In the past month, I've gone through several major changes in my life. I've gone on several job interviews, started dating a boy (a non-asshole! So out of character for me!), received a few job offers, and decided on my job for next year.
For the first time in...um...perhaps ALL of graduate school, I am completely, wholeheartedly happy. Don't get me wrong; it's not like I've gone through grad school completely miserable. I have my ups and downs each month/week/day. But although these last four weeks of job searching was definitely the most stressful time of my life (and "my life" includes my parents' divorce, grandparents' illnesses, siblings in crisis, friends with mental illness, prelims, etc.), I've been uncharacteristically calm (of course, calm for me is still quite a bit more hyper and neurotic than the average American).
Maybe my relative content-ness is the reason that I've been (of late) more aware of my fellow grad students' misery. While I wouldn't describe ALL grad students in my field at LargeU as miserable, depressed human beings, it does seem that in recent years, grad students in my program have generally become less and less happy.
Is this because grad students are more comfortable voicing their unhappiness? Are students less apt to remain in a bad situation and make the big decision to leave grad school? I know grad school isn't for everyone, but more and more students have been "mastering out" at year 2.5 rather than stick it out for the 5-6 year Ph.D.
Have you noticed an increase in students' happiness in your program? If not, what is your secret for keeping happy in graduate school (or in the "real world")?
