities or social sciences you better read this book to know what you are getting into. Having now read this book I know that I do not want to get a PhD at all. I now know that my real ambitions would have me more akin to going into law school or maybe a Master's degree. If you are considering graduate school, wondering if a M.A or PhD is the right choice for you, or just want to get familiar with the bureaucracy of academics and hierarchy of the modern college institution this is the book for you.It is not an easy read and expect to need the dictionary for some complex and often rarely used wording (especially if English happens to be your second or third language). It is worth the effort to understand what is being said and take the time to read this book. It could save you from many years of unsatisfying and demanding work. It may also help you decide what kind of graduate study is right for you.A great book to compliment this book with would be "Getting what you came for the smart student's guide to earning a master's or PhD". I would recommend you buy both of these books so that you can get a bit more information to make your decision making process a more informative one. After having read these books I now have a much better understanding of where I would like to go in my education.